U.S.: Vocation & Summer Jobs
Vocation. A word which should not be confused as a typo for the word "vacation." What exactly does it mean? I like to define it in simple terms as one's purpose or calling in life. It includes doing the things which positively energize us while simultaneously energizing other people. A professor of mine likes to say that a person has fulfilled his or her vocation when the activities they do result in the restoration of a person's humanity. It should not be limited or confined to just one job/occupation/profession/lifestyle nor to one's entire lifetime. A person's vocation can and certainly does change.
I think it is hard for many students who find themselves with temporary summer jobs to believe that they are truly fulfilling their vocation in the here-and-now. Like me, they are working with the mindset of earning money in order to achieve the bigger dream. Having this mindset is okay, but it is frightening if the depth ends there. In any job there is always the opportunity to be happy, to find peace, and to make the world a better place. Whatever we are called to do, we must do it well. Paraphrasing Martin Luther King, Jr., "If you're gonna be a street sweeper, be the best street sweeper you can be." And if anything, we can always learn from our experiences.
What has my summer job taught me so far? Patience. Flexibility. Organization. Your standard, go-to answers. Coordinating the transportation for summer campers flying into Minnesota from all over the country has its share of joys, challenges, and schedule changes. Dealing with delayed flights and other mishaps so far has given me the opportunity to spend countless hours waiting in airports, endless miles driving a 12-passenger van, even an all-expense paid evening at the Radisson hotel in downtown Fargo, all the while getting to know nerdy, language-loving kids. When all is said and done, I really do enjoy my job.
I continuously search for ways to fulfill my vocation, as we all should. I won't be a transportation coordinator forever as I am sure a chain of unknown opportunities awaits me somewhere and sometime in the future. Best not to sit and merely dream but rather to do something to transform those dreams into reality.
I think it is hard for many students who find themselves with temporary summer jobs to believe that they are truly fulfilling their vocation in the here-and-now. Like me, they are working with the mindset of earning money in order to achieve the bigger dream. Having this mindset is okay, but it is frightening if the depth ends there. In any job there is always the opportunity to be happy, to find peace, and to make the world a better place. Whatever we are called to do, we must do it well. Paraphrasing Martin Luther King, Jr., "If you're gonna be a street sweeper, be the best street sweeper you can be." And if anything, we can always learn from our experiences.
What has my summer job taught me so far? Patience. Flexibility. Organization. Your standard, go-to answers. Coordinating the transportation for summer campers flying into Minnesota from all over the country has its share of joys, challenges, and schedule changes. Dealing with delayed flights and other mishaps so far has given me the opportunity to spend countless hours waiting in airports, endless miles driving a 12-passenger van, even an all-expense paid evening at the Radisson hotel in downtown Fargo, all the while getting to know nerdy, language-loving kids. When all is said and done, I really do enjoy my job.
I continuously search for ways to fulfill my vocation, as we all should. I won't be a transportation coordinator forever as I am sure a chain of unknown opportunities awaits me somewhere and sometime in the future. Best not to sit and merely dream but rather to do something to transform those dreams into reality.
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