“One of the incredible things about being a chaplain in the Canadian Forces is that you walk with the people who are there,” Padre Francesca Scorsone told Career Buzz listeners (April 23, 2014). “You’re going outside the wire with them, you’re going where they go,” said Padre Francesca, who has deployed to Afghanistan.
As a girl, Francesca wanted to be a movie star — so she went to theatre school and did auditions. A visit to an AIDS orphanage in Africa run by nuns made her want to serve her faith, but she didn’t know how. A chance meeting with a Canadian Forces recruiter changed that. “As chaplains we’re collectors of the stories,” she said. “We’re a safe place for people to come to talk about all kinds of things. It’s not just about faith, it’s about their life journey.”
What are the clues that apply to you? Padre Francesca loves her job and says you can serve God anywhere, but in the military you can do it in helicopter. Like her, consider how you can ‘redeploy’ existing skills or interests in your career in a new way. Try this: Take a page out of Padre Francesca’s book and collect a few stories from co-workers or people in your life. Ask: What do you like about what you do? What don’t you like? Would you make the same choices again? How else do you think you could use your skills in the world of work? Then, see how you can use the clues you receive!
Need help redeploying your skills in new ways? Check our flagship career change program.
Listen to the whole interview with Padre Francesca Scorsone, Padre Stephen Morris, and Greg Redford.
*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA