Camp leadership burnout: what is normal?
I’m leaving out some specifics to protect my anonymity, but I appreciate any advice, especially if you’ve been through anything similar. Thank you!
I’m at a large, co-ed residential camp in a fairly remote/wilderness setting. I’m in a year-round leadership role, and I’m increasingly burned out, a few years into this specific role. My job involves a very broad range of responsibilities, and there are periods of long hours and significant availability outside “normal” working hours.
Some of that is obviously part of working in camp, and I expected the job to be demanding. But I’m starting to wonder whether what I’m experiencing is normal camp leadership or whether my particular workplace has unreasonable expectations. I’ve been in my position long enough to know that my feelings might be more than just “growing pains.” It’s starting to affect my life outside of work, and my spouse has pointed out that I seem to be reaching a point where this isn’t sustainable.
Some frustrations include: personal time off, workload, staffing/support, working conditions, communication, and how responsibility is assigned.
The strange part is that I don’t hate camp! I enjoy the actual work and still love outdoor recreation and youth programming, and I enjoy the meaningful work. I’m trying to figure out whether I’m simply not suited for this role, or whether this role might be better somewhere else.
For people with experience at multiple camps, or if you’ve transitioned from a camp leadership role:
- What does a healthy camp workplace look like?
- What are normal workload/availability requirements for camp leadership?
- Did changing organizations make a significant difference for you?
-If you left camp leadership, what did you move into? How is that going?
-Would you recommend moving into an adjacent field or leaving the industry?
I’m genuinely looking for perspective. If this sounds normal, I’d rather know that. If this seems like too many red flags, I’d like to know that too.