A Job Versus a Career

By: Andres Villalva

It may seem that jobs and careers are interchangeable terms. Although there is a strong relationship between the terms there are some significant differences that will most likely affect earning potential, security and even lifestyle.

A job refers to an employment agreement. When the employment agreement seems favourable for the employee we call it a ‘good job'. A job on its own does not call on, or add value to ongoing personal development in other aspects of life.

A career, on the other hand, is a grouping of roles, education, training and experiences in a field over a period of time. The outcome of these grouped experiences is professional development because career decisions build on many different experiences to fortify existing and transferable skills.

A job may well be part of a career, but the transfer of the skills learned in that job is what makes a career valuable. Employers generally seek people with well rounded abilities and a career can demonstrate just that by showing a particular range of skill sets applied to a number of unique situations.

High profile careers such as sports stars are good examples of the difference between jobs and careers. You will often hear high profile players refer to their ‘basketball career' or their ‘baseball career', whatever the case may be. It is rare to hear any reference to ‘my basketball job'. Why?

In order to reach the elite heights of a sporting career, athletes undergo years of practice, training and participation in their chosen field. Every step forward is built upon skills gained as a junior. Every employment opportunity (job) builds skills that are transferable to their new team. For this reason, players become incredibly valuable at the height of their careers.

The notion of the personal value based of transferable skills is not unique to the sporting world, however. Every profession applies this notion to some degree. And just like sports stars, careers can begin at a young age. Just ask Britney Spears.

My personal career has developed in Information Technology. I know that experiences in this particular field begin at a young age, but I am also aware that many school and university students have not considered the notion of a ‘career' before they are employed. Remember, a career includes roles, education, training and experiences in a particular field. It is certainly possible to begin to develop these attributes without paid employment, and the good news is that these skills will be applicable for future job hunting.

The question is – which skills should one develop in order to begin a career in Information Technology? That answer would take one hundred articles just to scrape the surface, but for now it will suffice to say that an informed decision may be the best approach.

About the Author

Looking to develop an IT career as a student?

Andres Villalva B.IT, AssDip(Eng), CCNP, MasterCNE is a co-founder of IT-Pathways.com and writes articles based on over fifteen years of experience in the Information Technology industry . It-pathways.com promotes ethical, intelligent and successful Information Technology career development.

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Job Info , Jobs , Career