How Should Buddhists think through "Career Choices"? | Bhante Dr. Gangodawila Chandima

 

What is a career?

the job or series of jobs that you do during your working life, especially if you continue to get better jobs and earn more money:

What is a job?

the regular work that a person does to earn money:

The difference between a job and a career

A job is a post of employment. The definition of a career is an occupation or profession, especially one requiring special training followed as one's lifework.

The difference between a profession and a vocation  

A profession can be anything from a doctor or painter to a plumber or mechanic. It is usually a job or career that requires formal education and training, which is why professions require so much time, energy, and money to acquire. You can make a good living as a professional in any field, but it takes time and effort to get there.

A vocation is your calling in life. It’s what drives you every day, what inspires and motivates you. It’s not just something you do because it helps you pay your bills, but something that makes you excited to get up every morning and go to work because it brings out your best self and helps other people.

I'm not you. And you are not me. We are different people and fit in the big picture differently. We all need to look for jobs in the right industry for us.

Now, discuss what motivates these decisions. Money, fear, or social standing? I'm sure we've all got them.

Why is it so tough to choose a career? Reasons why you can't decide on a career path

1. You're scared. What if it doesn't work out?
2. You're not educated.
3. You're not willing to take a risk.
4. You're having second thoughts.
5. You're waiting for things to fall into place.
6. You're not giving your dreams a chance.
7. You're still not sure what you're good at doing.
8. You're letting other people dictate your career goals.

Many studies in recent years have shown that people want something for their work but end up unhappy elsewhere! We hear in the news that professionals all over the world are quitting their professions to pursue something completely different that they had always wanted to do but were unsure where their career paths would take them.

How, from a Buddhist standpoint, can one make wiser career choices?

1. Invest time in figuring out what matters to you
2. Understand what are you truly truly truly passionate about!
3. Where do you want to be in 10 years?
4. If you pick a profession that you don't love, but circumstances made you decide, will you be happy in the long run?
5. Can you do something now to curb your regrets 10 years later?
6. Seek guidance from professionals in the field
7. What is your real-life goal?

Making career choices in (early-post) Buddhist Teachings

We should practice "samma ajiva" (right living).

- Five careers you should avoid

"Monks, a lay follower should not engage in five types of business. Which five? Business in weapons, business in human beings, business in meat, business in intoxicants, and business in poison.

- Unbuddhist means of earning a living (miccha ajiva, not samma ajiva)

1. Kuhanā (Scheming)
2. Lapanā (talking)
3. Nemittikatā (hinting)
4. Nippesikatā (belittling)
5. Lābhena lābhaṁ nijigīsanatā (pursuing gain with gain)

-When bad money is used to give dana and do good deeds, it cannot generate good karma. 

Questions

1. Why is it necessary for you to have an ethical job?
2. Does this mean that we have to avoid certain jobs?
3. Are the jobs that existed during the Buddha's lifetime simpler than those that exist today?
4. Is samma ajiva only for working people? (househusband/housewife)
5. “don’t earn money in a profession that brings harm to others. “ what do you think about this?
6. What do you think about professions we choose that are a messy mixture of good and bad consequences?