Are careers and jobs the same thing?

What is a job?

Throughout our lives, we may have many jobs.  Getting your first job can be a very exciting ordeal as it makes independence and a way to make money.  Some start by mowing lawns, maybe as a hostess at a restaurant when they are teenagers.  A job is a way for individuals to make money by performing different tasks. A job can lead to a career, but they are not the same thing.

What is a career?

A career defined by dictornary.com is a path or progress through life or history. A profession or occupation is chosen as one’s life work.  So, a job could turn into a career, but they are different. A career is one in which you grow and advance.  Something that you have usually specialized training in.  For example, you may start a job as a hostess in a restaurant and realize that you really like the restaurant industry and want to make a career out of it, so you train to become a server and then work your way up to a manager or general manager of a store and maybe even one day open your own restaurant.  College and technical schools train people for careers as well. Once in these institutions, you select a career path or a major.  With the training provided and usually an internship or apprenticeship your career begins.

So, what makes them different?

Both career and jobs help an individual make money, but as mentioned above a career is a path to grow into as opposed to a job that is usually not a life path.  Through your career, there is specialized training and advancement.  There are also opportunities in careers to build connections with others in the networking capacity as well as specialized organizations you can join for different career paths. Jobs also tend to be more short time and people may have many jobs throughout their lives but usually only one to two career paths. Careers usually involve passion and people tend to want to have upward mobility when it comes to their career paths. Many people have goals when it comes to their careers.  Whether you have a job, a career, or a job that you want to turn into a career it is important to have invested interest and work somewhere that aligns with your values.