What do we mean by vocation, anyway?

By Rotary International

Obstetricians from England use their vocational skills to train medical staff in emergency care for pregnant women and newborns during a vocational training team visit to India in 2013 organized by District 1120 and 3240.

Obstetricians from England use their vocational skills to train medical staff on emergency care for pregnant women and newborns as part of a vocational training team to India in 2013 organized by Districts 1120 and 3240.

By Evan Burrell

The question we face almost from the time we are old enough to talk is “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

It’s a question most often put to us by our parents, teachers, and friends. When we are young, we are content to keep our answers pretty vague or even whimsical. When I was 10, I wanted to be a Cowboy Astronaut Zookeeper!! Sometimes I wish I was one, if only to see the look on the face of Rotarians who ask me what my vocation is.

The word “vocation” gets bandied about quite a lot in Rotary circles. When I saw the word for the first time in some dusty old Rotary manual, I thought to myself “someone keeps misspelling vacation”!

Vocation really means “a calling,” a strong desire to spend your life doing a certain kind of work or occupation.

Vacation and vocation don’t have to be that far apart if you are doing what you love. Honestly, I think a …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

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