The Quest for Vocational Fit

Some people are fortunate in that they have always had a very clear sense of direction in terms of the career or life they want to lead.

Despite this being the minority of people there is still this cultural expectation that we should have clarity in terms of the career we feel best suited to.

In meeting and researching people who are doing unique and satisfying things, I’ve learnt that they have typically gone through a long process to find their passion or gifts, develop them and then work out how to express them in a way they can also earn a living.

This has also been my own experience in striving to find an authentic career match.

I was born in Canberra, Australia in 1975 and moved to New Zealand a couple of years later to live on a farm. I didn’t know there could be such thing as a day without stories being read. My mothers vocal cords got a well-earned rest when I learned to read. School proved to be something of an unwanted interruption to devouring books until the day I was asked to write a story myself.

After getting my first story published at age 7 (be it in my schools’ newsletter) I vowed to become a writer.

While doing a host of different jobs as a teenager I began to realise that very few people had the luxury of sitting at home and writing all day. During a creative writing class at university, I understood why writers first worked on getting life experience and then had material to write about.

Whether I worked for myself or someone else, locally or abroad, full-time or ad hoc the constant theme was that neither I nor anybody else, particularly lived for their work. My mid 20’s was punctuated by a non-fiction project where I wrote about various social ills that seemed to foil our efforts to self-actualise. Being more problem spotting than solving it got left on the shelf.

After a second wave of churning through different jobs and industries, I came full circle back to my birthplace to take a new role working for an outdoor education facility. It had many of the markings of Shangri-la. Most of my colleagues loved their work, it was meaningful and it was situated in a tranquil mountain setting.

One of my coworkers was so distinctly vital and wholehearted I referred to him as a different drummer. He was the antithesis of the listless, frustrated, disconnected and disheartened workers I had found to be the norm during my vocational travels.

Shortly after being dazzled by this contrast I attended a work event where I met Anh Do, another different drummer. He gave a talk in which he spoke about his good fortune in discovering his love as a comedian which allowed him to sidestep a gruelling career in law.

Other different drummers continued to surface and I became inspired to go back to my first love, being writing.

I moved to New Zealand, met some kiwi’s marching to their own beat and wrote this book to encourage others to join the elusive 1%. Not only do different drummers love what they do, but they also spend their days developing and gifting their life’s work, rather than staying mired in mere work.

There are many reasons why so few reach the upper echelons of job satisfaction. It first requires the belief that rarified engagement with one’s work is possible. Then it demands focus, resilience and a myriad of other qualities demonstrating strength of character. Ayn Rand captured the importance of holding firm to the possibility of a more ennobled future in her novel, Atlas Shrugged:

“In the name of the best within you, do not sacrifice this world to those who are its worst. In the name of the values that keep you alive, do not let your vision of man be distorted by the ugly, the cowardly, the mindless in those who have never achieved his title.

Do not lose your knowledge that man's proper estate is an upright posture, an intransigent mind and a step that travels unlimited roads. Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all.

Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it's yours.

But to win it requires your total dedication and a total break with the world of your past… fight for the value of your person.”

If you're feeling stuck and wondering, "Where to from here?" having a career evaluation is definitely for you. Marcus leads you on a journey of self-discovery in a way that is genuine and thought provoking. I came out of this amazing experience inspired and renewed... and so will you. It's like a treasure hunt for the soul!

- Vanessa

I knew I was in the right field but unclear about my next step and direction. Marcus helped me redirect my energy and focus with plenty of inspiration, curiosity and plenty to think about. Most importantly, his holistic approach helped to ease some anxiety about my path and choices up to this day, with a clearer understanding of where I am heading. Thank you for your insights, knowledge and generosity!

- Mani

Spending a day in the beautiful surrounds of nature with the guidance and support of Marcus was a truly inspiring experience. Marcus has a great passion for what he does which shines through in the way he encouraged me to discover and explore my own passion to find a more purposeful livelihood. Since spending time with Marcus I have already made the steps in my own journey to live a life that is worthy of the journey of life itself.

- Anthony

Marcus has has a wealth of knowledge, experience and wisdom that he brings to his counseling. He listens deeply, and helps you approach your challenges from new and powerful perspectives. Cannot recommend highly enough.

- Curt

Learn more about my Career Services

Career Guidance Book

The Different Drummer - follow your own beat to find enlivening work & lead an extraordinary life, is helpful for:

Understanding the different elements that make up vocational fulfillment to pinpoint your ideal role
Gaining the motivation to make significant changes in your career path
Learning why levels of job satisfaction are so low and how to repeal social conditioning
Combining practical advice with real-world examples of people who worked through the same issues you wrestle
Obtaining a storehouse of further resources to read and watch for inspiration and guidance
Those starting their careers as well as those reevaluating

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Professional Experience and Credentials

Career Advising

I come to the field of Career Advising with a professional background working in Employment Services, Recruitment and Adult Education.

This has involved developing and facilitating Vocational Direction and Career Transition programs for both school leavers and adults. In addition to group training, I have worked one-on-one with hundreds of individuals to help them determine their ideal careers and assist them with a more tailored and effective approach to job searching as well as succeeding through the application and interview stages. To balance my understanding between what employees want and employers need, I spent a number of years recruiting staff for a large, international organisation. Learning what employers look for has helped me assist others to gain an edge in their job application process.

In terms of relevant education, I hold a Certificate IV in Employment Services, a Certificate IV in Small Business, a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and a Diploma in Education.

Life Purpose Integration

My overriding desire to help people incorporate the deeper need to feel that their lives and work are purposeful, arose from reaching career stasis in my late twenties. Upon noticing the contrast between people like myself who were simply working to pay the bills and that rare minority whose work and bliss aligned, I became intent on joining the latter group.

In researching and speaking to that vitalised minority I came to realise the value of gaining self-awareness and recognising how my unique interests, values, capabilities, potential, concerns and the gifts to be found within my wounding’s all blended together to reveal a dynamic sense of purpose.

Professionally, I’ve gained experience in this area through working with individuals during training programs I led as well as working as a case manager with individuals who had grown weary with the job hopping cycle and sought greater alignment between who they were and what they did. Completing a book relating to the importance of as well as the process of tapping into one's purpose and calling has cemented this further.

My educational grounding in this area has been twofold. On the one hand, I have read extensively on the subject of life purpose for well over two decades. As valuable as my intellectual understanding has been, I found it equally beneficial taking part in a range of experiential educations. This has involved back to basics wilderness expeditions, Men’s leadership training around rites of passage, participating and also mentoring outdoor adventures and running a range of workshops around the theme of locating and living out one’s life purpose. Offering career guidance and life purpose retreats over the last decade has taught me even more about these areas.

Coaching and Support

In a professional capacity, my experience has been refined through working with hundreds of individuals both in case management and group settings. Working with both the long-term unemployed and people with significant barriers to employment has taught me the importance of challenging limiting beliefs and helping individuals gain a more hopeful and positive perspective surrounding their potential. Having gone through the process of doubting my own abilities to finding a greater sense of self, I am particularly determined to assist others to navigate this obstacle to individuating.

While working in recruitment I spent significant time working with people who were yearning to find work they were both passionate about and also found to be meaningful. The diversity of my work experiences has allowed me to work with all age groups as well as the full spectrum between open receptivity and full-blown cynicism.

My education in this area ranges from formal university psychology and education subjects through to an extensive process of self-education. As an active participant in a men’s groups and other personal development groups, my development is ongoing.

Practical Help

In my positions working with groups and individual job seekers, I have spent a great deal of time teaching the practical elements of job seeking, such as effectively canvassing employers, crafting resumes, application letters and selection criteria. I have also focused on interview preparation and offered help in terms of people starting their own businesses and marketing their services. My years in recruitment further refined my knowledge as to what employers look for and how to help people stand out from the herd. I believe that practical support is of inestimable value in terms of tying together the three previous elements.

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