Vocation vs Career: How to Find Your True Purpose in Life

Finding our vocation or "calling" can feel confusing.

The Pull of Vocation

More than two decades ago, I found myself drawn into the idea of vocation.

At the time, my sister Kelly had just begun her Master’s in Therapeutic Counselling, and one of her courses focused on career counselling. On the surface, it didn’t sound particularly compelling. Career counselling can feel practical, maybe even a bit flat, especially when you’re interested in the deeper workings of the psyche.

But I quickly learned otherwise.

As I began my own therapeutic journey, working within a Jungian lens, learning alongside Kelly, and eventually pursuing my own Master’s, something became very clear: our work is not separate from our wellbeing, it is central to it.

And if we go a step further, it may be one of the truest expressions of our spiritual purpose.

The Knowing That Comes Before Words

I can say, with surprising certainty, that since the age of four, I knew I wanted to be a counsellor. I wouldn’t have used that language, of course. But empathy, intuition, compassion, and even a kind of sorrow were always present in me. I was attuned to people. To emotion. To disconnection.

And I think, even then, I sensed that connection, care, and understanding were the antidotes to so much of what hurts in this world. That knowing lived in me early.

But knowing something and living it are very different things.

How We Lose Ourselves

Life rarely unfolds in a straight line. We are shaped by expectations. Influenced by culture. Pulled by practicality. Rewarded for fitting in. And over time, something subtle begins to happen.

We filter ourselves.

We adapt.

We build identities that make sense to the world around us.

In Jungian terms, we develop a persona (the version of ourselves we present outwardly), often at the expense of the deeper, more authentic self. We don’t usually notice it happening. We just wake up one day feeling slightly off. Disconnected. Unsure why something doesn’t quite fit.

For me, that meant not beginning my Master’s in Therapeutic Counselling until I was 37 which, to many, seemed rather late. And yet, here I am. Right on time.

So… What Is a Vocation?

Over the years, both in my own life and in my work with clients, I’ve come to understand vocation as something much deeper than a job or career path. It’s not primarily about income, status, security, or even lifestyle, though those things matter.

A vocation is the place where your inner world meets the outer world. It is the expression of your natural gifts in a way that contributes to something beyond you. It’s the work that feels like you. Not always easy. Not always glamorous. But aligned.

When people begin to move toward their vocation, something shifts. There is more energy. More clarity. More meaning. Even the hard parts feel different.

“Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.” — Joseph Campbell

When Something Feels Missing

Many of the people I sit with are not asking, “What job should I have?”

They’re asking something much more honest:

Why does my life not feel like mine?

Why do I feel stuck?

Why do I feel disconnected from myself?

Often, the answer is not about making a drastic change overnight. It’s about remembering.

Remembering what you were drawn to before the world told you who to be.

Remembering what gives you energy instead of draining it.

Remembering the parts of you that were set aside because they didn’t seem practical, or safe, or valued.

When Your Work Isn’t Your Vocation (Yet)

There’s an assumption built into conversations about purpose that isn’t always spoken about. That you can simply leave what you’re doing and move directly into what you love. For many people, that’s not realistic. There are financial responsibilities. Family considerations. Stability that matters. Seasons of life where practicality needs to take the lead.

And that doesn’t mean you are disconnected from your vocation. It means your vocation may be asking for expression in a different form.

Through creativity.

Through relationships.

Through how you care for others.

Through what you choose to give your time and energy to outside of work.

It might look like writing. Painting. Volunteering. Mentoring. Building something slowly on the side. Showing up in your community in a way that feels true to you.

Vocation doesn’t disappear just because your job doesn’t fully reflect it. It finds other ways through. And often, those smaller expressions are what begin to shape something larger over time.

It's not about the end game, it's about moving through life as our truest self.

The Truest Expression of You

In many ways, living your vocation is not about becoming something new, it’s about returning. Returning to what has always been there. Returning to your natural way of being. Returning to the parts of yourself that feel most honest.

And when that begins to happen, something shifts.

Because this isn’t just about work. It’s about how you move through the world.

How you relate to others. How you experience yourself. The house, the relationship, the external markers of a good life all matter.

But this? This is you expressing your truest essence.

An Invitation

If this resonates with you, you don’t have to figure it out alone. This is the kind of work we explore together, slowly and honestly, in a way that honours both your inner world and the realities of your life.

If you’re feeling that gap between where you are and what fits, we can begin there.

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