Watch

Why This Engineer Chose a Year of Service After Graduation

Creator:
Published:
March 6, 2024
May 18, 2018
When considering vocation vs career, this engineering graduate decided pursuing her vocation over a high-paying job would be more fulfilling in the end.

Emily Clements is graduating with a degree in chemical engineering, a field that offers one of the highest-paying jobs new graduates can get. But instead of entering the workforce with her classmates, Emily is choosing to do something radically different.

Watch as she explains why she followed her vocation in a different direction and how she discovered the joy that comes with finding a community. For more on how Emily is using her degree to help the drop-in homeless center, check out the #GrottoStories Our Lady of the Road feature video.

Video Transcript

Emily Clements: So I will be graduating with a degree in chemical engineering. Chemical engineering is one of the highest paying jobs that new graduates can get. There's like the pressure to be successful. But I have known for a long time that I wanted to do something very different from that kind of thing, 'cause after I stayed at the Catholic Worker House for a year, I had found something there that I knew was very precious and very valuable.

So, I've decided that I'm going to stay at the Women's House for at least a year after graduation.

Following your vocation is often never the way that you can get the most money. Following your vocation will bring you peace, and joy, and it'll put you in a community that you belong, and you get to build meaningful relationships. So, that's something that I'm really looking forward to next year, and throughout the rest of my life, and whatever I happen to be called to next.

Creators:
Grotto
Published:
March 6, 2024
May 18, 2018
On a related note...
Under $100 Gift Ideas to Get Your Parents

Under $100 Gift Ideas to Get Your Parents

Kate Fowler

Meet Dan Berrigan, Prophet for Peace

Meet Dan Berrigan, Prophet for Peace

Renée Roden

3 Ways to Help Foster Kids — Without Becoming a Parent

3 Ways to Help Foster Kids — Without Becoming a Parent

Grace Wirth

The Reality of Teaching in a Pandemic

The Reality of Teaching in a Pandemic

Grotto

Meet the Couple Opening Their Home in a Radical Way

Meet the Couple Opening Their Home in a Radical Way

Mike Jordan Laskey

Are You Building Your Life Around the Wrong Expectations?

Are You Building Your Life Around the Wrong Expectations?

Julia Hogan-Werner

Why We Could All Use a Mentor

Why We Could All Use a Mentor

Grotto

Abstract Artist Creates Fresh Take on Religious Art

Abstract Artist Creates Fresh Take on Religious Art

Grotto

The U.K.’s New Porn Ban Is a Step Forward

The U.K.’s New Porn Ban Is a Step Forward

Mary Rose Somarriba

Finally, Vaccinated and Free! But Free For What?

Finally, Vaccinated and Free! But Free For What?

Matt Paolelli

The Small Art Stuck in this War

The Small Art Stuck in this War

Javi Zubizarreta

Working from Home — With Kids Underfoot

Working from Home — With Kids Underfoot

Laura Kelly Fanucci

Singing Opera to Bring Beauty to the World

Singing Opera to Bring Beauty to the World

Grotto

A Christmas Hot Take: Chicago Needs Another Walnut Room

A Christmas Hot Take: Chicago Needs Another Walnut Room

Mike Rossetti

There’s More to a Thrift Shop Than a Great Deal

There’s More to a Thrift Shop Than a Great Deal

Grant Hartley

How I Cultivated Community When I Moved to Chicago

How I Cultivated Community When I Moved to Chicago

Clarissa Aljentera

5 Ways Anyone Can Support Kids in Foster Care

5 Ways Anyone Can Support Kids in Foster Care

Manda Carpenter

Ice Cream Brothers: A Grotto Short Film

Ice Cream Brothers: A Grotto Short Film

Grotto

Helping Others Learn The Stock Market on Clubhouse

Helping Others Learn The Stock Market on Clubhouse

Grotto

Why Sewing is One Answer to a Sustainable Future

Why Sewing is One Answer to a Sustainable Future

Katie Lemaire

newsletter

We’d love to be pals.

Sign up for our newsletter, and we’ll meet you in your inbox each week.