JOBS, CAREERS, AND CALLINGS - PEOPLES RELATIONS TO THEIR WORK

We present evidence suggesting that most people see their work as eith er a Job (focus on financial rewards and necessity rather than pleasur e or fulfillment; not a major positive part of life), a Career (focus on advancement), or a Calling (focus on enjoyment of fulfilling, socia lly useful work). Employees at two work sites (n = 196) with a wide ra nge of occupations from clerical to professional were unambiguous in s eeing their work primarily in terms of a Job, Career, or Calling. Diff erences in respondents' relations to their work could not be reduced t o demographic or occupational differences; an homogenous subset of 24 college administrative assistants were, like the total sample of respo ndents, distributed evenly across Job, Career, and Calling. (C) 1997 A cademic Press.