What is the purpose of work, of career? My mind feels heavy, burdened by the constant contemplation about why we choose to do whatever work we choose. Some of it, I believe, must tie into what we believe as individuals is our purpose for being on earth. No matter your religion or non religion, no matter your beliefs, you have likely asked yourself at one point, why am I here? Why do humans live? Some believe that current life here on earth is to prepare for, or help earn them a spot in heaven. Others believe we are stewards of the earth, here to take care of the planet and each other while we live. Still others believe all of our living is in experiencing every moment we can, as completely as we can in the present. So are our careers about working toward something else, or are they about living now? Exploration of the intricacies of various religions and belief systems would probably yield innumerable interpretations of the purpose of life. But do these belief systems drive our personal decision-making about the way we spend most of our waking hours as adults, that is, our work?
The Common Core Standards, and all of their incarnations throughout the country, have American students working for college and career readiness. The Core, and all the assessments it brings with it, is the biggest driving force in education right now. It seems to be an indication that policy makers, and possibly society at large, believe the purpose of education is to prepare students for a job, or more education- leading eventually to a job. So how does one decide what that job should be? How do we know what we should be doing for work, and therefore, how we should prepare for said work?
If school is to prepare us for work, how do we know what we should do and what the purpose of work should be? One counter thought to the argument of The Core, the purpose of education cannot be simplified into career preparation. Education is about becoming educated, not just about subjects, but about people, places, experiences, and human interactions. If school from this perspective is to prepare us for life, shouldn’t there be more focus on living? Would not learning through experience help a person make more informed decisions about what to devote a life’s work to? Still yet, should a person always spend a whole life doing the same work?
Let us consider various purposes of work. There are probably others, but many lead back to these four:
- People work to earn money. The money earned may be used for various purposes such as to support oneself, a family, or a cause. With earning as the primary purpose for work, little consideration would be given to the time spent, the tasks required, or whether the work derives feelings of satisfaction or fulfillment, as long as the person doing the work thinks the salary is adequate. Little regard would be given to talent or passion unless it translated into increased earning power. It would simply be most important to consider what kind of income could be drawn from the job. Many people in this category work just because it’s a job and they can make good money doing it.
- People work to feed and satisfy the economy. Here, people work because it is what they are supposed to do. Moms and Dads are shamed for wanting to stay home with their children, the unemployed are shamed for “living off the system,” and true retirement to a life of relaxation and leisure are reserved for those who seem to have earned it. If you are old enough or young enough to work, people expect you to work as a “productive member of society” to pay taxes and feed the economy. Working people support consumerism and consumers perpetuate a strong economy. Still, this purpose is about earning power. Many people in this category also work just because it’s a job and they need one.
- People work to care for humanity. Caring for the earth and all its creatures, human and otherwise is at the heart of this purpose. Humanities organizations, missionaries, communal living would be extreme examples of people who make their life’s work caring for people, the earth, or animals. Additional examples might be those who work for GreenPeace, the Humane Society, Earth Charter. People who find this purpose at the heart of their work, seem to be working for something or someone beyond themselves. Their wages may not be what they wish they were, but they are enough to help sustain them as they do work they deem to be important.
- People work to feel fulfilled. Fulfilled takes different forms for different people. Whether someone feels impassioned by their work, self-actualized, or contributory, people who work to be fulfilled would be driven less by financial rewards, and more by personal satisfaction with their work. The exception would be someone who feels fulfilled by wealth, because the true purpose would be blurred.
Of course, many people are driven by multiple purposes, or find one purpose inside another. For example, one might feel fulfilled by doing work that satisfies the economy or supports human rights. Additionally, one might be able to make a lot of money supporting one of these other purposes in various ways. Even still, some people may be driven by one or more of these purposes and find themselves unsuccessful all the way around. I think I may be one of these people. Let me explain.
I already know, while it is important for me to earn money to contribute to my family’s income, my purpose for work is not to earn money. I know this because I have at my disposal, opportunities to take positions and job opportunities in which I would earn a great deal more money than what I am earning now. Am I not driven by salary at all? I would be lying if I said no. I have a home, a car, and years of student loan payments. I need to earn money. But it is not my primary purpose for working.
The same can be said for my feelings about feeding the economy. I am what I think is a moderate consumer. I like personal electronics, but other than that I don’t have a lot of stuff. I don’t think of cars as show pieces, I don’t have much in the way of jewelry, and I don’t have a lot of stuff. Some time a few years back my husband and I started doing what my friend Helen refers to as spending money on experiences, rather than things. That’s not to say we don’t feed the economy. We still love to eat out, travel, and we spend plenty of money keeping up with the wants and needs of our teenage son. But, I don’t work to feed the economy. in fact, I wouldn’t mind at all staying home for awhile, and would in no way feel ashamed to do it.
Do I work to care for humanity? I guess in a sense, I do. On several occasions throughout my career, including last year, I chose to take a position comparatively underpaid, to work in organizations with missions in which I strongly believe. Alright, I am not working for free, and I haven’t given up any of the comforts of my everyday lifestyle, but I have chosen to work with populations in schools often cast away or aside by others. I seem to have devoted much of my life’s work to at-risk youth because I believe we need to make a difference; we need to change the relationship they have with their schools and the people in them. I have always felt pretty passionate about it, but I think the candle might be burning out. I’m not sure this purpose is driving me any longer.
This leads to the final purpose for work, to feel fulfilled. It sounds a bit selfish, doesn’t it? But what if, as human beings, we were given permission to choose work that made us feel alive, impassioned, and soulful? Self-help books preach to us all the time the possibilities of letting go and chasing what we are passionate about. Find a purpose outside ourselves and we will awaken the passion within us. Sounds great doesn’t it? I believed it, I still want to believe it. But I’m not sure I do. I’ve thought over and over again about letting go of the need to earn money, abandoning what everyone else thinks I should do, and taking a big risk. Doing something with the sole purpose of feeding my soul. My heart rate gets up, my spirit seems lifted, I know the right opportunity for this is out there. I search high and low, around the country and throughout the world. I dig deep inside, I look up to G-d. And nothing. I’m tormented.
I don’t know what my calling is. Or maybe I do, but I’m too focused on what I want instead of what I can do for others. Is it possible I was really good at something and now I’m not anymore? Do we have different purposes at different times in our lives? Who gets to decide what that purpose is? Do I create my own torment by overanalyzing instead of just doing?
I really don’t know. I’m stuck in contemplation.
