Career or calling?

[Goodbook]

Have been thinking about this recently and wondering what your perspectives on this are.

What is the difference between a career and a calling.
Ought a christian to be career driven or is it best to be called or have a vocation.

There's a lot of conflicting advice out there.

 

[James of Arc]

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[ReesePiece23]

I don't think that there are any limitations. You can have multiple callings for multiple causes - we're multi-faceted beings, after all.

The only limit is what you assign yourself to. Hobbies, interests, careers, belief systems, lifestyle, etc, can all contribute to your callings.

 

[Goodbook]

I thought the difference was a career is something you do for money or earning a living and a calling or vocation is something that God wants you to do, like a ministry. It could be paid but it might not be monetary paid, the spiritual rewards are greater.

A career is something you put a lot of hard work into and make happen, climbing the ladder of success...a calling or vocation is something God has gifted you to do.

At least those are my thoughts on it.

 

[blackribbon]

My husband loved his job working for UPS. He liked not being tied to an office and driving the package car and eventually the 18 wheelers. He had friends at work that were near and dear to his heart. However, his work life and his home life were different and seldom overlapped. His home friends were not the guys he worked with. He went to work happy most days. He worked his butt off and was paid well. Then he came home and spent that money on his family. It was his career but not a calling.

I am a nurse. I believe I was called to be a nurse. I absolutely adore taking care of patients and the difference I can make in their lives even if only for a moment. At the same time, I almost hate my job...too much of it isn't really nursing...it is paperwork and often we have too many patients to actually be able to give them the attention they need. I am also doing important but time wasting activities like making multiple trips to get ice water...oh, yeah, can I get a popsicle too?...and now a warm blanket?.... In the meantime, my phone is ringing because someone's blood pressure is too high and I am going to have to spend a minimum of 30 minutes playing telephone tag with an answering service to find the doctor covering for my patient's doctor, wake him up, and describe the patient's health history so that I can get an additional blood pressure medication or permission to slow down their IV fluids...or worse, be told to "continue to monitor it" and do nothing. My body aches for literally days after doing a series of shifts...even after getting enough sleep. I stay because I make a difference and I am very good at what I do. I spend many of my off hours wishing I could quit. I think "a calling" is good but it often also affects the rest of your life...and not always for the better. Careers that are callings often come with a special type of compassion fatigue. My calling comes with a paycheck but it isn't anywhere near what we should be earning.

 

[Goodbook]

Nursing is hardest as you need patience plus I heard that many hospitals cut back on staff so theres more burden on the nurses. Would you say all caring professions are callings in a way?

I think maybe your calling is what you do specifically and not what you get paid to do...

 

[Goodbook]

When people say callings..or talk about them are they saying God had placed on their heart to do x? For example, one lady I talked to loved her job which was being a court officer because filing was her thing. She told me God had placed her in that job and she had dreams about it. And she prays for all the people who go to court, the judges, the sentencers, the police, the naughty people, their families...

Some people dont have any idea, like another lady I know, her mission turned out to be to bring joy to the workplace. So whatever she does, she wants to make it joyful. It could be any type of job, as long as she does it with joy.

 

[blackribbon]

I knew a woman who worked in a pre-school who said her calling in life was to wipe snotty noses and tie shoes. You could tell she loved her students and loved serving them. I can't think of a more honorable calling than to love these little people.

As for calling...the pay is what allows me to do it...it doesn't distract from the fact that I am doing God's work everytime I walk onto the floor. There is nothing unBiblical about being paid for earned wages...and nursing requires both an education and a license that cost money and time to get. For me, it was definitely something God put on my heart to do and that is how I survive the hard days.

 

[blackribbon]

I think that nursing almost has to be a calling but like any healthcare profession, there are plenty of people that get into it for the stability of jobs, money, and/or prestige. Much of those things are more imagined than reality though...and you don't learn this until you start working. There are plenty of nurses out there that are completely burned out and hate nursing and often hate their patients. However, most will still smile and do their job .... at least until they quit and do something else.

 

[Goodbook]

Would you do it even if you werent paid...is the question. Probably not full time but you know what I mean?

 

[blackribbon]

Would you do it even if you werent paid...is the question. Probably not full time but you know what I mean?

At this point in my life, I couldn't. I have bills that need to be paid.

 

[Goodbook]

I think the whole burning out thing...seems to come from management not letting people actually do their nursing or whatever job and placing emphasis on the bottom line so you do start to feel you a commodity instead of say, a nurse.

I think thats the same with teachers having to battle bureaucracy to even do their jobs, which is to teach.

 

[blackribbon]

I wouldn't have had time to go to nursing school either....and I would have quit because the abuse wouldn't have been worth it.

 

[Goodbook]

Wouldnt it be nice if Jesus paid all our bills. How im not sure but certainly he paid with his life all our sins, i wish that would include bills.

I suppose we are to render what is caesar to caesar and to God what is Gods. Although...he did catch a fish with money in it to pay the tribute.

 

[blackribbon]

I think the whole burning out thing...seems to come from management not letting people actually do their nursing or whatever job and placing emphasis on the bottom line so you do start to feel you a commodity instead of say, a nurse.

I think thats the same with teachers having to battle bureaucracy to even do their jobs, which is to teach.

My mother is a teacher. There are some similarities but she doesn't have a license to protect and a mistake won't cost someone their life or quality of life. She also didn't work 13 hours straight...sometimes without a break. I find the burnout is the constant worry that I will miss something critical because I am too busy trying to care for too many people...it is both a physical and a mental exhaustion at the end of a shift. I find sometime I have trouble forming words as I hand off my patients to the next shift.

 

[blackribbon]

Wouldnt it be nice if Jesus paid all our bills. How im not sure but certainly he paid with his life all our sins, i wish that would include bills.

I suppose we are to render what is caesar to caesar and to God what is Gods. Although...he did catch a fish with money in it to pay the tribute.

I find satisfaction in earning a living. I just wish there weren't so many bills that needed to be covered ...

 

[Goodbook]

Well, bills are bills, but i supoose it depends on your standard of living. I guess they would be higher if you had a big household to maintain.

I know one widow who wishes she could downsize but cant because her son still lives with her.
Apparently he has got into financial difficulties with his work when ppl dont pay him. I dont know what to do except pray for her. She works as a hairdresser.

 

[Goodbook]

Power, water, rent or mortgage, rates. Telephone.

I think thats the basics. The biggest cut seems to be rates if you a home owner.
The next biggest is the rent or mortgage. If you renting you just need an affordable rent. If its not negotiable you need to move somewhere it is affordable. If you paying a mortgage maybe you can refinance.

Power and water depends on how much you use and you can economise on those areas if you know what to do. Phone..look for the best deal.

Have a budget thats what im learning and make automatic payments for things.

Sometimes you can do without certain insurances.
Im learning all this on my course.

Dont do hirer purchase for things..only what you really need. Some things you can just find at op shops.

 

[blackribbon]

My kids are still teenagers...they still need me to help support them but my son is in EMT school at this moment so he can help pay for the remainder of his schooling.

 

[Goodbook]

Education can be expensive depending where you go..its hard. A single mum I know was paying $7000 a year for her child. God gave her a job to help pay for it all. But next year shes going to a different school thats integrated so she wont have to pay so much.