Vocational Awe Revisited: The Promise and the Pitfalls of Passion-Driven Work

I usually listen to NPR on the weekends while I do chores and laundry. This past weekend, as I listened to the show Hidden Brain, the topic, “Passion vs. Paycheck” immediately brought me back to my own experiences working in libraries—and to a blog post I wrote last year about vocational awe.

The episode explores the enduring human desire to find meaning in work, tracing the concept of “calling” from its religious roots to today’s secular professions. It got me thinking again about the promise and pitfalls of passion-driven work in libraries.

Revisiting My Original Post

In my original blog post, I quoted heavily from Fobazi Ettarh, who wrote a definitive article on this topic and libraries, entitled Vocational Awe and Librarianship: The Lies We Tell Ourselves. In it, Ettarh describes the tendency to treat libraries—and the people who work in them—as inherently sacred.

Ettarh also delivered a keynote at the 2021 Library Marketing & Communciaitons Conference (which I sadly missed!), called In “Vocational Awe and the Art of Selling Libraries.” In it, she again explored the relationship between the values of librarianship and the lived experiences of librarians and library users, finding that the tensions between the two can make it difficult for librarians to advocate. She provided tips on how to promote libraries without adding to the vocational awe that can lead to burnout.

In my previous post, I explored how this mindset can create challenges for staff (burnout, low pay) and for the profession itself, particularly when it comes to marketing, communications, and advocacy. Leaning too heavily on “libraries are inherently good” can obscure the evidence-based impact libraries have on their communities, making it harder to engage stakeholders and secure support. So what did this Hidden Brain episode add to my thinking and research on this topic?

New Insights From Hidden Brain

Tosti-Kharas, the researcher featured in the episode, explains that a sense of calling can be deeply motivating—but it can also create blind spots. Workers who feel called may tolerate poor conditions, overextend themselves, or undervalue their labor because they believe their work transcends a paycheck. This dynamic is detailed in her recent article, “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life? Testing fundamental assumptions about calling, effort, and enjoyment” (Journal of Management, 2024).

Some insights from the Hidden Brain episode echoed the points from my original blog post. For example, the episode highlights how individuals with a strong sense of calling may feel that their work speaks for itself, potentially leading to under-communication of their contributions. It also touched on the fact that a strong sense of calling can sometimes lead to a focus on personal mission over organizational priorities, potentially causing tensions. Finally, the episode highlights the potential drawbacks of seeing work purely as a calling, including the risk of overlooking personal well-being.

Conclusion

For libraries, this is a critical reminder. Passion and purpose are what draw many of us to the field and fuel our dedication to communities. But when vocational awe dominates, it can unintentionally interfere with marketing, communications and advocacy. If we assume our value is self-evident, we may fail to craft messages that resonate outside the profession. If we normalize overwork and self-sacrifice, we weaken our ability to demand fair funding and support.

Revisiting this conversation, I see even more clearly that passion isn’t the problem—it’s what we do with it that counts. Libraries thrive when vocational awe is balanced with strategic, evidence-driven marketing, communications and advocacy that clearly communicate the value we provide.

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