Job, Career, Calling

Job, career, calling. 

Elle Luna in her book, The Crossroads of Should and Must writes about the differences between a job, a career and a calling. 

She defines them as:

Job-“Something typically done from 9-5for pay.

Career-“A system of advancements and promotions over time where rewards are used to optimize behavior.”

Calling- “Something that we feel compelled to do regardless of fame or fortune; the work is the reward.”

As I considered the three I wanted to automatically think that a job was the worst and a calling was the best. Except my judgement was off base because a job might be the best way to further a calling.  

If your job does not leave you exhausted and mentally spent at the end of the day, but still pays the bills, then you may have time to do what you really love. So a job might not be so bad after all. 

A career on the other hand, might leave you with a sense of accomplishment, and accolades, but in the long run might get in the way of the thing you really want to do. My generation of women were pressed to have a career even at the expense of our future children. 

I used to refer to my thirty-one years in education as my career, but in reevaluating this I now know it was a calling. It actually began as a job, as a way to secure my future and pay my bills. I had not been one of those young girls who played school and dreamed of being a teacher.  

But over time it morphed into a calling. However, not in the usual sense of many of my co-workers whose heart drew them into the profession. I found myself drawn to the creativity involved in teaching, and the desire to motivate and encourage. Although, some years were difficult my love for the classroom and my students was real. 

As I think back on the time I was in the classroom more than anything I had the freedom to do the work I was compelled to do. Although, compared to other professions the monetary gain was less, but I really can’t imagine having done anything else. 

When teaching moved from being a calling to being a career I knew it was time to retire. Today I find my calling to be writing. It is something I am compelled to do, and it in itself is the reward. 

So as you contemplate your own life don’t be too quick to judge which path is the best, and don’t discount that a calling must require a paycheck.