Distinguishing Between Hobbies, Jobs, Careers, & Vocation
Hobby
A hobby is something you do purely for pleasure; it’s something you do to show that you’re not just a cog in the machine, producing, consuming, and, as I always say, paying bills and wasting your eyes. Here’s the great thing about a hobby: the stakes are zero; the stakes are nothing; the stakes don’t matter at all; you don’t have to make money from it.
Job
I never resented the concept of job because I understand the contract: there’s a material world, and then there’s a spiritual, artistic world, and they don’t always intersect, which is fine. Job is the only way one can keep the contract of taking care of himself as a mature adult globally, being reasonable, rational, and able to pay the bills without being a burden on others, not waiting for someone to come along and save him. Almost every artist in history has worked at some point. Most of the things of beauty and value created in this world were created by people who were people who had to get by in other ways; they were farmers, they were businessmen, they were Melville- when he was writing Moby Dick, he was working in the customs office, he had a job as whole life. He was never able to be a novelist; hardly anyone can be a novelist. Whatever you do, you give them what you’re giving them, and you take the money in return. That’s the exchange, and that’s fine. But if it’s killing you, if it’s toxic, if you’re being abused and manipulated, if it’s terrible, if you can get out of it, do it. But keep in mind that your job does not have to consume your entire life; your life can exist outside of it, as well. However, you must have a job.
Career
A career is something for which you’re willing to make sacrifices, work extra hours, and put your life on the line because you believe in the purpose of what your career is. If you’re in a career that you despise right now, that isn’t good. If you’re in a job that you despise, that’s fine, but it doesn’t matter, and if you’re in a position that you can’t stand, my recommendation is that you quit and find a regular job to pay the bills so that you can do other things. You should love your career or not have one. That’s exactly how I feel about careers. They’re not required, but if you do have one, make sure you love it, or you’ll be grinding your teeth out for nothing.
Vocation
The holiest, most sacred, most beautiful, and mystical pursuit of all is vocations. A vocation is a heavenly summons; it is a calling. A vocation is a voice of the universe in your ear saying, “I want you to do this thing,” “I want you to use your talents and gifts to make this thing,” “I want you to participate in the story of creation in this way,” “I want you to participate in the story of creation in this way .”The beautiful thing about having a vocation is that you can accomplish the highest conceivable pursuit. Nobody can take it away from you, nobody can give it to you, and nobody can take it away from you. People can take your job and your career, but nobody can take your vacation away from you.
