‘Is That Really What God Wants for Me?’ How Work Experience Causes Doubt about Occupational Callings

• In Event: Sociology of Religion Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 4. Religiosity: Its Influence and Measurement

Abstract

Drawing on data collected through participant observation at a Pentecostal church in Orange County, California, I explain how experiences at work caused three religious actors to doubt their occupational callings. Micah believed God wanted him to be a professional athlete until injury struggles caused him to question his calling, Leo felt called to work as a financial analyst until a drop in the market made him doubt whether he had the skills to succeed, and Paul believed he was destined to work for an insurance company until he began to dream of bigger things. These findings document two relationships not present in Work as Calling Theory, an attempt to unify the existing literature on occupational callings. First, they reveal that experiences living a calling may cause individuals to feel that they do not fit with their work environment, although Work as Calling Theory holds that person-environment fit is only affected by perceiving a calling. Second, they demonstrate that low levels of person-environment fit may lead individuals to question their occupational callings, despite Work as Calling Theory’s claim that only work meaning and career commitment affect perceiving a calling. The findings in this paper suggest that Work as Calling Theory may need to be updated, and indicate the need among scholars for greater sensitivity to the cyclical nature of calling development.

Author

• Spencer Paine, University of California-Merced