Erivelton Nepomuceno
Selecting a career path presents unique challenges, with individuals required to weigh options—should they follow their passion, or should they seek the security explicitly provided by a different job? Addressing this dilemma forces people into finding a middle ground between the desire for a fulfilling work life and the achievement of financial stability—a tough nut, considering today’s professional environment. Discovering one’s true vocation represents an essential component of finding the perfect fit when it comes to choosing a career route leading toward a satisfying professional journey. Doing so entails recognizing one’s purpose, pinpointing those things that give life meaning, and discovering how we can best harness individual abilities fully.
Graduate education is valuable for people seeking professional growth in this career journey. By earning degrees, people can deepen their knowledge and skills in areas of interest to them. This offers opportunities for personal and intellectual growth, increases competitiveness, and opens doors to a wider range of career opportunities. With specialist knowledge and qualifications, graduates with advanced degrees often have a competitive edge in their job. Awareness of the value of graduate studies allows people to align their passions with the practical requirements of career success, treading a path that combines personal satisfaction with professional fulfillment. In any case, how could one be able to choose a career or a graduation scheme—or even to keep one that he/she has already chosen? There is no easy answer, but some help could be offered if you see both choices under the umbrella of vocation!
The criteria for determining one’s vocation, as described in Julian Carron’s “One Voice of the Ideal,” include three key elements. The first one involves studying our natural inclinations, gifts, and desires. This self-reflection will allow us to recognize abilities and dispositions that guide us toward our vocation. Second, discovering one’s vocation requires accepting the inevitable circumstances and conditions of life, without resisting or being resentful of them. By accepting and integrating these realities, we can find alignment with our calling and develop a sense of purpose. For instance, at some point in my life, I had considered becoming a basketball player. Very soon, I accepted that 1.72 m is far short of the required height for that career. Finally, Carron emphasizes the importance of recognizing the world’s social needs and aligning our calling with the improvement of society. Societal challenges are usually areas of opportunities, which could allow us to use our talents to make a positive impact in the world. These three criteria could be of some support for people embarking on a journey to choose their work.
A final remark is related to our openness to signs. It is essential to be attentive to facts and feedback that we receive from the world. Reality is a complex network of systems, where information can be explored in this journey. These signals allow us to understand how we can best serve a greater purpose that spans the various aspects of our lives—social, cultural, and religious. By identifying our unique combination of talents, experience, and resources, we can recognize our true calling and use them effectively to serve to the common good. Through this process of self-discovery and a careful interpretation of the signs, we may discover our vocation and fight—through our job—for a more sustainable world.
• J. Carron, “The one voice of the ideal,” Communion and Liberation Int. Mag., Rome, Italy, May 2010, pp. 1–6. [Online] . Available: https://english.clonline.org/archive/julian-carron/the-one-voice-of-the-ideal
Erivelton Nepomuceno (erivelton.nepomuceno@mu.ie) is with Maynooth University, Maynooth W23 F2H6, Ireland, and is the student editor of IEEE Potentials.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPOT.2023.3286757