What is a Job?
While the terms “job†and “career†are often used to mean the same thing, they really are conceptually different. If you work a part-time job in your youth in order to have extra spending money, it isn’t likely you’d refer to it as a career. Why? The reason is that a job is something you do without much concern for the long-term. You get a job to buy your first car, to have extra spending money, to learn about work, or to pay the bills.
When young people work part-time in retail sales jobs, they aren’t thinking of it as a career. The same goes for senior citizens who take on jobs after they’ve retired. It is simply work done in exchange for money. Jobs are important for people of all ages. A job can put food on the family table. Some jobs even earn people high wages.
What is a Career?
There must be a difference between a job and a career. Why are jobs that students or senior citizens work not considered careers? The answer lies in the end goal. Students are striving to become educated in a certain field where they will continue to learn and grow and advance by the work they do.
A finance major may work in retail sales, but she doesn’t intend to build directly upon that experience. A retired person has no reason to build a career, often he or she has already done so, and therefore the work is just for the purposes of money or to stay social and active. Most careers start with education. Many people work jobs because they don’t have the education needed to enter careers, though jobs can certainly turn into careers, regardless of type of employment. Careers are about building on experience and advancing your job skills and knowledge. You can apply for a job, but you can’t apply for a career. A job is given to you; a career is made by you.
