Dec. 15 (Bloomberg) -- A young man who took a job with a big Wall Street firm earlier this year, and has been watching both as an industry and a way of life die, recently wrote to me asking for career advice.

And so I gave it to him, probably more publicly than I should have. I have since been overwhelmed by responses from readers, some of them taking issue with Anthony (as I have called him), others taking issue with the advice I gave him, but many more just wanting to add their own advice to the pile. Bloomberg then reprinted a small selection of these.

I assumed that from Anthony’s point of view all of this advice was pretty much worth what it cost him. But now he has written back, and it turns out he not only read it but thought it over. No doubt it will expose him all over again to the scorn and outrage of older Wall Street readers.

In my view, anyone over the age of 35 who feels ready to pounce on Anthony all over again should take a deep breath and remember what it was like to be 22.

Here’s Anthony’s response:

I sincerely appreciate your advice. I have to say I did not expect you to respond to what I wrote. I figured you have way more important stories to write than offering some unthankful kid some direction in life.

Thank you, it’s truly something I will never forget, and I’ll be giving some serious thought to everything you wrote over the next few months.

Looking on the inside for what I have to offer the world is not easy, but I think you hit it right on the nose when you said I need to stop looking at what the world has to offer me. . . .

I wrote a little response below to your piece keeping in mind the responses people sent in about it. . . .

Best,

Anthony

PS. Thanks for leaving details out of the article -- didn’t think this made me look particularly good.

“So which is it: job or calling? You can answer the question directly, or allow time to answer it for you.”

I think if you ask people to be honest, most would say, yeah, of course I would like to be following my calling in life, but it’s too much of a risk. People have bills to pay; they are worried about the next car payment, student-loan payment, saving for retirement or a weekend in Vegas with friends.

Following your calling might make you happy and in the long run solve all your financial woes, but I think the fear that it won’t is why people settle for routine “jobs” where they know what’s at the end of the street and can act accordingly, rather than walking down a street that may lead back to the beginning of their journey.

A guy I work with quit his job as a trader to go start his own contracting business. He was fascinated with real estate and decided he knew enough about business to give building houses a shot. After 10 years of trading he had enough and decided to do what he thought would make him happy.

His business ultimately failed due to competition and now he’s back on the street he was on 5 years ago. At least he tried right? You’ll never know until you take the risk, some might argue.

Sounds nice but when the opportunity cost of leaving drains your retirement fund and leaves you with half the salary you would’ve had if you continued down the street you knew so well, it’s not.

Personal satisfaction may be invaluable but considering my colleague’s story, it seems it isn’t.

I’m definitely searching for a calling; I just have a job. My other friends feel the same way; unsure of the jobs they have and questioning their futures. One of my best friends works at another “well-known financial firm,” and we talk all the time about where our lives will be in 10 years if we follow the road we’re on; we see lots of e-mails.

You say “A fantastically rewarding career usually requires you to take fantastic risks.” I agree and am fully prepared to take those risks to be happier, but only if I hedge my position. I’m not walking down a street I know nothing about without a get-away car parked close by.

“In the end, you have to look for it not on the outside, but on the inside. In my experience, if you find it, the other stuff will take care of itself.”

The truth is I intend to pursue what I believe is my calling, what I can add value to in a way I believe few others can, and what I think will challenge me and make me happy at the same time.

Figuring out what that calling is, and the best way to pursue it, is the problem.

     (Michael Lewis, author of “Liar’s Poker,” “Moneyball,” and “The Blind Side,” is a columnist for Bloomberg News. The opinions he expresses are his own.)

To contact the writer of this column: Michael Lewis at mlewis1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: December 15, 2008 00:03 EST