The difference between a job and a career

There are varying opinions on whether there is any difference between a job and a career. Some think of a career as the accumulation of jobs a person holds over their working lives, while others believe there must be connections between each job for it to be considered a career.

To simplify, we’ve come up with four ways that jobs are different to careers.

Goals

Your end goal can differ dramatically depending on whether you’re treading the career path. If you’re working in an industry you have no intention of pursuing beyond your current role, odds are you are just trying to get through to the end of the week, to the end of the day, to the end of your shift.

However, a career-orientated individual will be looking at the bigger picture and thinking about how what they do today will influence their future prospects, perhaps in the form of a promotion or a new role at a different organisation.

Time

Careers are nothing if not long term. The journey starts when a person decides what field they want to work in. It can include high school, university, entry-, mid- and senior-level positions, roles in multiple organisations, and even come full circle with a return to study later in life.

In contrast, a job is normally a short-term prospect for the sole purpose of earning an income. This is often the case for university students doing part-time work in fields not connected to their degrees, generally in flexible, shift-based industries like hospitality and retail.

Effort

It’s only natural that you’re going to invest more effort into a role where there is a clear outline of how it will benefit your career, rather than a job you view as a stop-gap. This can be the difference between staying back after hours to assist on a project to showcase your strong work ethic to colleagues and superiors, or clocking off as soon as your shift finishes.

Mindset

When you’re constantly thinking about where you want your career to lead, it’s easy to stay motivated. You are always looking for ways to upskill, to gain new experience and to make yourself as desirable as possible to prospective employers.

On the other hand, without this kind of drive, the mindset towards a job can be more about getting through the day and less about where the position might lead. This can affect how the role is performed and whether the worker is satisfied with the job.

It’s important to take into account all the positive aspects of a job without ties to a specific career path. Being able to leave work drama at the door when you head home is enviable, while there are various soft skills – communication, problem solving, time management – that will serve as valuable tools in the future, regardless of industry.