vocation
n. C / Un. a strong feeling that you are meant to do a certain job or way of life. It is often used for work that helps others, like being a doctor or a teacher.
n. a strong impulse or sense of suitability for a particular career or occupation, often perceived as a calling. Frequently implies a commitment to service or a religious life rather than mere employment.
She felt a strong vocation to become a nurse.
Many people choose social work not for the salary, but because they feel a genuine vocation to help the vulnerable.
The transition from a stable corporate career to the priesthood represented the culmination of a lifelong vocation he had previously suppressed in favor of financial security.
From Middle English vocacioun, from Old French vocation, from Latin vocātiō.
Often takes the preposition 'to' or 'for'. When used as a countable noun, it refers to the specific profession itself.
His vocation is a lawyerHis vocation is the lawVocation refers to the calling or the field of work, not the person performing the job.