If you’re sick of worrying about your job and getting fired at a moments notice, you need to understand the different between a career vs. job.
When you set out on your way to find work and make a living, most people aren’t thinking about how easy it’s going to be to keep that job or how replaceable you are to that job.
If you want to be in a place where recruiters start looking for people like you instead of you looking for a job, then this article is for you! If you want to understand how to grow your experience and make more money, this article is for you.
The main different between a career vs. job
The main difference you should takeaway from me is that when it comes to job vs career, career will pretty much always be better.
A job is a great place to start when you aren’t sure what to do or are still in school or in a new field. It’s going to be easier to find and there will always be something available.
Jobs are very task focused in that they are typically entry level and focusing most of your time doing one thing. There usually isn’t much room to get promoted up or grow and the pay isn’t usually the highest.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a job vs career, but you are a lot more replaceable with a job.
You typically aren’t gaining skills that will set you apart from anyone else and the company can probably fill your job with someone else pretty quickly.
When someone asks me “is career and job the same thing”? The answer is overwhelmingly no.
A job is something easier to get and easier to lose.
How is a job different from a career?
A career is work that you build up over time. It usually starts out as an entry level job but it’s in a line of work that you can grow in.
It’s hard to grow in a job where you have one task you do over and over.
With career-oriented jobs, you are usually doing more than one thing and you have the chance to learn new things often.
This lets you build up what you know how to do so that you can use it in a higher-level job.
At each level, you learn new skills and can get promoted up and up and up!
Job vs Career vs Occupation
Your job is what your job title is (ex: Call Center Representative). Your occupation is a bit more general. It describes what you do and in what industry – you work in Customer Service in Banking.
Your career is how you can make that grow. If you get to a role like a customer service associate then you should be able to grow that into a specialist, then senior level, then supervisor, manager, etc.
Career Security vs Job Security
I talked a little bit about this earlier, but when it comes to a career vs. job, your job security with a job is low.
I’ve been a recruiter for over 10 years now. Every job that is entry level and more task focused is pretty easy to replace quickly. The skills for that job can be taught to pretty much anyone quickly.
The jobs that I work on that are hard to find people for are the ones that take years to build up to. Senior levels and Specialist for something.
It’s easy to get discouraged and think that it’ll never happen for you if you’re in a job that doesn’t have growth opportunities now.
Just think though, you just need the right entry level job to start a career.
You have skills from all the jobs you’ve been doing that can qualify you for a lot of different things.
If you need some help figuring out which career you should get into, please reach out for my career coaching services. I’d be happy to talk with out and help you get to know your skills!
How to find a career job
When you’re trying to build a career when all you seem to find are jobs, it’s frustrating!
Certain jobs can turn into career – you just need to be in the right place.
You should look for jobs with small, mid-sized or large companies that have different departments and different levels of the job you are applying for.
Try to avoid mom and pop companies or super small stores and restaurants.
When you interview with them, ask what the career path is. They should be able to tell you that you start out in the job but can grow into higher levels. They might also talk about how the skills you learn can help you move to other departments in the company as well.
Look for jobs that are similar with other companies so that you can move and grow no matter where you go.
Once you get to a higher level in your career, it can be virtually impossible to replace your skills!
Understanding the difference between a career vs. job can make a hug impact in where you are 5 years from now. It may not seem like it at first but investing in yourself and your skills is always the better option.
If you need help getting started, reach out for a resume writing and career coaching services!