Pamela Vucinich

SLA 400 45
Professor Monsour
My Vocational Essay

Following one’s calling is as beautiful as being alive itself; it is God’s blessing and a path
to be explored while here on Earth.  Understanding one’s calling is suggesting that we
are individually being called.  As a Christian, I understand that God gave me a reason for
being, but only recently am coming to understand what these gifts are.  Growing up, I
remember all of my friends wanting to be teachers or doctors.  Not only did I not think I
was smart enough for these careers, I never thought I was great at anything.  Through
exploring different careers and in evaluating my personal successes in each, I have come
to find what makes me feel whole inside is helping people feel great about themselves.
I am lucky enough to be able to continually grow, both personally and professionally in
two fields of interest.  Both of these are under the vocation of helping people, as I make
recommendations that I know will achieve happiness for the clients I serve, both
cosmetically and financially. 
I have a deep interest in skincare and in showing client’s products that enhance their
inner beauty.  I am a strong believer that everyone is beautiful from the inside out, but
being able to show a client ways to enhance their natural beauty is priceless.  When a
customer is searching for a specific product, oftentimes, it is a product that was featured
on a Facebook or a Google ad, and not necessarily one that is going to be good for their
skin.  I love teaching a customer about skin-loving ingredients and showing them how to
take care of their skin and meet their skincare goals, learning that makeup will only look
as good as the skin underneath.  
As a debt settlement and financial professional, part of my responsibility to my vocation
is to make my clients feel at ease, as they are trusting me to aid them in bettering their
financial health, in a world that is not kind to those in debt.  My goal in my relationship
with my clients is to be clear and concise in the matter in which I am serving them.  From
the time that my client is served a summons or legal document, I am explaining the
information to them and reviewing their next steps.  My goal is to always seek a positive
resolution, whether that means aiding them in filing an answer to buy time and postpone
legal action or explaining why I am in need of more money to get a settlement in place. 
From a legal standpoint, I must also abide by the rules of the Federal Trade Commission
Act that protects consumers against unfair or deceptive practices.
In both industries, my abilities are manifested when I am working with a client who
initially doesn’t feel that things are ever going to get better for them to seeing great
results and feeling more at ease.  Nothing is more rewarding than coming into work,
getting an email thanking me for going the extra mile for just taking the extra time in
explaining the “why” behind something. 
In an excerpt from Laborem Exercens, Pope John Paul II’s talks about work being a direct
correlation to feeling a personal satisfaction, as it “corresponds to man's dignity, that
expresses this dignity and increases it” and “he also achieves fulfillment as a human being
and indeed, in a sense, becomes ‘more a human being.’" Paul, J. (1981)  I find that many
of the clients that I am working for have endured hardships more severe than I can
imagine.  Being able to help clients, especially aging clients, understand their financial
obligations and know their rights from a legal standpoint is very personally fulfilling.  Our
culture is one that does not make things easy for the elderly; most information is online
only and is not in layman’s terms, but rather in a language that is intimidating.  My goal is
always to have our conversation be one of hope and gained knowledge.  My role as an
account manager is more than just settling debt for my client.  The portion of John
Paul II’s work that states that “the subject of work is always the same, but there exists
many works, many different sorts of works.” (Paul, J., 1981)  Because of varying
parameters with different law firms and handling various escalations from the clients
who are getting sued, I have to continually be shifting gears and recalling different parts
of my training to maintain quality.  I am an advocate for my client every step of the way
as I am selling their hardship and financial obligation to the attorneys and paralegals that
I am working with.
What struck me most in Mr. Lewis’s story is that he never wavered from what he was
right.  He says that as a child he saw segregation, but it was told “that’s the way it is,” in
seeking answers from his parents and grandparents.  He says in the podcast that “we
need to have a sense of faith; we need to believe that what we are moving towards is
already done.”  (Tippett, 2013) He expresses showing love for even your attackers and
disarming them through kindness.  For myself, there have been many experiences in my
vocation where I have wanted to not help someone because of their poor attitude and
aggressive nature towards me, but have understood that what they are upset at isn’t me,
but the harsh reality that they are finding themselves in.  He fondly spoke on trying to
appeal to the goodness in every human being.  We are all created by God and in his
image and have a greater calling and purpose. 
In doing something that we are passionate about and shining that “light within,” we are
following our Christian values. Sometimes, one’s calling may initially be disguised as
something else. Our experiences ultimately round out our whole person.  Being able to
try different “careers” in my young life has shown me what I enjoy and what I actually
want from my life.  Interestingly enough, as I have engaged in multiple fields, I have
found through my work my own truths and what I want from life.  Finding who you are
meant to be is really as exciting and fulfilling as it sounds.

CITATIONS: 
Tippett, Krista. "John Lewis: Love in Action." On Being with Krista Tippett. 28 March
2013. https://onbeing.org/programs/john-lewis-love-in-action/#audio (Links to an
external site.)

Paul, J. (1981). On human work: Encyclical Laborem Exercens. Office for Publishing and
Promotion Services, United States Catholic Conference.