How to Find Your True Vocation

Answering the Question, "What Am I Going to Do With My Life?"

Copyright 2003-2010 G. A. Puleo

When you were 5 years old, your parents asked you, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"  When you were 17, your guidance counselor asked you, "What are you going to do when you graduate?"  When you started your career, your manager asked you, "How far do you want to go in this company?"  But when you were laid off, you finally asked yourself, "What am I going to do with my life?" 

Perhaps that should have been the first question you answered. 

Americans spend most of their waking hours on the job or doing work-related tasks.  With so much time spent working, the way you view your professional life strongly impacts your sense of well-being.  Your job satisfaction or dissatisfaction will profoundly spill over into other areas of your life.  So, isn't it time to discover your true professional identity? 

Job, Career or Vocation?

Your attitude toward work can generally be classified in one of three ways. 

• When work is a means to an end (such as money or status), you view employment as a job. 
  
• If there is upward mobility and a common threat to a series of jobs, then each job is viewed as a step in a career. 
  
• When your work is the manifestation of an inner drive or motivation to do something, then it has become a vocation. 
  

None of these classifications is better or worse than another.  But research suggests that the most satisfied workers are those whos jobs are a part of an overall career that ultimately serves their vocation. 

You can begin the search for your vocation by taking a personality profile or vocational assessment tool.  (Many of these are available free on-line.)  Myers-Briggs, A.C.T., Qwiz and other assessments analyze personality traits, interests, values and abilities to suggest occupations that 'fit' with your vocation.  While these tests have merit in providing direction for job candidates or career changes, it is critical that you consider your personal likes and dislikes into the final analysis. 

Tools to Find Your Vocation

Vocations are strongly emotional.  While many people know on a gut level what their vocation or calling is, too many work at jobs that are the antithesis of this vocation.  Personal and financial responsibilities are often the culprits behind this situation.  But working at a job that you hate increases job stress that seeps into the personal areas of your life. 

So where do you begin?  While jobs and careers may be determined through vocational assessment tools, vocation identification requires a more personal commitment. Begin the process by answering these four essential questions: 

1. For what qualities or talents have I received praise or admiration?  Other people's praise often illuminates talents and skills that you often take for granted.  For example, did members of your professional organization marvel at the way you coordinated the Fall Fundraiser?  Do you usually serve as mediator in office conflicts? 
   
   
2. What types of activities give me the most pleasure?  The types of activities that you enjoy suggest employment tasks, duties and responsibilities that coincide with your inner drive and motivation.  For example, did the hours just seem to fly when you solicited corporations for donations to the Fall Fundraiser?
   
   
3. What type of a legacy do I want to leave?  Your legacy defines your life -- whether you want it to or not.  By proactively determining what you want to be known for, you are also identifying the things, values and ideals that are most important to you.  This knowledge then provides a compass for your life and career that can keep you pointed on your own unique path. 
   
   
4. Do I have the necessary skills and qualifications to realize my vocation?  Questions 1-3 helped you to identify your vocation; question 4 operationalizes activities to make the dream a reality.  

Read more in our article "Turning Your Vocation into a Reality."