Whenwewereyoung,wewereoftenasked”whatdoyouwanttobeinthefuture?”Theanswermightbevarious:doctor,actor,lawyer,ormaybeapresident?Butwhenitcomesto”whatisyourplanaboutyourcareer?”,theanswerismuchmorecomplex.WhatIwanttoexpressisthatalthoughtheterms“job”and“career”oftensoundsimilar,actually,theyaredifferent.NowIamgoingtotalkaboutdifferenceandconnectionbetweenthem.WhatisaJob?Aftergraduatingfromthecollege,mostofusaregoingtogetajob.Whatisthegoalofajob?Maybeit’sjusttoearnmoneyortostaysocialandactive.Ajobisdefinedasanythingapersonisexpectedorobligedtodo;apieceofwork,especiallyaspecificactivitydoneaspartoftheroutineofone'soccupation.Nomatterwhitchdomainyouworkin,yourjobwillinvolvedoingaspecificsetoftasksusingaspecificskills.Jobsareimportantforpeopleofallages.Itisanactivitythroughwhichanindividualcanearnmoney.WhatisaCareer?Careeris,ontheotherhand,definedasaperson'sprogressorgeneralcourseofactionthroughlifeorthroughaphaseoflife,asinsomeprofessionorundertaking.Acareerisavocationthatispursuedasyourlife’swork.Itisthepursuitofalifelongambitionorthegeneralcourseofprogressiontowardslifelonggoals.Acareeralsoprovidesyouwiththemoneyyouneedfordailylife,butthereisoftenmoretoacareerthanjustajob.Whenconsideringone’scareer,manythingsshouldbetakenintoaccount,suchasinterests,skills,andtalents.What’sthedifferencebetweenajobandcareer?Manycollegestudentsgetapart-timejobinordertohaveextrapocketmoney.It’sasortofjob,butyouarenotlikelytoregarditasacareer.Why?Theanswerliesintheendgoal.Acareerisalifetimejourneyofbuildingandmakinggooduseofyourskills,knowledgeandexperiences.Itisthetotalofalleventsandrelationshipsinourlives:family,friends,education,work,andleisureactivities.Onemaytakeupajobtofulfillhisdailyneedsbutitmaynotbethecourseofactionhewantsforhislife.Soajobisshortterm.Besides,whileonecanworkveryhardatajobandbepaidwelltoworkajob,acareertakesmuchmoremotivationandforward-thinkingeffortthanajob.Whatyouwanttogetmostfromajobissalary.Fewpeople,however,feelpassionateorcommittedtoajob.Itdoesnotnecessarilymakeyouwanttogetupinthemorning,takeaninterestinwhatyoudo,orprovideyouwithfulfillment.Ajobprovidesthebasics—cashandanactivity.Ontheotherhand,Acareerallowsyouvariousopportunitiesforadvancement,forpersonalgrowth,forpersonalchallengesandforpersonalsatisfaction.Someoneonacareertrackwantstolearnmoreabouthiscareerandnetworkwithhiscolleaguestocreatefurtheropportunities.Heiswillingtotakeriskstofurtherhimself.Heismoreconcernedwithjobsatisfaction,andpaymaybesecondary.Moreover,thedifferencealsoreflectinfutureoutlook.Peoplewithajobmayplantoholditforafixedamountoftime.Oncethebasicneedforthatincomeiseliminated,mostpeoplearemorethanhappytoquittheirjob.Theymaylatertakeupanewjobinasimilarordifferentfield.Peopleviewtheircareerasalife-longendeavor.Whiletheymightnotplantobeatthesamecompany,theyhopetodothesametypeofworkevenuntiltheyretire.Manycareerpeoplecontinuewiththeircareerasaconsultantaftertheyofficiallyretire.What’stheconnectionbetweenajobandcareer?Everyjobisapartofyourcareer.Someworkersspendfortyyearsinthesamedepartmentatthesamecompany.Thisisacareerinthetraditionalsenseoftheword.Butsomeone’sworkinglifeisalsoacareereventhoughhis/herjobsarelargelyunrelated,aslongasthisiswhathe/shepersuesforthewholelife.Acareermaybemadeupofseveraljobs,whetherthey’redirectlyconnectedornot.Eachoneofthemisimportant.Everyjobprovidesskillsandresourcesforthefuture.Whetherajoborcareeristherightfitforyouwilldependonyourstageoflife.Jobscanhelppeoplestartcareersinmanyways–experience,knowledge,learningaboutwhattheylikeanddislike.Acareertakesgoalsettingandeducation(throughcollege,workexperience,orself-learning).Eachjobcanbehelpfulforyoutounderstandyourcareerandyourgoalbetter.