From Bytes to Back Rubs

If there were a prize for "most radical career change," it would be pretty tough to beat Robert Austin. Yet the former computer network administrator turned licensed massage therapist sees a core similarity between his two careers: He did and still does help people solve problems. Before, he helped people solve problems with the computer as a tool; now, he helps them directly to relax and put their bodies and minds at ease.

But for Austin, a key difference between his high-tech and low-tech professions is that now he deals with one person at a time, instead of eight emergencies all the time, as he put it. Massage therapy has been a lifelong interest for Austin. "Thinking back, I've been doing massage since I was 8," he said. "If somebody had a sore neck or stiff shoulders, I'd always be the one to rub their neck. People would say, 'You're so good at this, you should do it professionally.'"

But for 22 years, Austin truly enjoyed working with computers, an interest he discovered and developed at Binghamton, where he took several computer courses while working on his MBA in accounting. Still, he described the work pace as "fairly hectic." Besides putting in 10-hour days on a routine basis, he worked several overnights on special projects. "Some things you have to do when nobody's on the system," he said.

Constantly educating yourself because of rapidly changing technology is another fact of life for computer systems professionals, and Austin noted that the pace of change seemed to be accelerating. "It was just impossible to keep track of everything, which meant I had to narrow my focus, and that really was against the grain for me," he said.

Then Austin was presented with the opportunity to take over a massage practice. "A doctor our family knows suggested that I consider this -- because I've been told forever that I have great hands," he said. "So I talked to the therapist, who was planning to retire, and I found out that there was a school within 5 miles from my house. Everything just seemed to fall into place and I thought, I really do enjoy doing this. The door seemed to be open, so I thought I'd step inside."

At age 49, Austin began taking classes from 6 to 10 p.m. (after working 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.) two to four nights a week. Twenty months, 635 hours of classes and more than 50 hours of practice time later, he'd earned his license in massage therapy.

Now, Austin treats people ages 3 to 96 in his own massage therapy practice. "Everybody needs something a little different," he said. "It's never boring; although we have the same muscles, tendons and bones, everybody's problems are a little different." His work, he said, is very gratifying. "I seem to have a talent for finding knots in people's muscles. People get off the table and say, 'I feel so much better.'"

Austin also works two days a week at a hospice residence "easing people's pain in the last part of their journey," as he put it. He worked with one elderly man who was in the final stages of cancer. "He especially liked abdominal massage," said Austin. "I'd do a stroke, and he'd let out a deep, long sigh. That went right to the core."

Typically, a massage session lasts one hour, although when possible, Austin prefers to give massages that are one-and-a-half hours long. In the first hour he focuses on a whole body massage; then, in the last half hour, he has additional time to focus on specific problems. He also gives half-hour massages, in which he focuses on the back and shoulders.

Austin providing a chair massage during the Nurses' Week activities at Norwalk Hospital

Austin said that even on his fullest days, his hands don't really get tired. "The great thing about school is that I learned how to do things properly," he said. "I learned techniques of how to use body mechanics so I don't wear out."

One of Austin's steadiest clients, not surprisingly, is his wife, Mary Ann. "She just got her MSW last spring, and she attributes getting through graduate school to my massages," he said.

A firm believer in the benefits of massage, Austin exchanges massages with one of his former classmates. In addition to the deep relaxation achieved and pain relief of tight muscles, massage stimulates the lymphatic system, which in turn has a positive effect on the immune system, he explained. For many, massage also provides an emotional release. "Massage is very holistic: It helps the mind, body and spirit all balance and heal each other," he said.

There's not enough touch in our culture," he added. "Everybody's going at such a frantic pace. People ask, 'How come everybody's got these knots in their shoulders?' We have to protect ourselves from all the stress we go through every day, so people walk around with heads lowered and shoulders pulled up, like a boxer. Some variation of that is how a lot of people stand. And our muscles start to go into spasms and form knots."

Austin still likes computers, but doesn't miss his computer-centric life: "I have a computer at home, I use it to manage my business," he said. "I get plenty of computer time."

Would Austin recommend a career change as drastic as his to others? "There's a book, Follow Your Bliss -- I would encourage people to try to do that," he said. "Work is hard enough, day in and day out, getting the money you need to pay bills. Life in general is tough. You might as well do something you enjoy to bring money in."

Austin lives in Norwalk, Conn., and holds massage therapy licenses for New York and Connecticut.