What job would you do for free?
Some work pays the bills. Other work tells the truth about your life.
I have been thinking for a while about what I would do for free. The answer, I think, is the work I was called to do all along.
For all my adult life, in one form or another, I have been involved in formation. I have spent my time helping people grow and develop: as students, leaders, thinkers, disciples, and human beings. The settings have changed over the years, but the heart of the work has stayed much the same.
As I come toward the end of my current contract at the end of 2027, I find myself wondering what comes next. I am content with what I have. I do not feel the need to keep working for money. That brings a certain clarity. The question becomes simpler: what is still worth giving yourself to?
For me, the answer is still formation.
I could imagine doing that in a church, though I would need to believe deeply in its mission. Some churches are doing fresh and courageous work. Others are more concerned with holding on to the past. At this stage of life, I would want to serve somewhere that is open to growth, willing to take risks, and serious about forming people well.
I could also imagine doing that through organisations I genuinely believe in. Last year I joined the Sydney Character Initiative, which brings together research, education, and leadership around the formation of character in schools, universities, and residential communities. Its work is grounded in the belief that people can be formed for lives that are worthwhile and well-lived. That is exactly the kind of work I would gladly do for free.
There is something freeing about asking this question. It strips away status, ambition, and all the things that can attach themselves to work. It brings you back to what you love, what you believe in, and what you were made to do.
For me, the answer is not complicated. The work I would do for free is the work I was called to do all along.
The Afterword 
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