To ask do you have a "job" or a "career"?

[bennibooboo]

Had this conversation with my cousin. I was complaining about work and how stressed I was this week and she said that "it's only a job" to which I said well it's my career, I love it and I want to move forward etc etc. She said that to her work is just a job...not a career. She works for money each month and that is it.

So it got me thinking? Do you have a "job" or a "career" or is it both to you?

Currently a job but it's part of a career as there's opportunities to progress/develop

I used to have a career... but I think that has now turned into a job? (In the same role). Worked my way up in a really competitive industry, used to love it, had to get as high as possible to secure a mortgage on my flat (I'm freelance) but now I've got it... all my past roles have been incredibly high stress and I've realised that actually the stress is probably not worth the excitement of the job and now I just want to earn enough to have a nice life and work less.

So both. Doesn't help that my partner is on tiny income so I have to be the financial stability (and would have to fund it if we had a child).

Before I had DS, I would have said it was a job. Or, rather, it was a career that I was treating as a job. Since I came back from maternity leave, I've been really surprised at how differently I feel about work - how passionate I am about (parts of) it, how much more enthusiasm I have for it and how I'm willing to go above and beyond because of the satisfaction I get from it. My default assumption is that I would care even less about work once I'd had a child (I also had 18 months off) but I think I probably needed the break from what I was doing more than anything. Not that maternity leave is much of a break obviously...

I have a career spanning 20 years in the same field. I've probably peaked in terms of seniority and earnings (director level). But it's fast becoming a job upon that realisation and And As I have a young child (later in life as prioritised said career I'm 42 with 20 month old).

I'm curious as to how long I can treat this role as a job, and do a really good job of it, and that be ok before they want more. But I don't know what more I could give/do to be honest.

It's a job for me, but definitely a career for colleagues. I'll always give my best in the role but I don't really care about progression whereas some of them are very driven.

I have a job. F**ked about at school. Left without GCSE's. Had my 3 children throughout my 20's. Now I just work the tills at my local shop. I hate it and so wish I'd taken a different path 😞 I was always in the top sets while at school too. And I read a lot. I think I'm quite intelligent and am so envious of people with careers. I'm always telling my children to just try their hardest at everything they put their hands too so they can find happiness in the jobs they find in the future.

Career. Am really proud of what I’ve achieved and now have the role I have been working towards for the last 5 years. Not really sure what to aim for next though. There’s no real natural next step and I’m still in my 30’s.

A career I think 🤔

I am a make up and hair stylist as well as for special effects.
So I’m that person that makes a characters face look like a hobbit etc 😂

I have a career and a business in a world I have trained to get into. I am currently doing CPD and will carry on until I reach my peak (which will allow me to be a specialist) and keep going and training. I honestly love my business and I definitely think this one is going the distance!

I def have a career but tbh I think whatever I did would be a career in that I can’t switch off and care too much. Definitely don’t just do it for the pay. I think most people will fall into either category - (ex)dh is hardworking but it’ll always be a job to him and he will never understand my mindset

I dunno. I mean, there's no prospect of becoming more senior or moving up salary levels. I have no ambition about increased prestige, managing anyone or empire building. I try to leave my ego elsewhere.
Still it's varied & I enjoy it & has achievement moments.

A career, definitely

It’s not just a pay check or something that could be replaced

It’s a big part of my life, my identify, my wider interests
And it also took me a while (and a whole lot of planning) to get to where I am now

I have a job. Which is not what I trained for or particular want to do as very tedious. I only ever took it as a stop gap. Unfortunately the gap has been six years so far!

I do now and again apply for something else but because of current climate not done for over a year now.

However it is a job and I am glad I have one.

Job

I have a job, never had any thoughts about wanting a career in anything specific but I have spent 7 years in share dealing settling trades and before that 11 years in book publishing processing orders and before that various admin data entry roles

So my jobs tend to follow similar pattern but just not in the same field

@Meowandthen

Very much a career. You can’t do what I do without a lot of qualifications and experience.

Same here. It’s about continuous learning, development and application of knowledge and experience. I am very proud to be a specialist in my field, having worked hard and climbed the ladder to get to the role I hold now.

Kind of both

Its a career in the sense that I have a professional role and I have worked in same field since graduating (with relevant vocational degree) 25 years ago. I've always worked over than mat leave.

But I view it as a job in the sense that I am not passionate about my profession, I work PT and rarely think about work when I'm off duty. I have no ambition to progress further than I have already in my field.

A job! Even though I’m well paid but it’s Not skilled enough to be a career imo

Job. I work to make money and couldn't care less about progressing.... in fact, actively don't want to progress. I dont want more responsibilities and stress. I like the fact if I don't know something or it's a big issue I can pass it to someone higher than me. Luckily the level I'm at now is enough for me to live a comfortable lifestyle!

A career I think.
It's something I fell into about 3 years ago, but have picked up more responsibility over the last three years and now I'm looking at completing a qualification in the field which could progress to much bigger things.

The money is good, but I really enjoy what I do, there's a lot of responsibility with it, but I do it predominantly because I care about where I live and the people around me.

I had a career, now as a single parent I have a job but it is a job I love, am bloody good at and works around my kids.

A job. It more than pays the bills and that's enough for me.

@NotAPanda

I’d always thought that ‘job’ refereed to a specific role, and ‘career’ was a broader term that covered your whole working life and expertise in a field. For example you ‘build your career’ by having various job roles.

Yep I think this is literally true, but also people use to it refer to how they feel about their occupation.

I definitely feel my job is part of a career, which I enjoy and find very satisfying, but I am working on giving it a little less time and attention.

SimonJT
Come on, tell us about your "fun" career, I'm thinking childrens entertainer or stripper.

I would say mine is a career, because there's an expectation you will develop and progress and get promoted all the time and if you don't meet these ever increasing expectations, you would be considered a bit of a failure. I have had jobs and in some ways the fewer responsibilities are nicer. I do have a lot of control over how I spend my time, though, with my career and I do get some satisfaction out of it, but stressed when I'm not progressing well enough.