Job vs. Career: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Published on January 24, 2024
A job is a specific position of employment in a company for earning, whereas a career is a series of connected employment opportunities, where you build up skills and experience.
Key Differences
A job is a specific role or position performed in exchange for money, often part of a larger career plan. It's a specific task or duty within a profession or occupation, usually with a designated time frame. A career, on the other hand, is a series of connected jobs, forming a path of progress in one's professional life. It involves developing deeper skills and long-term goals.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
While a job focuses on a specific task or duty, a career encompasses a series of jobs within the same field or industry. A job is often seen as a means to an end, typically financial stability, and may not always align with one's long-term professional aspirations. In contrast, a career is a journey of building and developing professional skills and experiences over time, often aligned with personal goals and values.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
In terms of commitment and scope, a job is usually seen as a short-term position or role, often with a narrower focus. It's something you do simply to earn money. A career, however, is a long-term pursuit, often requiring a higher level of education and training, with a focus on growth and advancement in a particular field.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
When considering satisfaction and development, a job might not provide the same level of fulfillment as a career. Jobs can change frequently and might not offer substantial personal or professional growth. A career, though, involves a strategic approach to professional development, aiming for long-term satisfaction and success.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
Finally, in the aspect of identity and purpose, a job is often not strongly tied to one's personal identity or life purpose. It's more transactional. A career, conversely, is closely linked to one's identity, often reflecting personal passions and life goals. It's more transformational.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A specific position or work for which one is employed.
A series of connected employment opportunities, where one builds experience and skills over time.
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Jan 24, 2024
Duration
Often short-term and varies based on the position or task.
Long-term and encompasses a series of jobs in a particular field or industry.
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Jan 24, 2024
Focus
Centers on specific tasks or responsibilities for a salary.
Involves a journey of professional growth, skill development, and advancement.
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Jan 24, 2024
Objective
Typically to earn money or gain experience in a particular role.
Aimed at professional growth, personal fulfillment, and long-term development.
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Jan 24, 2024
Job and Career Definitions
Job
A job is a contractual role with specific responsibilities.
She has a job as a consultant for several firms.
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Jan 08, 2024
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Career
A career is a series of related jobs in a field.
Her career in law spans over thirty years.
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Jan 08, 2024
Job
A regular activity performed in exchange for payment, especially as one's trade, occupation, or profession
Her job is doing drug research.
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Jan 06, 2024
Career
A career is a long-term professional journey.
He's planning his career in engineering carefully.
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Jan 08, 2024
Career
A career reflects one's aspirations and ambitions in a field.
Her career goals include becoming a CEO.
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Jan 08, 2024
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Career
A career involves progress in a chosen profession.
She is pursuing a career in medicine.
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Jan 08, 2024
Job
A specified duty or responsibility
Your job is to watch the kids while we're away.
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Jan 06, 2024
Career
A career is a path of professional growth and development.
His career has been marked by several prestigious awards.
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Jan 08, 2024
Job
(Informal) A difficult or strenuous task
It's a real job getting people to help out at these events.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
A specific piece of work to be done for a set fee
An expensive repair job.
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Jan 06, 2024
Career
The general course or progression of one's working life or one's professional achievements
An officer with a distinguished career.
A teacher in the midst of a long career.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
Something resulting from or produced by work
I like the job they did on those shrubs.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
An operation done to improve one's appearance, or the result of such an operation. Often used in combination
A face job.
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Jan 06, 2024
Career
Doing what one does as a permanent occupation or lifework
Career diplomats.
A career criminal.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
(Computers) A program application that may consist of several steps but is performed as a single logical unit.
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Jan 06, 2024
Career
To move forward at high speed, often with minimal control
"that lordly car ... How smoothly it ran. In what style they had come careering along the country roads!" (James Joyce).
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
(Informal) A state of affairs
Their marriage was a bad job from the start. It's a good job that we left early to avoid the traffic.
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Jan 06, 2024
Career
General course of action or conduct in life, or in a particular part of it.
Washington's career as a soldier
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
(Informal) An example of a specified type, especially of something made or constructed. Often used in combination
A new building that is just another glass and steel job.
A cowboy hat that is one of those ten-gallon jobs.
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Jan 06, 2024
Career
To move rapidly straight ahead, especially in an uncontrolled way.
The car careered down the road, missed the curve, and went through a hedge.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
To arrange for (contracted work) to be done in portions by others; subcontract.
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Jan 06, 2024
Career
A race course: the ground run over.
To go back again the same career.
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Jan 06, 2024
Career
A running; full speed; a rapid course.
When a horse is running in his full career.
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Jan 06, 2024
Career
General course of action or conduct in life, or in a particular part or calling in life, or in some special undertaking; usually applied to course or conduct which is of a public character; as, Washington's career as a soldier.
An impartial view of his whole career.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
An economic role for which a person is paid.
That surgeon has a great job.
He's been out of a job since being made redundant in January.
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Jan 06, 2024
Career
The general progression of your working or professional life;
The general had had a distinguished career
He had a long career in the law
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
(computing) A task, or series of tasks, carried out in batch mode (especially on a mainframe computer).
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Jan 06, 2024
Career
Move headlong at high speed;
The cars careered down the road
The mob careered through the streets
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
A public transaction done for private profit; something performed ostensibly as a part of official duty, but really for private gain; a corrupt official business.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
Any affair or event which affects one, whether fortunately or unfortunately.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
(colloquial) A thing (often used in a vague way to refer to something whose name one cannot recall).
Pass me that little job with the screw thread on it.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
The police as a profession, act of policing, or an individual police officer.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
To subcontract a project or delivery in small portions to a number of contractors.
We wanted to sell a turnkey plant, but they jobbed out the contract to small firms.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
(intransitive) To seek private gain under pretence of public service; to turn public matters to private advantage.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
A piece of chance or occasional work; any definite work undertaken in gross for a fixed price; as, he did the job for a thousand dollars.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
A public transaction done for private profit; something performed ostensibly as a part of official duty, but really for private gain; a corrupt official business.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
Any affair or event which affects one, whether fortunately or unfortunately.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
A task, or the execution of a task; as, Michelangelo did a great job on the David statue.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
A task or coordinated set of tasks for a multitasking computer, submitted for processing as a single unit, usually for execution in background. See job control language.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
The hero of the book of that name in the Old Testament; the prototypical patient man.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
To do or cause to be done by separate portions or lots; to sublet (work); as, to job a contract.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
To buy and sell, as a broker; to purchase of importers or manufacturers for the purpose of selling to retailers; as, to job goods.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
To hire or let by the job or for a period of service; as, to job a carriage.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
To do chance work for hire; to work by the piece; to do petty work.
Authors of all work, to job for the season.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
To seek private gain under pretense of public service; to turn public matters to private advantage.
And judges job, and bishops bite the town.
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
The principal activity in your life that you do to earn money;
He's not in my line of business
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
A specific piece of work required to be done as a duty or for a specific fee;
Estimates of the city's loss on that job ranged as high as a million dollars
The job of repairing the engine took several hours
The endless task of classifying the samples
The farmer's morning chores
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
The performance of a piece of work;
She did an outstanding job as Ophelia
He gave it up as a bad job
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
An object worked on; a result produced by working;
He held the job in his left hand and worked on it with his right
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
A state of difficulty that needs to be resolved;
She and her husband are having problems
It is always a job to contact him
Urban problems such as traffic congestion and smog
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
A damaging piece of work;
Dry rot did the job of destroying the barn
The barber did a real job on my hair
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
A crime (especially a robbery);
The gang pulled off a bank job in St. Louis
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
A Jewish hero in the Old Testament who maintained his faith in God in spite of afflictions that tested him
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
(computer science) a program application that may consist of several steps but is a single logical unit
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
A book in the Old Testament containing Job's pleas to God about his afflictions and God's reply
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
Invest at a risk;
I bought this house not because I want to live in it but to sell it later at a good price, so I am speculating
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Jan 06, 2024
Job
A job is a role performed for financial compensation.
She got a job as a graphic designer.
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Jan 08, 2024
Job
A job is a specific task or duty within a profession.
His job is to manage the company's social media accounts.
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Jan 08, 2024
Job
A job is a short-term position of employment.
He took a summer job at the local bookstore.
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Jan 08, 2024
Job
A job is an employment position filled by an employee.
He lost his job due to company downsizing.
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Jan 08, 2024
Repeatedly Asked Queries
How does a job differ from a career in terms of commitment?
A job is often short-term and specific, while a career requires long-term commitment and development.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
Is education more important for a job or a career?
Education is important for both, but it plays a crucial role in career development and advancement.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
What is a job?
A job is a specific role or task in a company or organization performed for pay.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
How do skills development differ between a job and a career?
In a job, skills are developed for specific tasks, while in a career, skills are built cumulatively over time.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
How does one choose a career?
Choosing a career involves considering personal interests, skills, values, and long-term goals.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
Can job hopping affect a career?
Excessive job hopping can affect a career negatively, but strategic changes can be beneficial.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
Can a person have multiple careers?
Yes, individuals can have multiple careers, often involving different fields or industries.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
How is career satisfaction measured?
Career satisfaction is measured by long-term fulfillment and achievement of professional goals.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
What is a career path?
A career path is the progression and direction one takes in their professional life.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
What defines a career?
A career is a series of connected jobs, forming a path of professional growth.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
Can a job turn into a career?
Yes, a job can evolve into a career if it aligns with one’s professional goals and growth.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
What is the role of networking in a career?
Networking is crucial in a career for opportunities, mentorship, and industry connections.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
Can volunteer work be considered a job or career?
Volunteer work can be considered a job if it's a specific role; it can contribute to a career if aligned with long-term goals.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
What role does training play in a job?
Training in a job focuses on specific skills and tasks required for that particular role.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
How important is work-life balance in a job and career?
Work-life balance is important in both a job and career for overall well-being and productivity.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
What is career planning?
Career planning involves setting professional goals and outlining steps to achieve them.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
What is job satisfaction?
Job satisfaction refers to the contentment one feels with their current job role and responsibilities.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
Is it necessary to have a job before starting a career?
While not necessary, a job can provide valuable experience and serve as a stepping stone in a career.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
What is career advancement?
Career advancement refers to moving up in terms of responsibility, status, and pay in one’s career path.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
How do job opportunities differ from career opportunities?
Job opportunities are immediate openings, while career opportunities involve long-term prospects and growth.
Shumaila Saeed
Jan 24, 2024
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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