Extinguishing burnout - Multiple work and home demands can leave IT pros feeling the heat, but you can find ways to prevent and solve those out-of-control feelings.

JOB BURNOUT is a problem for which most IT managers and consultants have a pet solution -- some of them common-sense and some more drastic measures.

Sometimes quitting can be a positive step toward solving a burnout problem.

"As an employer, you never want to say this," says Mike Natan, CIO at Reliance National Insurance Co. in New York and Reliance Insurance Co. in Philadelphia. "But I think getting another job in another atmosphere in another company can be an energizing experience for most people. You are going to be put in new circumstances and meet new people, and that is energizing by itself. And if you get into a different industry, you can learn a bunch of new IT things."

Bob Becker did something so drastic once. Becker, director of hospital information systems at the Sinai Health System in Chicago, simply walked away from a job where he felt burned out.

"I think it solved my problem. You have to have courage, though. Some people can't walk away," Becker says. "The IT person …