How many EA would I like to see in the clergy? Not zero. I pretty much agree with the “portfolio approach” to careers—I think there are likely unexpected benefits of having EAs in a bunch of different careers, even ones that don’t jump out as having obviously EA applications, and it’s good to have some spread.
But who would I like to see in those not-obviously-EA careers? 8 years ago, nobody (including me) thought we needed social workers in EA. But I stayed with social work because it was basically the only thing I could imagine doing. It fit with so many of my interests and skills. Later it turned out that there was a useful way to apply those skills to EA. But if 8 years ago someone had said, “We should get some social workers in EA,” I wouldn’t have wanted random people saying, “Well, I don’t feel all that interested in social work, but if that’s the thing we need I guess I’ll do it.” I don’t think that would have been good either for them or for EA.
So my best guess as to which EAs should enter the clergy is the ones who can’t imagine doing anything else, or at least ones who feel pretty excited about it. If that’s not you, you shouldn’t try to force yourself into that mold.
I keep thinking about this post.
How many EA would I like to see in the clergy? Not zero. I pretty much agree with the “portfolio approach” to careers—I think there are likely unexpected benefits of having EAs in a bunch of different careers, even ones that don’t jump out as having obviously EA applications, and it’s good to have some spread.
But who would I like to see in those not-obviously-EA careers? 8 years ago, nobody (including me) thought we needed social workers in EA. But I stayed with social work because it was basically the only thing I could imagine doing. It fit with so many of my interests and skills. Later it turned out that there was a useful way to apply those skills to EA. But if 8 years ago someone had said, “We should get some social workers in EA,” I wouldn’t have wanted random people saying, “Well, I don’t feel all that interested in social work, but if that’s the thing we need I guess I’ll do it.” I don’t think that would have been good either for them or for EA.
So my best guess as to which EAs should enter the clergy is the ones who can’t imagine doing anything else, or at least ones who feel pretty excited about it. If that’s not you, you shouldn’t try to force yourself into that mold.