By Gaspar Segafredo
Translation: Gabriela Rosso
Deciding how to gear our own life. From blatant graduation, when overnight, one becomes the rookie captain of one’s own ship. And in each significant decision: the turning point of our personal destiny. What to study? What job? Choosing a road at a certain point. What if I had chosen a different path? Where would I find myself now?
The ideal thing, as wise voices conceive, is: “Follow your vocation!” Not for the sake of others, money or comfort, just follow your drive. But, what is vocation? What does it mean? Is it what makes me happy? How should I discover it without self-deceit or the illusion brought about by social interests or role-models? Even though it is mentioned by many, it does not seem to be a simple or well-interpreted concept.
In an interview with MYRIADES 1, María de los Ángeles Gavilán sheds light on the term and its various dimensions.
–What is vocation?
–Vocation is a process that develops throughout life and is gradually built, based on the discovery of who I am, what I am like and where I am heading for. In the successive predicaments in our lives, our vocation invites us to question ourselves, once again, on these three topics above. The process behind this question and this answer, taking into account my own potential, the challenges of the environment and what each one undergoes in his own dimensions… that is vocation. Aristotle put it very simply: Just where your own gifts meet the world needs, there is your vocation.
–In which human feature can it be found?
–Vocation is more comprehensive than just one person’s single aspect, as it involves all bio-psycho-socio-spiritual dimensions.
–Is there any suitable moment in life to find it?
–Growth leads us to deeper levels in our beings, because we gradually get to know ourselves better. Through the years, growth and maturity give rise to the immediacy of any healthy human being with his personal vocation.
–Is vocation innate?
–Yes, part of it, is and part of it is discovered. We can not talk about a biological origin of vocation. It is something that is built throughout the awakenings given in the vital crisis, turning points in life, chronological moments in which one comes across answers. There are also circumstantial or accidental crises that trigger off awakenings.
–Is school graduation one of these moments?
–Yes, the so called vital crisis. In this case, there is search for our future working development. The role as counsellors is to work as closely as possible to the vocational field; this does not imply that the adolescent’s vocation will unveil, as it is a process in itself. However, the importance lies in the authenticity of the decision taken.
–What are adolescents who have just graduated and reached the Vocational Centre looking for?
–Immediate answers and results. We are expected to be the windows in their PCs, which open by a single click and display it all. We explain to them that they have to go through a reflective and self-discovering process. It is complex, because adolescents nowadays have lost the capacity to look into themselves. Owing to the audio-visual culture and the fact that everything is immediate, their long and medium term projection is hampered. Furthermore, adolescence lasts longer and a 17 year old is in the middle of this stage. An adolescent is the mere reflection of society; current society itself longs to be adolescent. Therefore, the 17- year- old does not want to be an adult and is more immature at decision making.
–Could you highlight a positive trait in today’s adolescents?
–They are freer. They do not put up with what they dislike, while they used to in the past; professions were sustained according to family mandates. This is why art- related careers have re-flourished currently.
–How should a person get rid of social pressure, such as earning money, when it comes to deciding on a career or attaining employment targets?
–It depends on the family background. Therefore, we analyse the drives for choosing a career. There are five: seeking parents approval, personal development, money oriented, social status or seeking stability.
–Is “personal development” the only motivation that has to do with vocation?
–Of course.
–The question is how to unveil motives…
–It depends on each case. In the case of an adolescent whose father only works to make money, even if he does not like his job, it is more difficult. He might be tempted to follow into his father’s steps merely because of his certainty of counting on loyal clients. With this adolescent, we are going to work on the subject matter in more detail and in the interview with his father we will address the issue. Nevertheless, we must not forget that vocation might also imply making money. It’s a question of priorities. If the adolescent is a very pragmatic person and beyond his social and cultural values he is keen on earning money, he needs to be oriented towards the business world.
–Could a person have certain talents, his vocation having nothing to do with them whatsoever?
–Actually, one can have certain gifts and may have still not discovered one’s vocation. In order to find common ground and be able to think prospectively, it is necessary to pull off an analysis of interests, abilities and personality. Some adolescents say, “I like Philosophy”. Perfect. Would you like it to be your source of income? Do you picture yourself working as a philosopher? “Neither as a teacher, nor as a researcher”. “I like reading philosophy”. That is the point, he should be work-oriented.
–Nowadays, there are many new careers. Is this beneficial or is it harder to come to a decision?
–I believe it is positive because our current world is pluralistic. Adolescents have more to choose from in this wider range of variety; nevertheless, our advice is to start a comprehensive career within their own potential, only later should they plunge into specificity.
–What about adolescents who fluctuate and view themselves as doctors one day and as lawyers … the following day?
–It is here when career counselling steps in by giving suggestions and supporting him/her in a decision making and maturity- gaining process. We let the doctor and the lawyer play. Until we lead him towards a decision through research, counselling, and deep personality insight. This is the beginning… Let us suppose medicine is the groundwork but he also has a lawyer inside of him; it is very probable that he will orient his medicine to that of a controller auditor of clinical histories. Thus, law is not translated into a profession but a function.
–Supposing a young man is in two minds: business administration and music. Could he be successful if he chooses the career that does not lead him to his personal development, for instance, administration? If music is the key to his personal development, is success certain to materialise?
–We do not use the term success; we must previously define what success means. There is also a myth that administration is done for money and music for vocation. Let us take a closer look: if you are playing the guitar and you feel it’s your cup of tea, you must project. You might like the immediate sound of the guitar, but… have you really considered the mathematical knowledge it entails, the year and a half admission course? Many art myths fade away at this point. Let us suppose: if this young man has an artistic drive, he should go ahead with art; but if his depicts a personality geared for management and leading roles, with a sound, practical nature, I should then tell him: go for administration, but play music as a hobby.
–Are we, then, talking about capacity, not vocation?
–Capacity, aptitude and personality result in vocation. It is in personality that lies the deepest sense. Vocation as a sudden calling, but quite rare to identify at seventeen.
–What can you assure the person who decides for personal development rather than external interest?
–Authenticity, something that should go hand in hand with each decision taken in that person’s life; this is the beginning of a learning path as regards decision making at all times. Done with passion, there will always be a greater chance for job stability, which will, in turn, give way to money. We must highlight the fact that it is not the career which leads me to happiness or makes me earn money. It is me, my attitude, effort, passion, enthusiasm and direction that gear my project towards good labour and human development. It is man who builds his career, not the other way round. When genuine choices are taken, you can be certain that obstacles of any sort, either in the labour field or any other field in life, will be surely and readily overcome.
–When someone says “I want a career to be happy”…
–No career itself will make anyone happy; instead, it is man himself in all his dimensions who will experience positive development in his life.
–What is the role of the socio-economic variable? For instance, what piece of advice would you give a person with an actor’s drive, but hampered by parenthood and, as a consequence, having to work as an administrative employee?
–Vocation must not be looked at with idealistic eyes… I would tell him: go on with your acting lessons, but in the meantime, as your top priority today (we can see that there exists a parenting vocation here) is a different one, you will have to make ends meet by getting a job that suits your role. For you, this is a greater motivation than acting at the moment. The idea is that acting should be in second place for a while, but keeping in mind it could be resumed later, for which it would be quite convenient to maintain it, even if it entailed a great sacrifice.
–Some time ago a taxi driver said something quite interesting: his job was not done out of vocation, but in the end the job had grown into him and he had warmed up to it; and he added, with pride, that he could place each corner in the city. What has this got to do with vocation?
–He is not doing what he loves, but loves what he is doing. We must all give meaning to what we do. As regards an activity related to our own vocation, we do not always enjoy everything. What the driver has is a vocational attitude towards life: being able to find the positive element in each circumstance down the road. It has to do with the amount of passion you put into things.
–Can we voluntarily grow passion for something?
–Passion is somewhat built. In everyday life one gets into a rut. The idea is to go adjusting our motivating profession as one grows into maturity. What one studies today is the basis of what will be assembled throughout life. I might be passionate about something today and tomorrow I might decide to give it up and resolve time has come for me to start writing. When one refers to a person as “enthusiastic, passionate”, it is because he/she is giving vocational answers, it is a way of tackling situations in life.
–After all that was said about an ongoing construction, is there a life- long vocational feature in a person?
–There is an essence related to personality and features, which can only be traced later on in life. Each one of us has a life mission, that unique place which is beyond professional issues. A person may have a charismatic personality and succeed at getting people together; this person’s mission, then, is to link, unite people … at work, with friends, at school…
–Is it possible to have different work vocations?
–There are people who portray ability, skills and disposition in several areas. On the other hand, there are others who have certain ability in one area. The former, with a wider scope, has an advantage over the latter due to their versatility and commitment to integrate. However, their problem boils down to decision making: they must give up deeply rooted passions.
–Is the one with a great capacity and interest in something specific better at it than someone who has a wider variety of interests?
Not necessarily, it depends on how they do it.
The explanations that María de los Ángeles patiently develops, coupled with didactic sketches on white paper as she talks –regular practice to her as she provides carreer counselling to youths and adults she works with on a daily basis– seem to unwrap into different lanes. But at the end of the day, they all meet at a point: “Vocation is ubiquitous in all dimensions of human life, it is never-ending; it is an ongoing quest”.
Information on the vocational centre headed by María de los Ángeles Gavilán:
www.centrodalfonso.com.ar |
