90 Future Human Image. Volume 7, 2017

The Experience of Calling: Educational Aspects and Cross-Cultural Comparisons by Yevhen Muliarchuk

Good examples or good advice beyond a family

Students and teachers often said that they wanted to be like some of their own teachers or professors. A good example of a school teacher sometimes was more important than the influ-ence of the family in a career decision. Loved teacher was a source of inspiration to come to the university and study his or her favorite subject or just to become an educator. For the part of the students, favorite professors at the university were the source of strengthening of their own professional choice. Some interviewees also told that they got a piece of a career advice from a psychologist or a teacher in their school years. The acknowledgement of person"s gifts and abilities to do something specific received from other people was an important support often needed for making a career choice. Usually it was a kind of specification in the favorite field of activity of the person.

Desire to make a difference

It is rather not a typical motivation, but two students and one teacher said that seeing many wrong examples of the way of teaching at their schools they wanted to be opposite, to become teachers of some new kind. They wanted to change the system and routine of education and bring creativity, helpfulness, liberty to school life.

Previous pedagogic experience or an interest in a specific sphere of knowledge

Many of interviewees said that they decided to become teachers because of their own teaching experience at school or at the university. They had a pedagogic practice, taught some lessons, led other school activities, took care about their younger schoolmates and they liked it. Many students, however, came to the university just to study their favorite subject. Only after a pedagogic practice and getting more knowledge of their field, some of them for the first time understood that they would like to be teachers.

Disposition to teach and grow younger generation

A really often explanation of the choice of a teaching career is love to children. The majori-ty of students and teachers told that they had always enjoyed being with children and therefore they would love to teach and grow up the youth.

Disposition to work with children and interest in some subject for teaching were in many cases more important than every kind of suggestions of families or the other people"s positive or negative examples. Following what one likes to do or to be is a way to the right career de-cision and it appears to be the first trait of a calling.

2. Religion and spirituality as motivating factors of the career choice

5 of 10 student interviewees were believers of different kinds and depth of involvement in a religious life. 3 were Orthodox Christians, 1 was a believer of a new kind close to Protestantism and 1 was rather an intellectual believer without any church belonging. The first 3 students ac-knowledged the importance of religion for their disposition to help and care about people. Conse-quently, that led them to their profession. It is remarkable that the next person who was specially inclined to explain all her activities via God"s will did not have a direct aim to become a teacher. Her lifeway is not focused on some specific activity. The last of the 5, an "agnostic" believer as he named himself, does not see any link of religion and calling. Religion for him is a kind of a transpersonal philosophic belief, while calling is a rather individual necessity.

Future Human Image. Volume 7, 2017 91

The Experience of Calling: Educational Aspects and Cross-Cultural Comparisons by Yevhen Muliarchuk

The dominating way of thinking about religion and calling of our interviewees could be reconstructed like that: even when one believes in God, he or she thinks that the choice of a profession is rather a matter of personal feeling or reasoning. The higher power is literally "higher" than the level of individual preferences. Even if everything happens by God"s will, one cannot know that will to the end. Believers understand that higher religious guidance as an implicit process and they just hope for God"s help on their lifeway. To specify that, I am giving the words of one student: "If God brought me to the profession, He would help me to cope with all the difficulties of that work."

Spiritual motivation for the choice of profession is more common than religious one. Stu-dents can understand spirituality as an internal faith, personal convictions or moral values that motivate their actions more than material needs. However, not so many young people use the notion of spirituality to explain their motivation. There is a kind of skepticism towards worn moralist words and towards the variety of modern quasi-religious practices in Ukraine. Out of 5 students, who were religious believers, only 1 said that religion and spirituality is the same.

For the majority of students the choice of their profession was caused by personal feel-ings and understanding, or it was a result of the influence of their family, teachers and other circumstances. Ukrainian students would rather see their future from the starting point of the desire, responsibility and courage. Nevertheless, some of them would accept that their lifeway is not only in their own hands or just subordinated to the society, but there is a higher power of Providence beyond their considerations.