Turning Your Vocation into a Reality

Operationalizing Your Job-Career-Vocation Triad

Copyright 2003-2010 G. A. Puleo

Most satisfied employees' work represents a powerful triad in which their job is part of a career that represents their vocation.  Are these people just lucky -- or do they have a secret that you can learn, too?  

To find a job that is part of a career that represents your vocation may require you to change careers.  A major stumbling block in this process is often a lack of skills, qualifications or academic credentials.  Fortunately, adult learners have more options than ever before and are returning to brick-and-mortar as well as virtual classrooms in record numbers.  As a result, colleges and universities are redesigning curriculum in order to offer new programs that meet the special needs of working students. 

Don't let a lack of the appropriate education be a barrier to realizing your vocational dream.  Consider these options: 

• Continuing education programs offer short, non-credit workshops on management skills, computer programming, professional development, etc.  There's no long-term commitment and you can select only those courses that are the most relevant to your job-career-vocation triad. 
  
• Certificate programs are available in a wide variety of fields and often culminate in credentials awarded by professional accrediting agencies, such as SPHR, PHR, CEBS, CPM, etc. 
  
• Baccalaureate (B.A., B.S.) and graduate degrees can now be completed on Saturdays, weekends, evenings or on-line, decreasing the conflict between academic and professional responsibilities. 
  

Identifying your vocation and then not being able to act on it due to a lack of the proper education or credentials can be demoralizing.  Education has changed in the last decades to become more application-driven rather than purely theoretical.  Universities are actively searching for non-Ph.D. executives to lead classroom discussions and offer valuable practical insights to students. 

Talents and skills that were often overlooked a decade ago are now in great demand to wide variety of organizations.  Who would have thought that the ancient art of feng shui would now become an important part of an interior designer's portfolio used to engage corporate clients?  Insights gleaned in a seemingly unrelated area can provide new perspectives that create unique solutions to problems. 

In this constantly changing, knowledge-driven society, life-long learning is critical to the success of the individual as well as the organization.  As jobs become less specialized and require broader insights into business, psychology and culture, job skills continue to expand to include more employee-specific skills.  The task of tailoring a job to fit your vocation creates a win-win solution for you and your employer because your commitment, focus and, ultimately, achievements increase. 

Be proactive about finding a job that is part of a career that represents your vocation.  The process will take time:  time to acquire the necessary skills and training, time to develop proficiency and expertise in these areas as well as time to build and leave a legacy.  Don't let these time requirements stop you:  it is time well spent because it can create significant joy and success in your life. 

Read our article "How to Find Your True Vocation" to find out more. 

Click here for A User's Guide to Managing Your Career -- our 90-minute webinar to take charge of your career path.