There’s more than one version of the story.
For some, it’s a straight line from college to internship to career. For others, it’s a hobby-turned-side-hustle that unexpectedly becomes a full-time job. Maybe you’re the first in your family to go after a “dream career.” Or maybe you’re just trying to pay the bills while figuring out what you’re even good at.
No matter the path, the pressure is the same: Find your calling. Live with purpose. Don’t waste your life.
But for a lot of twentysomethings, that “calling” feels less like a clear direction and more like a moving target. The rules keep changing. The market is chaotic. And the line between a job and your identity has never felt blurrier.
Kelsey Kemp sees it every day. As a Christian career coach and founder of The Called Career, she’s worked with young adults trying to make sense of it all—the burnout, the options, the anxiety of picking “wrong.” According to Kemp, the idea that your career calling will show up as some singular, shining path is one of the most damaging myths Christians buy into.
“Assessments are not designed to be a sufficient or satisfying way to address the complex nature of discerning God’s will for your career,” she says. Translation: You won’t find your life’s purpose in a quiz result or an aesthetic Instagram quote. But that’s often what we’re hoping for—some shortcut to clarity.
What Kemp offers instead is something messier but more real: a process that includes self-reflection, market research, prayer and actual conversations with people in the fields you’re exploring. Because calling isn’t something you passively receive. It’s something you actively shape.
If that sounds overwhelming, you’re not alone. According to a recent study, nearly 60% of young adults say they feel like they’re missing out on their purpose. And it’s not always because they don’t care. More often, it’s because they’re afraid—afraid of picking wrong, failing publicly, or realizing their dreams might not pay rent.
Kemp refers to these as “calling blockers.” They range from internal fears (fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of disappointing people) to external pressures (busyness, financial stress, family expectations). And underneath it all, she says, many of us carry unhealed narratives from childhood that make us question whether we’re even capable of meaningful work.
We don’t talk about this stuff much. Not in churches, not in classrooms, and definitely not in those shiny online testimonials from influencers who “made it.” But Kemp believes ignoring these blockers keeps people stuck—waiting for permission to move forward.
And while the culture says you should find a job that’s your passion, your purpose and your paycheck all at once, that ideal often creates more paralysis than freedom. The reality? Sometimes a job is just a job. And that doesn’t make you less faithful or less called.
“I once believed I was destined to hate my work forever,” Kemp says. “But I scheduled a consultation just to see how career coaching worked. As a result, I got a job I love—and I lead my career knowing I have a world of possibilities.”
That shift—from looking for one perfect job to building a life of meaningful work—is key. Calling isn’t about locking into a single role. It’s about showing up with purpose wherever you are, learning what lights you up, and staying open to where that might lead.
So how do you actually start?
Kemp encourages people to do what most avoid: talk to real people. Ask specific questions. Get the behind-the-scenes version of the job, not just the highlight reel. Then take that insight and shape your resume, your LinkedIn, and your story in a way that’s authentic, strategic and grounded in truth.
“Use world-class credibility and rapport-building communication techniques,” she says. “It turns out humans are humans wherever you go.”
Her point? You don’t need to sound perfect. You need to sound real.
And maybe that’s where faith comes in—not in magically knowing the path, but in walking it anyway. Trusting that God isn’t grading you on whether you picked the “right” career but is forming you through the process itself.
Your job isn’t your identity. You are not your title, your salary or your productivity. As Christians, we’re called to faithfulness, not flawless decision-making. And if you feel like you’ve missed your calling because your path has been nonlinear or confusing, maybe you haven’t missed it at all. Maybe you’re just in the middle of building it.
Calling isn’t always something you “find.” It’s something you practice. It’s what you build when you ask better questions, stay curious and show up—even when the next step isn’t obvious.
Forget the myth of the perfect job. Start where you are. Pay attention. And trust that a meaningful life isn’t something you fall into—it’s something you grow into.
