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Difference between job and vocation

MY friend asked me the other day, ‘What’s the difference between a job and a vocation?’ To me, a job is something that you have to do to survive.

A job is something short-term and we often hear the phrase “dead-end job” when people talk about their work. There is no long-lasting fulfilment or happiness from a job. It is not uncommon for us to outgrow one job quickly and then search for the next.

On the other hand, a vocation is a calling. We also get deep satisfaction and fulfilment from our vocation. There is emphasis on the person’s talents and abilities in the choice of a career. Some people know what their calling is — to be in service-oriented work, to be a volunteer, to be involved in religious work… the list goes on.

But for others, we discover our vocation along the way. We can start off with a job which, at the end of the day, might still remain as a job. However, we can also start off with a job which later becomes a vocation.

I would like to think that my vocation is touching lives. Simply put, if there is something I can do to make a difference in another person’s life, then that is my calling.

I had the privilege to work among young people in lecture halls and in organisations. It started out as a job but ended up more because thousands of lives passed through my hands.

That, I believe, provided the ground work on which experiences were built and are continuing to expand into community, religious and voluntary work.

There are many charity bodies asking for funding and these advertisements are regularly aired over the Raidió Teilifís Éireann and British Broadcasting Corporation.

The organisations are so diverse — ranging from saving a donkey from a life of hard work to sponsoring a child. It is difficult to know which ones are genuine. Far too often, we hear of funds being misappropriated and directors embezzling money.

People shy away from donating because of such bad reports.

Putting our doubts aside, Michael and I decided to sponsor a child.

Now that our children are grown, we feel that we can spread our love to yet another child by committing to help her escape poverty.

Poverty is very real. It is like a generational curse that depletes the land and starves its inhabitants.

So, when Compassion set up a stand at a conference that we attended, the time was right for us to check it out. This charity organisation has been around long before I was born and has helped over 1.7 million children.

Independent research conducted by Dr Bruce Wydick has shown that former Compassion-sponsored children were more likely than their unsponsored peers to stay in school.

When they grow up, they have better chance of holding salaried or white-collar jobs, and become leaders in their communities.

We were given a kit with a 4-year-old girl’s details. The African child has a smallish frame but very serious-looking eyes.

Her country is dependent on foreign aid, where hundreds die because of politics and AIDS.

She comes from a land where hot, dry harmattan winds reduce visibility during winter and periodic droughts leave many hungry.

The moment we laid eyes on the photo, we were convinced that we would see her lead a more fulfilled life till she reaches age 18. It is like adopting a child that we have not met and the feeling is amazing.

By exchanging letters and photos, and offering love and encouragement, I hope we will be able to affirm her worth and provide hope to Odette that will last a lifetime.

Maybe, one day, we might get to hold her.

The writer was a lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Mara and now spends her days enjoying life as it is.

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