My wife and I have two sons, both appear be driven by a calling. The youngest graduated from college and headed off to Italy (we are dual citizens) to start his life, while becoming fluent in a second language, experiencing another culture by living it, and developing his skill and love for food. The oldest is in China, working to succeed in a business he and his college roommate created, while developing business skills well beyond the ability of any business school to teach. Both have lifestyles driven by their calling, in which income and lifestyle have taken a far back seat to their passion. Perhaps they will be financially successful someday, perhaps not, but for someone driven by a calling that does not appear to be important.
My oldest son sent me an article by Michael Lewis on this topic since he was undoubtedly aware of his state in life. It was a response to a young man who worked on Wall Street and he was contemplating going to Hollywood as he saw the opportunity to make money and the excitement of the Wall Street heyday melt around him. Lewis’ advice to this young man starts by distinguishing between a job, something that makes money so you can survive and pursue other interests and a calling which consumes your life. Both have their benefits and costs.
I mention this because some of you may find the consequences experienced by this young man impacting your career. Law school, unfortunately, is a default educational choice for many who really are not sure what they want to do. I know I should be telling you that it is a great profession, and for me, it was close to a calling for most of my career. But it is not that way for everyone—what type of job you have can make a big difference. For some of you the present economic condition may present you with a unique opportunity to ask yourself whether you are in a job or a calling. These conditions may well present you with an opportunity to make a change that you would not consider when economic security restricted your options.
