THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A JOB AND A CAREER

Maybe you are guilty of interchangeably using the terms Job and Career. If you are, then you are not alone. I used these words interchangeably as well as though they were the same except in the way they are spelt and in their pronunciation until recently the truth set me free.

Today, this article will delve into the glaring differences between job and career. We shall begin by the simple definition of the terms JOB and CAREER.

From the merriam Webster dictionary : a Job is a regular remunerative position; a specific duty, role, or function; something that has to be done. while a Career is a profession for which one trains and which is undertaken as a permanent calling; a field for or pursuit of consecutive progressive achievement especially in public, professional, or business life.

Simply put – a job is short-term work and a career is a long-term job.

Alright, no need to fuss. I know you want to ask what work is. Let’s consult our dictionary again. Merriam Webster says ‘To work is to perform  or fulfill duties regularly for wages or salary; to perform or carry through a task requiring sustained effort or continuous repeated operations; to exert oneself physically or mentally especially in sustained effort for a purpose or under compulsion or necessity.’

Thus, we can conclude that to work is to perform activities.

Job and Career have some similarities in terms of activities that provide benefits and differ especially in the degree of interest and passion.

The following are main differences between Job and career:

1. Meaning : A job can refer to an economic role one plays, though in short term for a payment, a career However has more in common with a personal life path or calling that is more focused on his / her passions, Temperament and interests in a given profession.
2. Value derived: usually in the aspect of Job, the paramount value derived in exchange for time and effort is money. On the other hand for a career, the value you are trying to get or gain is fulfilment especially from a lifelong ambition in a given profession. It is beyond money.
3. Job is to means, career is to an end : A job (remote writing) can be picked and done to get paid( some good dollars) and the money used to pay a particular bill( school fees), this is because It is a means to an end. The job was taken for the sole purpose of the pay and used for that purpose too. However, if your lifelong dream was to have a lecturing career and you would get there, the activities in that teaching or lecturing career are not just a means to an end, but end in themselves.
4. The Duration of both: Job is usually much shorter than a career. Many people can and have done many jobs in the short term because these jobs are on contracts. It is difficult to say the same about a career because it is long-term and usually lasts for the most part a person’s lifetime.
5. Skills and qualifications : A job does not require huge and beautiful certificates. The important thing is if the tasks in question can be done or not. Possessing Skills is number one on the list. However, for a career in a specific field, one is usually expected to have a set of skills based on an academic qualification(Certification), the centre of career is one’s level of school education degrees, etcetera.
6. Benefits: usually, a job caters for your daily needs. In contrast to this, a career gets you a salary accompanied with benefits. For example Pension. The reason is not far fetched, one is short term and the other long term.

A career is as flexible as life paths, it is a call and this call can be answers by pursuing wholeheartedly with one’s colour of interest and passion. One’s career is a path to innovation and history making. It is very important to note, a career can be built from several interrelated jobs one undertakes. This slew of Jobs form a sweet chain and build an excellent career for you.

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