Forbes magazine reported this week the 25 highest-paying jobs in this nation this year. In a few hours this campus will be abuzz again with students—all of them eventual young job-seekers. How many of them will end up in one of these jobs? Who knows?

But here they are for your perusal. Forbes sets up the list with this preamble: "Glassdoor.com, one of the leading job and recruiting websites in the world, recently published a report on the highest-paying jobs of 2018. The research analyzed 2018 salary reports submitted by employees, median annual base salary, the number of job openings available, and active job listings as of 7/19/2018. For consideration, a job title had to receive at least 100 salary reports from U.S.-based employees within the past year. C-suite level jobs were not included in this report" (www.forbes.com/sites/janicegassam/2018/08/15/the-25-highest-paying-jobs-...). (C-suite jobs are those with a title beginning with the word "chief"—as in CEO, CFO, COO—i.e., this list does not include executive positions.)

Here are this year's 25 highest-paying jobs in this country (be advised—you will not know what some of these jobs do!):

25. Data Scientist—median salary $96,116/job openings 4,986
24. Tax Manager—$96,175/3,690
23. Cloud Engineer—$96,449/1,077
22. Attorney—$96,678/903
21. Consulting Manager—$97,154/1536
20. Scrum Master—$98,239/1,876
19. Systems Architect—$100,984/1,146
18. Strategy Manager—$101,754/2,641
17. Data Architect—$101,900/1,472
16. Financial Planning and Analysis Manager—$102,155/108
15. Solutions Architect—$102,160/5,899
14. IT Program Manager—$102,969/218
13. Plant Manager—$103,892/1,182
12. Applications Development Manager—$104,048/360
11. Engineering Manager—$105,260/4,738
10. Software Architect—$105,329/1,130
9. Nurse Practitioner—$106,962/14,931
8. Software Engineering Manager—$107,479/1,105
7. Physician Assistant—$108,761/8,616
6. Software Development Manager—108,879/1,064
5. Corporate Counsel—$115,580/693
4. Enterprise Architect—$115,944/1,097
3. Pharmacist—$127,120/2,534
2. Pharmacy Manager—$146,412/2,009
1. Physician—$195,842/3,038

There they are. Can't find yourself on there? Me neither. But remember—this is not a listing of the highest job satisfaction positions in the country. These are the highest paying jobs (though while higher pay and greater job satisfaction do not necessarily correlate, I am certain there are individuals throughout these 25 job categories that experience much personal satisfaction).

But back to our new and returning students here at Andrews University. The simple fact is that they all come in search of a professional/career niche in society. Every one of them, no doubt, is hoping their choice will mean both financially security and personal satisfaction. Isn't that true of us all?

But the mission of this Seventh-day Adventist university is bigger than the student may be expecting. Because beyond financial security and job satisfaction is the "God has called me" component of career search and job placement. And while the young adult may not be integrating divine calling into his or her job search, we as faculty and staff who will surround this student for at least four years are tasked with the "God has called you" mission. Luke was a practicing physician, when he met Paul who introduced him to Christ Jesus. And it isn't much of a stretch to imagine that Paul proactively engaged this new convert in "God has called you" conversations. By the time it's over, Luke is physician, Christian, evangelist, historian and writer, all of it devoted to his Lord and Savior.

You and I work for the same Lord and Savior and share with Paul the same mentoring opportunities. You can work the cafeteria line and mentor a student. You can vacuum the hallways and influence a young life. A teacher or professor engaged in afterhours conversation for Jesus can make a lasting impact on a young life greater than any of these 25 hottest jobs can achieve. Because it isn't what we're paid to do—it’s what we're called to do that matters in the end.

So what has God called you to do this new year?

Years after mentoring Luke, Paul on the eve of his death wrote: "Only Luke is with me" (2 Timothy 4:11). And how could you put a price tag on that?