Job or Career?

This morning I opened my email to find a request from my oldest grandchild, Tabatha, to answer some questions about my job. It made me do some serious thinking. I mean, why do we work in the first place and what value is work? The questions do require some pause. I've never really given it much thought, to be honest. This was my reply:

Tabatha, I am more than happy to answer these questions. It's been fun to think about these things. For most of my life I worked as a homemaker and mother, staying home to teach and raise my children. That continues to be the most rewarding job I've ever had, and I think the most important. The nice part about that job is that it never ends and I get wonderful grandchildren like you. When your Dad was preparing to go on his mission, I took on a job outside the home to help pay for that mission. But I am proud to say my most important contribution to society has been to raise six children who are honest, hard workers and provide for themselves and are also contributing to society.

1.What work do you do?

I work at a private medical imaging practice called Riverwoods Advanced Diagnostic Imaging Center in Provo, Utah, and I have many titles and responsibilities there: Director of Credentialing, Managing Director of GlobalRad, Administrative Assistant.

I use the following skills in my job: computer skills including use of the keyboard, math skills, commercial art, social skills, self-motivation, management, and secretarial-type skills like filing, typing letters, making travel arrangements, etc.

My work includes being responsible for all the facility and physician credentialing to make sure our business provides the safest and best imaging services for our patients. I am also responsible for a nonprofit foundation called GlobalRad that raises funds to put teleradiography stations in third world countries, so I do some fund raising and that includes going to radiology conventions in other parts of the nation and world to educate people about the Foundation. I work with the marketing director to ensure that educating the public and other physicians about the facility is effective. I also assist the radiologist with his needs, including typing items he has dictated (not related to the patient dictations), organizing his many projects, filing, making travel arrangements for him, phone calls and anything else he needs help with.

2. Why do you work?

Of course the first reason I returned to work after most of my children were grown was to earn money to pay for your dad and your uncles' missionary service. And I have continued to work as a way to supplement the family income. I also receive emotional satisfaction and social interaction with my job.

3 Would you consider your work a job or a career? Why?
The secretarial part of my work is just a job because I could be replaced easily and it does not offer opportunity for advancement. The skills involved are commonplace and the work requires little independent thought or creative effort.

The Director and Manager parts of my job could be considered a career. They do require independent thought and action, and allow me to put myself forward to make changes that will benefit the divisions I am managing. There is more job satisfaction with those areas and I am not easily replaced when I do the job correctly.

4. How does your work contribute to our society as a whole?

My work allows my boss to be more effective in his work, so it benefits the health of patients not only in Utah but also Arizona as he reads images from a lot of different sites. My work has helped poor areas in the world receive better diagnostic care because workstations have been provided that allow radiologists (doctors who have special training to read x-rays, MRIs, CTs, ultrasounds, etc.) to read images remotely. The illustrations I did as part of my work are in a radiology textbook which helps students throughout the world understand radiology concepts.

With the money I earn, I am able to pay tithing which helps my church provide for the poor among other things, I purchase things which helps stimulate the economy, and I am able to pay taxes that fund public projects and provide Social Security funds and Medicare funds to help the elderly. Your Grandfather and I are grateful that we have always been able to take care of ourselves and our family's needs without having to ask for help from anyone else. We contribute to society rather than take from it, not only in our current jobs but as our roles as parents and grandparents, and the satisfaction that comes from that cannot be found anywhere else.