You spent years training for what you thought would be your life’s work. You were excited, inspired – or maybe you just wanted to be able to support yourself and your family. But now you feel disillusioned – and then you feel guilty for feeling disillusioned!There are at least four reasons for your heart not to be in the field of work for which you trained.
First, the circumstances of the job. Sometimes you get disillusioned by the circumstances in which you would have to perform the work. These circumstances were never intended to be part of the job and they may be caused by the economy or by the growth of bureaucracy or by any number of reasons. I think of many nurses who are crying out over this situation at present.
Second, things you didn’t know when you started.Sometimes you discover things about the profession that you had no way of knowing when you studied for it. So much goes on “behind the scenes” in any career, and most of those aspects of the work can only be learned on the job.
Third, things you didn’t know about yourself. If you are an alive human being, you are constantly growing and changing. Throughout life we keep learning more about ourselves. You may discover that something you loved as a hobby is oppressive when you try to do it as a career.
Fourth, for you, the season has passed. Sometimes you simply discover that FOR YOU, the time for that calling, that enthusiasm, that career, has passed and it is time for something else. The Jerusalem Bible that translates Ecclesiastes chapter 3 in the Hebrew Bible something like this: "to everything there is a season and a time for every occupation ..." A change of season, whether in the economy or in you, doesn't mean you made the wrong choice when you chose your first training and your first career -- that may have been exactly right for you at that time.
Whether you are burned out or laid off, this is a time for re-evaluating your circumstances and for listening more careful to the divine voice within. Burnout, disillusionment -- and even fulfillment -- all have something to teach us.
The statistics change regularly in showing that adults should expect to change not only their jobs but their field of work several times during a lifetime! So…replace your disillusionment with the expectation that this is the first (or second or …) of several changes you are likely to make!
Nancy Smith is a writer, educator, and ordained deacon whose ministry is to link faith and work, spirituality and justice, passion and ethics. From her own commitment to the Christian faith, she affirms the common spiritual experiences of people of all faiths and encourages inter-religious dialogue. Nancy offers Spiritual Life Retreats as well as workshops on Workplace Spirituality and Career Decisions. All are appropriate for both clergy and laity. Visit her web ministry at www.WorkplaceSpirituality.info
