VALUES EDUCATION 9 REVIEWER
tries to climb a tree.
LESSON 13: Personal Factors Affecting
Career Selection
“Everyone is a genius, but if you judge a fish on its
ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life
believing it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein.
MAKING CAREER CHOICES
It is very easy for an individual to say that he will
follow his dream of becoming a successful doctor,
engineer, nurse, or architect one day, but actually
fulfilling it is another story. There are many factors
that one needs to consider in choosing the best
career path for oneself and this starts with
choosing the right career.
FACTORS AFFECTING CAREER CHOICES
If there is one crossroads in life that has caused
many young people to stop and reflect is the one
where they are presented with divergent career
paths. Their eventual decision was a result of some
influencing factors. What are these factors?
 Career testing results/Personal abilities
 Parents’ expectations
 Immediate needs of the family
 Finances
Career Testing Results and Personal Abilities.
Probably the first factor that will affect an
individual's choice of career is the result of his
career test. The school’s guidance and testing
office usually conducts a career test to help the
students determine which career best suits their
current skills and interests. The Department of
Education holds the National Career Assessment
Examination that also helps the students choose
the career that is best for them. These tests give
them an inventory of their skills. There is no pass
nor fail in these types of tests. The aim of these
tests is to help the student discover his Strengths
and weaknesses. They help him determine the
career options where he could excel. If he has a
dream job to which his current skills are not suited,
through these tests he tan know what skills he
needs to work on in order to achieve it. The tests
should be taken with great consideration of one’s
choices for one’s future career because excellence
and success are achieved with the right match of
personal abilities and field of work. As Albert
Einstein would say, you don’t want to be a fish that
Parents’ Expectations.
Despite career test results, sometimes, the
strongest influence in choosing one's career is
parents’ expectations. Some parents expect their
child to take on the same job as they have because
they think that their child’s success in the business
is assured because they have been successful in it.
They could even guide him because they know the
business. Having a family business also somehow
dictates one's career choice. Parents may influence
their child to take accountancy because they need
an accountant to help manage the finances of the
family business though the child may not be
inclined to do so.
Immediate Needs of the Family.
Another factor that affects one’s decision making is
the immediate need of the family. There have been
stories where parents discourage their children
from pursuing college degrees, so they can start
working and earnings for the family. Some children
are advised from taking a 5-year-course because
their parents need them to start helping the family
soonest by taking a shorter course, perhaps even
just a certificate course instead of a bachelor’s
degree. Family needs would definitely prevent a
young person from pursuing a medical career and
perhaps settle for a bachelor in science degree.
These are real factors that affect the career path of
young people.
Finances.
Perhaps the major consideration for choosing one’s
career path is finances. If the family is well-off, the
individual can practically take the course of his
dreams. For those who are not, finances dictate the
bulk of their choice. Lack of financial resources limit
their choices to the following:
 Universities and colleges with the lowest
tuition fees
 Universities and colleges nearest to home
 Courses that require less materials and
inexpensive requirements.
Lack of finances limits the person’s choice of
universities and colleges. This will be limited to
those his parents can afford. The individual goes
through with the choice because earning the
degree is more important than not getting any.
Also, as an effort to scrimp on expenses, distance
of college to home also becomes a big factor.
Parents will have to choose the nearest university
or college to save on transportation expense to and
from school. The nearest university may not offer
the youth's dream course, and he will have to
choose only from among those that are being
offered there. Courses that don't require too many
materials would also be considered. This means
that he cannot choose courses like Architecture
(requires you to buy tools, special pencils, special
paper, and printing) and Engineering. Available
budget is an important consideration for choosing
one’s career
VALUING A VIRTUE
HARDWORK - People, like Soichiro Honda, have
beaten all odds that seem to go against their
dreams with hard work. People who know how to
work hard, do more than what is expected of them,
and show that they can be entrusted with great
responsibility, are always noticed by their superiors.
Bosses see this virtue in their employees, and
consider them to acquire potential greatness and
thus, are assets to the company. This virtue should
not be undervalued because many have achieved
their dreams because of this.
PERSEVERANCE AND DETERMINATION -
People who keep on moving toward ~ their goal
despite the hurdles that block their way also
succeed in achieving their dreams. A person who
perseveres may fail not once but many times, yet
still, he knows how to get up again and keep going.
This determination fuels perseverance. A person
perseveres because of his steadfast determination
to do his best in his chosen field of work. For
example, there are stories of street children who,
despite their lack of resources, studied under a
street lamp at night so they can read their
textbooks. Melinda De Vera is one such example.
She and her mother thrived on pushing a cart
around Manila selling cigarettes to passersby. She
was determined that no matter what condition she
was in, she would excel in school. True enough,
her studying under the neon lights of a food chain
paid off. She became so smart that she was
accelerated from Grade 4 to Grade 6. She is now
working for a senator and is heading her project to
help street children.
PASSION AND DILIGENCE - Passion is
technically not a virtue, but necessary drive to fulfill
one’s goal. A passionate person will put his all into
what he really wants to do. Consequently, his
motivation is never left unnoticed by his or her
superiors. Great men and women exude passion.
They don’t see their work as a burden, but as a
means to ignite their passion to excel. They are
diligent people. They lovingly fulfill their
responsibilities because they are aware of the good
that their positions bring to the community. Diligent
people are constant in fulfilling their duties. They do
not lag behind deadlines, and they deliver output as
expected of them. One can still be diligent albeit the
passion is not present. Diligence enables a person
to do what he ought to do with care and
industriousness even if the passion is missing.
HUMILITY - A person who aspires to achieve great
things is balanced by his humility. A humble leader
admits when he commits a mistake, apologizes for
it, and rises above it. It is with humility that his
greatness grows because it constantly reminds him
that he still needs to improve. Also, humility can
also work for a person when he admits that certain
careers do not match any of his skills—no matter
how much he is interested in it.
LESSON 14: Career Planning: Looking
Forward
It is the responsibility of each and every Filipino to
know his rights and what his obligations are to the
country. The term “right” is derived from the Proto-
Germanic word rixtaz meaning “right” or “direct”
and from Proto-Indo-European reg-to which means
“having moved in a straight line” or “to strengthen.”
In several Indo-European languages, reg-to means
both “right” and “law”.
LOCAL AND GLOBAL DEMANDS
“Every quarterback can throw a ball; every running
back can run; every receiver is fast. but that mental
toughness that you talk about translates into
competitiveness" -Tom Brady
Unemployment rates are high. Many who graduate
from colleges or universities do not immediately
find a job that suits them. There seems to be a
great disparity between the number of degree
holders in the field and the jobs the field can offer.
What was trending before may not be a trend now.
For financial reasons, some graduates cannot just
choose a career path that they want. What if the
career that they aspire for is not in demand? This
lesson will help you to study the available jobs here
and abroad to assist you in choosing the career
that best suits you and, at the same time, one that
is in demand. It is wise to choose one’s career path
carefully. A student must not limit himself to current
trends or even his wants if he wishes to have a job.
Below is a list of in-demand jobs in our country and
in the world. If the student’s skills match any of
these jobs, then the chances of landing a job after
college graduation would definitely be higher. The
key is to find where the shoe fits.
LOCAL IN-DEMAND JOBS
One does not have to go far in order to find a
decent-paying job, and a job that one would
probably enjoy doing. The Department of Labor and
Employment came up with a list of these in-demand
jobs. These are the highlights from the list that
DOLE released in 2010:
AGRIBUSINESS - Agribusiness relies heavily on
the abundant natural resources of the country. This
business includes anything related to farming, food
processing, and selling (retail and wholesale)
basically, making ways to bring foods from the farm
to the place. Thanks to better transportation
infrastructure, conveyance of these agriculture-
related products from one province to another is
much easier than before. This means that the
products are introduced to more areas. The market
share increases as it reaches more consumers.
What better job to take if you are most interested in
agriculture science, in putting food on the table?
Careers in the following fields are in-demand;
coconut farming, animal husbandry fruits farming,
fishing faming, veterinary medicine, and
horticulture.
CYBER SERVICES - More and more companies
abroad go to the Philippines to set up their
customer service support. The favor the Philippines
because Filipinos speech very good English, and
the country has the human resources they need. It
is no wonder that the Philippines is called the call
center capital of the world. Because of this, sooner
or later, even non-English speaking countries will
hire Filipinos to fill the need. In effect, Filipino
applicants will need to be fluent in other languages
like Spanish, and later on, even French.
HEALTH, WELLNESS AND MEDICINE - People
have become more health conscious in recent
years, and this means that there is an increase in
the demand for health-related careers. Some of the
professions on this field includes nurses,
herbologists, and opticians. For those who are
interested in becoming a doctor, or helping people
heal their physical illnesses, this is the career path
that they want to take. If they are up to do research
on how different plants can heal various illnesses,
they are assured of a job.
HOTEL AND RESTAURANT - If one has a talent in
cooking, or perhaps has the skill of organizing the
home, then a career in Hotel and Restaurant may
suit him. Filipinos are known to love eating, and not
just easting, but easting good food. One of the most
profitable businesses thriving in the Philippines now
is food. The Filipinos taste buds have become more
sophisticated and are learning to appreciate
different types of cuisine; Japanese, Korean,
Indian, Chinese, American and Singaporean. There
will always be openings in restaurant for chefs and
managers. The hotel business is also booming as
travel to the Philippines becomes easier for
foreigners: more flights and more ways to travel
from island to island. Thanks also to the Internet,
the Philippines is fast becoming a popular tourist
destination with its fantastic and unrivaled beaches
and other natural wonders, Job openings are
aplenty in hotels for receptionists, chefs,
bartenders, and also managers. The Philippines
being a tourist destination, tour guides are also in
demand.
MINING AND CONSTRUCTION - This may sound
like dirty work, but there are a lot of opportunities
for a career in these two fields. The Philippines has
so many natural resources that need to be
discovered, and mining for minerals is a perfect
start. Geologist, who study solid and liquid matter
on earth and see how they related to current
landscape, have one of the most high-paying jobs.
Also, with the booming infrastructure business,
many condominiums are being built, and roads are
being paved to bridge one province to another.
With all these demands, the following are very
much needed in the construction business: civil
engineer, architects, foreman, building managers,
and construction managers. Once the buildings and
communities are done, real estate agents are
needed to sell the units and houses.

GLOBAL IN-DEMAND JOBS
Thanks to developments on transportation,
especially travelling from one country to another,
airline ticket prices have become competitive; it is
more affordable now to go abroad. Job hunting is
not anymore limited to one’s own country, but
working overseas have also become an option.
Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore,
Sweden, and the United Kingdom are the countries
that demand overseas contract workers most.
Following are the best careers that are demanded
globally.
HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS - Nurses,
doctors, dentist, pharmacists, psychologist, and
physiotherapists are the most in-demand health
care professions overseas. In fact, nursing is the
most in-demand among all profession abroad.
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark,
Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, New
Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, the United
States, and the United Kingdom are some of the
countries that demand nurses. Doctor’s rank
second as the most in-demand among health care
Professionals.
ENGINEERS - The second most in-demand
profession among all is engineering: mechanical
engineers, electrical engineer, IT Engineering
professionals, Industrial and production engineers,
and civil engineers. Getting a degree in
Engineering usually takes five years, and the
profession requires a licensure exam to ensure the
quality of work the engineers do since lives of
people are at stake in most of their end products.
Engineering courses are also one of the more
expensive courses to take. These jobs require a lot
of field work: going out to the construction site and
really getting one’s hand dirty. Philippines
engineers may have to brace themselves for
working conditions abroad such as climate and
weather since much of their work is done outdoors.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY - Technology has
progressed in leaps and bounds in recent years
that IT programmers and developers have become
in-demand around the world. The job description
includes tasks like developing application for
different mobile operation systems, and web
designing. It also involves developing software for
companies that manage their store inventory,
payroll systems, and other computing needs. Job
seekers who are very interested in computers, how
they work, and are convinced about how important
technology is in easing our day-to-day activities,
then this field of specialization is a proper fit for
them. Another job related to this field is computer
graphic designing. Filipinos have made a name for
themselves in this field. One will normally find a
Filipino name in the roster of animators of full-
length animations. Images of typical Philippine
culture have been seen in their designs
VALUING A VIRTUE
COMPETITIVENESS - Competitiveness isn’t
exactly a word that many would consider a virtue.
In fact, it has a negative connotation for some who
relate the word to Machiavellian tactics, wherein the
end justifies the means. This describes people who
would do anything in their power to reach their goal
even to the point of using unethical or unscrupulous
methods to achieve them. It doesn’t matter if the
competition is harmed or cheated. However, if a
person is being competitive to give himself an edge
over a very wide field of people with similar goals,
in the process improving on himself, sharpening his
skills honing his talents, learning other skills, the
competitiveness is considered a virtue. One must
always strive to be the best one can be. They say
that instead of competing with others, it is better to
compare with oneself. Each day, the present self
should be a better version of yesterday’s self. One
can start building on one’s competitive spirit while
in school. This can be developed by looking at
one’s best performing classmates. For example,
Joey has always been in the lower half on the Top
20 of his class, but now he tries to look at the Top 1
place to push himself harder. The competitive spirit
here kicks in, and drives him to perform better at
school. Even if he does not hit the number 1 spot,
he will have improved himself. And being close to
the top, he will strive harder still. Joey outdoes
himself by benchmarking with the best in the field
he wants to be in.
OPENNESS - College life and the work place are
totally different settings from high school life. In
high school, students form a familial culture.
Everyone knows one another and does the same
routine (e.g. “Clean as you go” in the canteen, of
blessing the food before eating). In college and in
the workplace, classmates come from different high
schools with different cultures. Each brings with him
a set of behaviors and beliefs that are different from
others. Openness is key to forging harmonious
relationship with new schoolmates. It is important
that friction among people in the same field is
minimized. Openness, however, does not mean
that one acquires the other’s beliefs and behaviors
to diminish the differences. Openness refers to the
ability to understand where others are coming from,
and holding judgment on their personalities
because they behave and think differently.
UPLIFTING REALIZATIONS
It is never too early to start preparing for college.
Parents save a portion of their salaries while you’re
still young to ensure that you go to a good college.
You can start preparing by getting good grades. As
High School nears its end, you should already have
an idea what to take up in college. If you haven’t
yet decided, here are a few tips to help you.
1. There’s always a chance to make things right.
You may choose a course now that you may later
on regret taking. The only enemy here is time.
Don’t let the trouble of shifting courses in college
dishearten you. Keep your determination always
alive to do everything in your human capacity to
take a course you are really interested in.
remember that work stops becoming a burden
when you love what you are doing.
2. Keep an open mind. Many people will advise you
regarding your choice of career. Just keep an open
mind and hear them out. You may insist on taking a
specific degree, but other people know you, too,
and advise you against it because of certain
reasons, some of which may be valid. There are
times that God’s will is communicated to people
around you. So keep your eyes, ears, and mind
open.
3. Failure is not an option; it is inevitable. One does
not always make the right decisions. Surely, he will
fall down sometimes. What matters is not what
caused the individual to fall down, but how he gets
up. Successful people know that committing
mistakes is part and parcel of life that help one gain
experience. Part of this attitude is to learn how to
take risks in implementing one’s ideas. As long as
your ideas are not matter of morality, then it would
be okay to try.
LESSON 15: Importance of Vision in
Business
BUSINESS OF BUSINESS
WALT DISNEY:
 Walt Disney was born in Chicago on December 5,
1901.
 At a very young age, he was already very
interested in drawing instead of selling lemonade.
 He was selling his artworks to earn some
allowance.
 He applied for the army too early at 16.
 During the war, too young to join the army, he
worked at the Red Cross as an ambulance driver in
his spare time, and it is said that he had painted the
ambulance he drives with his cartoons
 When the war ended, he moved to Hollywood to
build his dream.
 He first tried writing for a newspaper but was
rejected because, according to the Editor-in-Chief,
he did not have enough imagination and good
ideas to share. Failing there, he established the
"Laugh-O-Gram Studio" in 1922, and a year later,
filed already for bankruptcy.
 He made his luck with creating his first moving
Mickey Mouse cartoon with sound, "Steamboat
Willie," in 1928. BUSINESS 101
 A few years passed, and his company began
losing money again until he came out with "Snow
White and the Seven Dwarfs" in 1937.
 The movie rescued him from the second wave of
bankruptcy.
 He made another risky decision of pioneering the
most famous theme park: Disneyland.
 Stakeholders did not believe in his business plan.
They saw Disneyland as a threat to the community,
thinking that it would only bring undesirable people.
 However, Disney's belief in himself and his ideas
tore down all barriers. It pushed him to proceed
with it even though he was losing money because
of the construction.
 The world now knows how successful his Disney
parks have become all over the world. Not all of his
creations were successful, however.
 He created many cartoons that did not earn—in
short, productions that have failed which led to his
bankruptcy—but he came out of it victorious.
 He knew what the people wanted: stories that
inspire to promote what is good and ideal. He hung
on to that vision for his business and overcame all
obstacles.

The best way to keep something bad from
happening is to see it head of time… and you can’t
see it if you refuse to face the possibility.” - William
S. Burrough
STEVE JOBS:
 Steve Jobs knew what he wanted to do at a very
young age.
 When he was in high school, he called up the co-
founder of HewlettPackard, Mr. William Hewlett, to
sponsor some parts for his school project.
 He got more than parts; he also received an
opportunity to work at Hewlett-Packard as an
intern.  His ambitiousness paid off. Jobs was
driven by his dreams, by his vision.
 Once, he dreamed of visiting India because of his
interest in Eastern spirituality. o Because of this, he
got a job at Atari. o As soon as he received enough
money for his trip, he resigned and went to India
 Something must have happened in India: he
refined his vision. The best way to keep something
bad from happening is to see it head of time… and
you can’t see it if you refuse to face the possibility.”
- William S. Burroughs
 Upon returning to the United States, he contacted
his engineer-friend, Steve Wozniak. He convinced
him to start their own computer business.
 The passion of both Steves was terrific. From
Jobs' father's workshop, they created the first Apple
| computer. It sold enough for them to start
reinventing and produced Apple Il, and later on the
Apple III.
 The Apple Computers defined what personal
computers meant. Soon other brands started to
copy the ingenious invention.
 Many bad decisions led to an almost unbelievable
firing of Steve Jobs from his own company, Apple
Macintosh. However, his firing did not stop him
from achieving his dreams.
 He founded NeXT Computer Co. and Pixar
Animation Studios.
 Apple Macintosh did not pick up from its losses
too well, while Steve Jobs thrived in his newfound
interest in animation. Apple swallowed its pride and
asked Jobs to return to the company.
 Setting his pride aside for a vision, Steve Jobs
took the offer and rebuilt Apple Macintosh into
Apple Computer Inc.
His return to Apple bégan a renewed love for Apple
products. Jobs' vision to build a "computer for the
rest of us" still worked like a charm. Since his return
at the helm, there was no way but up for Apple.
 His vision, passion, and intuition were all that he
had.
NOTE. Success was not immediate to Walt Disney
and Steve Jobs. There were many things they
sacrificed in order to reach their dreams. They were
able to make these sacrifices because they had a
vision, and this vision became their guiding light for
their decisions. They always went back to their
vision whenever they needed to make a decision.
Was it going to help them achieve their vision? Walt
Disney stuck to his vision even when he was
bankrupt. Steve Jobs reconciled with Apple—even
after he was fired by this company that he co-
founded—because Apple was his vision. Other
people would have let their pride get the better of
them
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO START YOUR OWN
BUSINESS
STEP 1: Business Plan
The foundation of every successful business plan is
a vision and a need. A business plan is usually
created when a person sees a real need for a
product that is not on the market or does not exist
and is inexpensive enough for the market. The
products that emerge are usually the result of the
following circumstances.
 Services or products one wishes existed:
 Lack of cheaper alternatives to needed
service or product;
 Products that are more user-friendly than
the ones already existing;
 Perfecting an existing imperfect product.
Once an individual or a group has a possible idea
for a product or service, they can now write a
business plan. Here is a simplified outline of a basic
business plan:
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Company Name/Brand
Company's Objectives (what one wants to
achieve with the product/service)
Mission Statement (how one sees the
company after five years)
2. BUSINESS DESCRIPTION
Location (where to physically establish the
company of store)
 Product/Service (description of the
product/service)
Suppliers and Manufacturing (list of
suppliers and Manufacturing needs to
create the product/service)
Management (description of people needed
to run the company)
3. MARKETING
Market Analysis (study of the target
consumers if there are enough to earn a
decent profit)
Competition (enumerates existing
businesses that offer the same or similar
product/service and at what cost)
Pricing (plots out the proposed price for
product/service)
Advertising (describes a plan to market the
product/service)
4. CAPITAL
Run the figures or costs needed to start the
business running
STEP 2: Market Study
A simple survey can be done to achieve this
feasibility study. Questions in the survey will
revolve around figuring out the market's need for
the product/service. Once the survey results are
gathered, attention is focused on those who show
interest or are likely to in the product/service: their
age range, social status, and gender. With this
information, a person can determine whether to
pursue the business plan, locate the store, what
type of advertising materials would attract the best
market, and the product/service pricing
STEP 3: Finances
Finance. Steps 1 and 2 can be done early on.
Financing the business plan usually comes later
because it may take time to save money to start the
business. Either that or it takes time to sell the idea
to a potential sponsor for the business.
VALUING A VIRTUE
HUMILITY - The virtue of humility brings about this
Attitude. To realize that no work is perfect on the
first try is practicing humility. Perfection is the
process of getting up from mistakes, accepting
wrong decisions, and overcoming obstacles. When
putting up one's own business, there will be people
who will be giving advices. Humility will keep one's
mind open to these suggestions. In the end, the
decision will still be up to the person. There will also
be those who will discourage him from proceeding.
Discouragement can also be countered with
humility and openness.
FORESIGHT - Foresight is the ability to see
beyond the present. A person who has foresight
can see the consequences of present decisions or
actions in the future. A person can "foresee" the
possible effect of his decisions in the present. With
foresight, he should see whether an expense he
makes now for his business is doubtful. Suppose,
despite the uncertainty, he still makes the decision.
In that case, he will not feel bad if the decision fails
because, from the very beginning, a person has
already been aware that this could happen. It was
part of the risk that he took.
HARDWORK - No business ever succeeded
without any hard work. The story of Mr. Henry Sy,
the founder of SM Department Store and Malls,
confirms this. He was a hardworking man who
began small, but toiled on to realize his dream. He
did not have millions of pesos when he started.
However, he had had good business acumen and
translated this to hard work, day and night. He also
took many risks. No lazy people has succeeded in
business. Those on top of the success ladder
worked hard and sacrificed much to get to where
they are.
LESSON 16: Work as Service
According to Mahatma Gandhi, “The best way to
find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of
others,” In this lesson, the students are going to
learn about the virtue of charity, service and justice.
They are also going to discover the beauty of
helping other people without expecting anything in
return.
THE NEED TO WORK
“The Lord God took the man and settled him in the
Garden of Eden to cultivate and take care of it”
(Genesis 2:15). From the beginning of creation,
God has already intended that human beings by
stewards or “caretakers” of His creation. The task
of being caretakers is not just a matter of making
earth, sure the animals are fed and the plants are
watered. God has also wanted man to cultivate the
He intended that man and woman develop, nurture,
improve His creation. In order to be able to achieve
his ultimate and original role in the whole of
creation, man basically needs to work, to exert
effort to develop what is given to him. In the case of
students, work for them is study. In study, one
cultivates one’s talents and develops oneself in
order to become an effective worker later on. Study
and work are both needs in order to achieve the
fullness of one's being. Study and work also
distinguish persons from animals. Although animals
“work,” they do so without any noble intention. They
do instinctively. They don't realize the need to do
so. They just simply do as they are created to. Man
is made for work; that is a reality. Accepting this
reality is just the first step. The concept and
purpose of work can still be elevated. Aside from
the fact that work supports man’s day-to-day living,
keeps him busy and productive as opposed to
being bored and useless. And this productiveness
can be channeled to being of service to others.
SERVICE
Although human beings are made to work, or at
least formed in a way that he is very capable of
working, they are also capable of service. Another
distinguishing factor that differentiates human
beings from animals is the former's ability to
choose to serve. Certainly, animals also serve their
masters but they do not it by choice, rather by
instinct. Service entails that a person give up his
preferences for the benefit of a greater majority.
Volunteerism is a service. When one joins a
medical mission program of the community or helps
pack relief goods, he is doing voluntary work or
service. Voluntary work is also seen in a student
who helps prepare or decorate the stage for a
program or to share his talents in the same event. It
may also be seen in the young person teaching
basketball to the children in a poor community or
tutoring them in their subjects. This is service
because one is not paid to do it. It is out of one’s
own free will to have decided to do volunteer work.
It is also service because personal sacrifice is
involved instead of doing his usual leisure activities,
or doing things only for himself, the person goes
out of his way to do something for others. It is
service because the welfare of others is placed
before himself. Service entails that one does
certain tasks for the good of others. Service, on its
own, is considered a virtue.
WORK AS SERVICE
The highest dignity of work is achieved when
person does his work for the service of the
community. Even if the work is not directly helping
another person of persons, he is at least
contributing to the overall delivery of service to the
community. No business, no company does not
ultimately sell products or services that do not
serve the community. Businesses are put up, surely
to earn profit, bur their products definitely serve a
community. Work as service is achieved when one
works without putting additional burden on others
because of one's incapacity to do one's work well.
The dignity of one’s work as service relies heavily
on it being done well. Work done well in self is
already an act of service to society.
VALUING A VIRTUE
CHARITY AND SERVICE - Charity, in its strict
sense, is to put others above oneself. A charitable
act is always an act of service because charity is
selfless giving. Charity can be done in many ways.
It is not limited to giving away or sharing material
things. For example, charity is seen when a person
controls himself from getting even with someone
who has cursed him or said bad things against him.
Evil deeds are not repaid with evil deeds. Charity is
directly linked with service. Service is an act of
charity. On a larger scale, when a person saves a
portion of his salary to donate to a charitable
institution, he is doing a huge act of service for
society. When one spends time regularly with the
needy in the society, sharing with them one’s
talents, or if with the orphans in an orphanage,
giving them time and love, these are noble acts of
charity.
SERVICE JUSTICE - The virtue of justice is the
ability to give what is due. When one does his work
or studies well, he is practicing justice because he
is giving what is due. People pay their taxes. The
government gives them their due through better
infrastructure and prompt service. Your parents pay
your tuition, and in return, you give them their due
by studying and getting good grades. In this sense,
every act of service, is an act of justice. When one
gives his time to help the less privileged, he is also
practicing the highest form of justice, which is
charity.