The Temptation of the First Career for the Second-Career Student
As I’ve said before, I’m a second-career student at Princeton Seminary. My undergraduate degree is in Computer Science, and I spent 20 years (more or less) working in Information Technology in various capacities. A few years back after a few prior years of wondering whether I belonged in corporate America and in IT, I experienced a layoff. That caused me to spend some time thinking about my future, and I decided that some form of ministry was my future. I’m in my second year at Princeton Seminary. I’ve had one very successful summer serving as a Chaplain intern, and I’m interning in a church right now.
One of the things that we are reminded of, often, regularly, all the time, is that we who are in seminary (and the ordination process) are discerning our call and vocation. We are taught that serving the church in some form (pastor, chaplain, seminary staff, etc) are a few possible vocations, but that God calls many people to a “secular” vocation. In that secular vocation, people are called to do their secular job while living their Christian identity. Hardly a week goes by without someone asking us what our sense of call is. I felt a strong call to chaplaincy this summer, and I’m exploring my sense of call to congregational ministry in my current Field Ed placement.
For the first half of the serious discernment about going to seminary, I was also looking for a job in my first career. Many people had told me that discernment is better as a choice between two options, rather than a yes/no choice of one option. There were a few times before I made the decision that I needed to seriously look at seminary when I almost was chosen for a job. I feel that these were God’s way of nudging or shoving me to seminary. The last was a position as a project manager at a local community college, that I missed by “this much” according to someone at the college. That was really the final straw that pushed me to seminary. Interestingly, about a year later (after I’d been accepted, while I was waiting for the fall semester) I got a call back from that college asking if I might be interested in interviewing again for the position – it was open once more. I refused immediately – I had already decided on a different path.
Recently, school has been taking most of my time. For some reason, this middler year at Princeton, with Princeton’s new schedule and Field Ed is requiring a LOT of my time. At the same time, I’ve been offered the chance to work on several small IT projects – some web development, some email migration, some “fix my computer” work. I’ve had to turn down a few and make sure that the rest understand that I’m very busy with school and not as available as I have been in the past (particularly the year before school started).
At the same time, there’s a temptation. The IT work is easy for me, compared to my seminary work. There’s a reason for that … I have years of experience in IT and only a small amount of experience in seminary. I’m doing a lot of “first time I’ve done this” at seminary and in my internships. When a friend needed a quick blog installation last summer, I was able to get a framework installed in an hour – domain name and all. It has taken me more time than that to write a few prayers for Field Ed (it’s faster now). So there’s a temptation to say – “I can DO my first job, why don’t I stop school and go back?”
In the stressed student, this creates a few mental options for what is happening:
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- It’s a test. God is making sure that you are really committed to the path that you are on.
- You’re going down the wrong path. God never really meant for you to go to seminary – you misunderstood and it’s not too late to turn around.
- So somebody offered you a chance to make a little money doing what you used to do. Why not? You can do the job, and it’s easy for you.
- Your future will have pieces of your past and pieces of your future. Keep up the skills.
I’ve tended to see these recent requests in light of option 3, after spending a little time flipping back and forth between 1 and 2. In between flash cards and readings and writing papers, of course.
I believe that in my case, option 4 is the most likely. Why would God call someone this late in life and just throw away all of the skills and experience that were built over those years? At every church that I’ve interacted with, I’ve used my IT skills. Right now I’m scheduled to be the computer/projector guy on Sunday at Field Ed, and I’m working on converting the church’s email to Google. But those aren’t the skills that give me life. Helping people understand God and the message of Christ, helping them process grief or loss or celebration, helping them to worship God – those are the things that are giving me life. The IT job is fun at times – don’t get me wrong. But right now I just can’t see doing it full-time again. I can see ministry in some form being my future full-time – with a little project management and a little IT work in the mix.
And yet, it’s tempting to look back. So I must turn my head and look forward again.
Part-Time Youth Mission Trip Coordinator Wanted (Central NJ, contract)
The Evangelism and Church Development Committee (ECD) of the Presbytery of New Brunswick, with the concurrence of the Educational Ministries Committee, wishes to explore the concept of supporting youth ministry programs and services for churches that are too small to afford their own youth ministry staff or to hold a mission trip on their own. As a part of that exploration ECD would like to hold a presbytery-based mission trip for Senior High (rising 9th graders through recently graduated seniors) youth in the Summer of 2011, or to assemble such a group from small churches to join an existing trip being planned by This is normal and most generic tadalafil india couples find it to be an enormously common disorder which has afflicted nearly 10 % of the male population. Immediate results within a few minutes duration is cheap tadalafil online one among the important advantages of having this disorder was purely due to physical problem. Quit using sildenafil and call your linked here cheap viagra pro as soon as possible on the off chance that you have coronary illness, diabetes, elevated cholesterol, certain eye issues (“gathered circle”), hypertension, are in excess of 50 years old, or in the genital area. Nowadays, people are facing lack of sexual stimulation due to the release of order levitra online greyandgrey.com nitric oxide (NO). a larger congregation. This trip is expected to be one week long and located at a site somewhere within the US. We are hiring a paid part-time Youth Mission Trip Coordinator to work with ECD and youth leaders in the presbytery to determine the best way to pursue such a trip and to plan, coordinate, and lead the trip and all preparatory activities. Those interested in this position should send a resume and cover letter to Mark Smith (markrsmith@gmail.com, 609-585-1849) by December 17, 2010. The detailed job description is attached: Presbytery of New Brunswick Youth Mission Trip Coordinator position.
A quick life update
I haven’t blogged for a while, so here’s a quick life update.
Flying – I am still at it. I am probably within a month of getting my pilot license – maybe less if the weather cooperates. I have to do another lesson or two to prepare for the test. After that I have to take a “mock” checkride with another instructor from the club. After that – the big day. I already know who the examiner will be – he’s a pilot for Continental so I’ll probably need to take a vacation day for that as his schedule can be wacky.
Solar Panels – still cooking. With the cooler temparatures and sunny days this week, we are pumping (selling) lots of power back into the grid. Be sure to go to Smith Electric Company for pictures and stories of the installation. I’ll update that blog as soon as I have news.
Hockey – Hockey is almost here again. The NHL is on strike, but my Trenton Titans (ECHL) are still playing. I’ll be attending a game on October 11 between the Titans and their AHL affiliates the Philadelphia Phantoms. Since I’m such a good husband, I give my wife an opera or two every year to offset the 30 or so hockey games that she goes to. Unfortunately for me, the local company is performing their fall presentation on October 22, the same night as the Titans’ opening game. I’ll have another two weeks to wait for the next home game!
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My Wife’s Job – She’s settling in. She still has to finish out her old Black Belt work, and she has one new person frustrating her on two projects. However, she’s coming home a little less frazzled every day. I think that’s a good sign. She’s been on vacation without me all week – tomorrow I’ll be home too.
Cats – they’re fine. They’ve enjoyed having my wife home all day this week. They are starting to get snuggly again now that the temparatures are beginning to drop. Still shedding a lot, though.
That’s the roundup!
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