The Changing World of Work - Essay Example

The factors --- changing social values and culture --- will continuously shape how people and society view what they want and need in work (Ford 14-15). As stated above, viewpoints regarding work differ from one individual to another. However, work-related terms such as job, career, and calling are used interchangeably. This should not be the case as these three terms are vastly different from each other. Of the three terms, calling is the most profound. It has something to do with the sense of fulfillment one feels with what he or she does for a living. It gives meaning and difference to the work that one does. Career, on the other hand, is a line of work. One can have a career in medicine or banking, but could still have a different calling. Additionally, one can have different careers at different times in their lives. Compared to a job, a career is more long-term as it is a pursuit of achievements and developments in one’s profession, business, or public life. Job is more of a work out of the need to survive. Compared to calling and career, the job is more immediate and specific since it deals with the current work and job description. It is normally not out of choice, but of what is available (Ford 16).   In the world of work, a job can be a piece of what makes up a career. In the readings on the higher purpose in one’s work (Ford 19), it can be said that it is possible to have one’s career be one’s calling. Since other people follow a natural calling towards certain careers, others can have a deeply rooted purpose in doing specific work. According to the Dalai Lama, having a higher purpose in work is similar to a calling. For example, being a cleaning lady may not be a vocation or a calling, but finding a higher purpose in such a job, such as supporting the family, may result in having the person love his or her job. The concept here is that in any work, there is always a purpose and impact on society in general, thus one should always be happy and proud of his or her work. What is ultimately necessary is finding that purpose and knowing its worth.   Hooks’ opinion on happiness in one’s work is albeit similar. Hooks states that people can be happy with their job if one has a positive outlook toward them (Ford 22). In her anecdote, Hooks states that she felt more fulfilled when she left her previous career and began following her heart’s desire. She said that life seems more enjoyable when she started doing her first love, which is writing. Therefore, this could mean that finding a purpose in one’s work can ultimately lead one to love it, and thus enjoy doing it as if it is a calling. Hooks also mentioned the right livelihood several times. It has somewhat a deeper context that is rooted in the societal attitude toward work expectations. Discrimination in class, gender, and race still exist in some workplaces, and several individuals end up in jobs they do not want, yet have to do to earn money and survive. Hooks implied that through the concept of the right livelihood, the blacks’ standpoint on work changed over time.   How do these concepts from these readings explain the changing work value and meaning? One has to understand that all these have a consolidated impact on work. Let us begin with the concept of the right livelihood. For example, decades ago, blacks are forced to do a few types of work due to severe discrimination in workplaces. While these obvious inequalities may not exist anymore in workplaces, it cannot be denied that people who struggled through this obstacle did not have a fulfilling work life. Another example could be someone who was forced to take up an IT course because it is in demand, and the individual may see it as a brilliant choice if he or she wants better career opportunities. It may not be the person’s calling, but circumstances forced the person to pursue the career. Nowadays, there are still several factors that will affect the type of work we do, and while these societal factors may change over time, the impact is the same --- dissatisfaction with work. The way to overcome such feelings towards one’s work is to heed the Dalai Lama’s advice on looking for a higher purpose in one’s work. Work becomes stressful when people go through the process of dreading doing the work, fighting one’s self to do it, then finally doing it.   If despite the circumstances people are in, they can have a positive outlook and find a higher purpose in what they do, thereby seeing the significance of their work, the person could learn to enjoy the work eventually. If this happens, then the work puzzle of the job being part of a career, and a career being a vocation or calling, can finally fit together. Read More