DEAR JOYCE: What are likely to be promising career areas during the coming Obama administration? -- J.G.

A sampling of campaign statements by President-elect Barack Obama suggests an emphasis on moving to an economy fueled by renewable energy sources. With unemployment at a five-year high, I expect a move to encourage electricity production from solar power and wind power, for example.

More broadly, Obama has said he wants to invest $150 billion over 10 years to create 5 million jobs in the clean-energy and auto industries. This would spark demand for professionals such as engineers and environmental scientists, as well as a variety of green jobs (see greenjobs.net).

Infrastructure jobs (roads and bridges) would boost the need for construction workers and civil engineers.

Manufacturing is a wild card. Despite the announced intention to provide tax breaks to companies that manufacture goods in the United States, modern plants are designed around cost-cutting technological advances that reduce headcount. So it remains to be seen whether substantial numbers of good jobs for plant workers will grow even if lots of new plants pop up.

Another unknown about the jobs landscape of the near future is the new administration's position on visas that allow foreign workers to take professional jobs in the U.S. (see jobdestruction.info).

Education employment (teachers and academic counselors) is expected to get a boost if a signature pledge to provide a quality education for all children is met.

Telecommunications industry employment is likely to grow as the nation moves forward with more broadband networks and wireless services. Federal Communications Commission regulators recently assigned a slice of radio spectrum for public use, and the president-elect's statements recognize that we've become a telecommunications-connected country.

DEAR JOYCE: My days are getting too long and boring. When the economy gets better and the job market picks up, I'm out of here. But in the meantime, what are your thoughts for someone who is in a valley but would rather be on a mountaintop? -- R.T.T.

Some people who, for whatever reason, can't slam their workplace door behind them avoid going brain dead by cultivating exciting outside interests and hobbies. (Punch in "I need a hobby" on Google.)

Others hang tight and look for solutions at work. Psychologists say that if you're a misfit in your job, a big reason you're sleepwalking is a lack of control. You miss exercising the choices to do what you think is important. You can beat burnout, boredom and frustration, psychologists theorize, by shifting your focus to what you can do at work -- not what you can't do. A few examples:

-- Learn how your company works. As with being a sports fan, you have more satisfaction when you know how the game is played.

-- Build good working relationships. Assuming you're not a lighthouse operator in the Antarctica, you'll need the cooperation of others to make your ideas perk and your job interesting.

-- Be creative. Avoid being stuck in a rut of habitually doing things without experimenting with different approaches.

-- Set goals. You're more likely to feel you're on track and doing something interesting at work if you know where you want to go.

None of these suggestions will make you want to work until you're 110 at a job that's one big sleeping pill, but they beat going comatose until you can escape.