Job Tuition

Do You Want a Job or a Career?

January 3rd, 2007 by Andrew

You may be thinking to yourself, “What’s the difference?” Hopefully I can help you out with this subtle, yet important, distinction. Even more importantly, we’ll see why it matters.

Jobs

What was your very first paying job? I mowed lawns to earn some pocket money, but my first real paying job was at Taco Bell. Did I want a career in the restaurant industry? Certainly not. However, this job put gas in my car through high school. I also learned some general job skills, along with gaining customer service experience.

The point is that a job is a specific position you fill with a specific employer. It is the tree in the forest. Some are small, some tall. Some may fit like a glove, while you might hate others.

Just like all trees eventually wither and die, jobs are almost always temporary, when compared with your entire working life. Very few people begin and end their working life at the same job.

Careers

Now that you see the tree, let’s look at the forest. In essence, your career is the sum total of your education and work experience. Think of it as the coherent theme on your resume. It’s even broader than your resume “objective.”

I started off with lawn mowing and Taco Bell. I am now only six months away from my first full-time position as a lawyer. Does that mean that this position completes my career? Of course not.

I’m excited about my first real lawyer job. But it’s just that: a job. My chosen career is to be a lawyer. Thus, this job will fit in great with that, especially in me gaining some vital experience and on-the-job learning. However, I will definitely keep my eyes open for where my career might lead me next. What other paths does the forest have?

Eyes on the trail

Of course I have to keep up the metaphor! But seriously, all this talk about jobs versus careers is really important. As you now see, jobs don’t usually last your whole life, but your career will. This has profound practical implications on your everyday life.

In a nutshell, you should never give up your professional efforts at sustaining your overall career. If you focus too narrowly on your current job, you might find yourself unemployed some day without a clue about where to go next.

Since there is a lot to digest here, we’ll break it up into several posts. For now, please think about your job(s) versus your career. Separate the two in your mind. Check back here at Job Tuition for the rest of this series. Or subscribe by RSS for easier reading.