A job and career are something we all look for at some point in our lives, but what really is the difference between the two? We’re going to take a look into what the difference is between a job and career, which may help you at some point in the future.

The main difference between a job and a career is that a job is generally a shorter term way to earn money. You’re less likely to stay in these types of jobs long term. A career is generally longer-term employment that includes specialised experience and training in a certain field. Careers often result in a better position and better pay overall.

How it Works; The Key Differences

When it comes to work, very often a job is something that you will find to be shorter term and just something that helps you earn money. With jobs, it’s unlikely that you will be provided with further training or qualifications to help you advance higher within the role. On the other hand, with a career, it’s normally that you specialise in a certain job field and from this you can gain lots of years of experience in this certain field, which often results in you working your way up higher within the business and earning more money. With a career, it’s likely that long term, you will start to achieve more and aim higher within your position. As a result of this, it can help in the longer term and for your future.

So, in answer to the question of what is the difference between a job and a career? The real and big difference is that one looks at the shorter term and a good way to earn money, whereas the other one looks more into the future, with the hope that you can progress further and earn more money.

What Is a Job?

To define a job, it can be anything that is a way of earning money. Many people want to start earning from a young age and so it’s very common for people from 16 onwards, to be looking for jobs. Whether that be full time or part time, it’s normally short – term employment, to help you earn money, until you decide what career path they want to go down in the future.

With jobs, it’s usually just a transitional position. Getting you basic experience and a few references and you don’t need high qualifications to succeed in the role. This is because most of the time, it’s just any work available to you, that simply helps you to earn money.

What Is a Career?

On the other hand, there are careers, which can be commonly confused with a job. A career however, is more focused on a certain job path, in which you build up years of experience and training in, which ultimately helps you to achieve more in the long term. With a career, you need to know what it is you’re wanting to do, in order to pursue it and build up your experience, skills and knowledge within the sector. When having a career, you may move from job to job, but still stay within the same career field. This is where all the years of experience, training and knowledge will help you out, to get jobs elsewhere and also progress further into your career.

So, with a career, you build up your experience and knowledge in a certain sector and can build this up to progress even further down this route in the future. A great example of this may be that you train to be a nurse, work in the nursing sector for years to build up additional training, qualifications and experience to then progress further and become higher up within the sector.

What Should You Look For? Job vs Career?

When it comes to looking for a job or career, it all depends on what you’re wanting. If you’re just wanting a quick solution, to earn money and not looking for a long-term prospect within it, then a job is the perfect solution for you. However, one thing to think about is the future and where you want to see yourself. Building up experience and knowledge can help so much in the long term when it comes to a career, so always be sure to have a think about the type of career you want and whether you could use a job to build up experience, before progressing down that route.

If you’re someone who has an idea of the career path you’re wanting to go down and think that this is something you would like to do for the long term, with the potential for progression, then a career is the best option for you. Careers are a great way to build up your experience and skills and help you out in the longer term.

So, to sum the question up of what you should look for, if you’re wanting something short term and a way to make money, then a job is perfect for you. However, if you’re wanting to go into a certain sector and progress within it, a career is the best option, to help build up experience, knowledge and skills.

Can a Job, Lead into a Career?

The simple answer to this is yes! It is often that sometimes you can start off with a job, just as an easy way to earn money and soon find yourself progressing within the business. With this, you may find you gain more responsibilities, better positions and more money, so yes this would be leading you into a career. However, the important thing to remember with this is whether you are wanting to pursue a career in that sector, as building up experience and knowledge is key to helping you progress further within a career.

Also make sure to think about the type of career you are wanting in the long term and what job may help you to achieve this and gain experience and knowledge, to help build your career. Not all jobs are guaranteed to lead into a career so this is also something to be mindful of, it all depends of the opportunities that arise within the business.