Job vs Career

[DV8]

It occurred to me recently that there's a big difference between having a job and having a career. It seems to me that when you have a job, it's a means to an end, usually to pay the bills. When you have a career, it's a path you've chosen that dictates the shape your life will take to a large extent. It's ambitious, it requires vision and perhaps even a goal. A career is usually a job, but a job is not always a career. I wonder, what do you do for a living, and is it a job or a career? What is a career, to you? If you have a career, how do you experience it? Is there a plan? Did you have a plan from the start, or did you kind of roll into it? Or do you have a job? If so, why don't you consider it a career? Would you even like a career to begin with, or is that too ambitious?

(Edit: I suppose it's also quite possible to have a career as a mother, for instance, which, strictly speaking, isn't a job, but I'd like to consider that a job for the sake of the conversation.)

[UncleJoseph]

I used to want my police job to be a career. But now I hate it so much I just consider it a job. I had all sorts of plans, like wanting to get promoted, etc. But my police department is so small, promotions come around very infrequently and timing plays a huge role. The last round of promotions happened about 4 years ago. There were a group of people that have about the same overall level of experience in law enforcement that I do, but who were hired at our current employer about 1 year prior to me. Due to their time with our department, they have had more opportunities for special assignments, which give them more experience than strictly patrol officer experience. Therefore, they were "ready" to be promoted during the last round. Since I had to wait and wait and wait for those opportunities because I was hired a little after they were, I did not have the credentials, and would not have been promoted even if I had applied. However, I took the promotion test recently, and passed with flying colors. Now, this doesn't mean I'll get promoted anytime soon, because timing is an issue. With all the budget problems, we're not replacing attrition due to people leaving (such as terminations, retirements, people looking for greener pastures, etc.) So, I could wait another 2-3 years before they promote anyone. And I am only one of 7 people considered promotable for the possible 1 or 2 promotions that might happen. So timing is everything.

But, even though I consider my job just a job, I still try to make the most of it by applying for special assignments that I find interesting or challenging, such as the detective bureau. I was assigned to the detective bureau as of Sept. 8, and it's a 3-year assignment (not a promotion at our place). I sign up for other special training, etc. whever I can, even if only to break up the monotony. My biggest enemy is boredom. After having been a patrol officer for 10 years, the boredom was staggering.

Anyway, it's just a job, but to someone looking in from the outside, they might think I'm working on my career, since I apply for special assignments, take promotional tests and generally try to advance myself. Still, though, I am ALWAYS looking for a way out, be it raising alpacas, or going to work for corporate investigations.

[Ampere]

Good point Dennis.

Honestly, being an illustrator is part Career and Part Job.
I'm not Todd Lockwood, nor DaVinci. I was happy before doing IT...sort of. IT was all job and no career.

I guess the difference is that if I were to have a full-on career it would be screw off, slacker and game-nerd. That's what I enjoy. At heart I am one lazy motherfucker. Illustration I do to pay bills and to a certain degree it satisfies some deep down need, but not as much as it does some people.

Some people have this need to create or die. I'm not really that guy. I enjoy it. I do ok at it. It pays bills. In a lot of ways I've found a niche (that doesn't wholly suck) where I can make a little money to afford me the freedom to screw off. In this respect it's a job.

Given the opportunity I could totally live without a job and just be unemployed and goof off all the time If I were independently wealthy I wouldn't even bother with the pretense of working at all. Unfortunately I have bills to pay that won't pay themselves. My wife wouldn't abide me simply screwing off instead of contributing to the collective pot either.

[UncleJoseph]

Given the opportunity I could totally live without a job and just be unemployed and goof off all the time If I were independently wealthy I wouldn't even bother with the pretense of working at all. Unfortunately I have bills to pay that won't pay themselves. My wife wouldn't abide me simply screwing off instead of contributing to the collective pot either.

I was having a discussion like this at work the other day...you know, one of those, "What would you do if you win the lottery" kind of discussions. Most of the people in this discussion said they'd continue to work in their current jobs, even if they were filthy rich. I was shocked and thought, "Why would anyone want to continue to work if they didn't have to?" They said they would be bored if they didn't keep working. Now, I can appreciate the sentiment that someone wouldn't want to be bored, but to keep being a cop? Come on! Nobody likes cops, our job is full of nothing but threats of death, lawsuits or worse. I wonder if it's just that they haven't really thought about being wealthy to any depth (perhaps I'm wasting my time thinking about it).

But while I would not certainly continue to work, I'd be far from bored. Independent wealth would allow me to explore my passions and interest, with little worry that there'd be food on the table or a roof over my head.

[ak404]

A job is...something you get to pay the bills, maybe learn a skill that'll end up being relevant to a greater whole. It all depends on how you look at it. For example, I'm training to be an English Literature professor, but I've been picking up jobs and skills that have absolutely nothing to do with Literature: cooking, retail, call centers, bicycle mechanic, assisting with warehouses, and hopefully, working in a gun store. The idea (I hope) is to integrate everything I've learned into my career as a professor.

Or maybe it would be more accurate to call it "a calling."

[3278]

I wonder, what do you do for a living, and is it a job or a career?

Well, I suck the government teat, which I think is neither, but I'll roll back to past events.

If you have a career, how do you experience it? Is there a plan? Did you have a plan from the start, or did you kind of roll into it? Or do you have a job? If so, why don't you consider it a career? Would you even like a career to begin with, or is that too ambitious?

Most of my career choices - graphic designer, IT tech - have started as jobs, and grown into "this thing I want to do for a living." Unfortunately, the best laid plans of mice and men are still subject to economic realities, and I've found myself constantly having to review my career options. I'm not alone, and not just in my state; it's growing more and more common for people not to choose a single field for their whole lives, but to switch through several over the course of a lifetime. The old-style, "I'm an accountant," has become, "I work in accounting," and I guess that's not all bad, although the instability can be exciting for those actually making these shifts. [My father is 49, and he's looking at a major, major career shift, where virtually nothing he's learned in his 30 years of being in his field - mechanical design - will be applicable.]

For my own part, I want my career to be raising my children and working a ranch, but I need to find another mate who is dedicated to her own career, or else one who really wants to work a ranch. My last few girlfriends have all been dedicated to the workplace, and I think the sort of women I'm interested in generally do, so this is probably going to work out okay.

[Serious Paul]

I've thought on this for a few days now, and I think I might have an answer. I neither want a job, nor a career. I have no desire to work at all. I, however, have no choice in the matter. I'm not sure I ever have. This doesn't mean I'm unhappy all of the time, but yes like most people I experience depression from time to time. Even anger, and resentment-but like Dennis Leary said, "Life sucks...get a fucking helmet."

I've fallen into a job that is a viable career for me, that I excel at. I'm quite capable of communicating with incredibly angry, incredibly violent, incredibly unstable people. Because of my physical stature, natural ability and training I am capable of handling a level of stress that I suspect most people can't imagine. Unlike many of my coworkers I don't seem to bring home my work-I don't suffer from anger issues, I'm not violent with my friends and family-and while I do occasionally wear under the stress, who doesn't? It has come as a pretty large shock to me to discover that a number of people that I trust as role models at work suffer from severe and often violent depression, alcoholism and worse-which they combat with medication, and counseling. Until now I had thought them invincible pillars, that never wore down.

Now I find that it's me who hasn't worn down, myself who isn't violent or depressed with his family or life. Many of coworkers have commented that I was born to do what I do. I deflect this praise with self depreciating humor most of the time, but every once in a while I can admit it's true, and not feel like a colossal douche bag. I intend to survive my career, something not many people who adopt it do. Most of the people in my career die shortly after retiring, assuming they live that long. Assuming I survive my career I would greatly like to survive my post career.

We'll see. If I'm lucky eventually I will no longer have to work. Then I'll face the choice-can I really not do it? Not work.

[Kai]

Its a career I had accumulated the good karma to fall into sideways Its not what I thought I would be doing in high school, its not what I went to college for, but I enjoy it, and even if I was independantly wealthy I would continue to do it, just on my own schedule.

[Moto42]

Right now, I'm in a pretty good job, and I know people who've made this a career.

I'm a security guard at a warehouse from midnight to 8AM, weekdays. It's pretty much an unsupervised, do nothing job. I rehearse tricks, hit the Animalball and Bulldrek forums and read magic books all night.

I get very bored here, but it's a lot better than every other job I've had that actually paid the bills. The rules of the job don't change without warning. The people in charge of the company don't keep us in the dark and feed us bullshit. The paychecks arrive on time (and have never bounced). I got Halloween off for the first time in years. I get holiday pay. I don't want to do this for the rest of my life though.

My goal dream-job, as you all know by now, is to be an illusionist. That's the career I really want. Even if I get regular bookings that pay my bills though, I will probably stick with United Security at least part time for another year or two. They've been very good to me, and my current shift wouldn't interfere with most (if not all) such bookings.

The plan is to get started professionally doing up-close work at local restaurants, from there start picking up larger "parlor" bookings, and eventually be able to be booked on cruise lines. (Not constantly work on cruise lines, but have the skills, talent and a few good shows that will allow me to successfully do it.)

One of my very long term goals is to get paid by a cruise-line to perform on a boat to Australia. I've got a particular song I'm going to listen to when I get there.

It don't even know if there IS a line that runs from North America to Australia, but it's a ridiculously lofty goal. I'll burn that bridge when I get to it.

[DV8]

I'll burn that bridge when I get to it.

Ha! I thought I was the only one that said that.