Looking for a job vs. building a career

No matter what moment of your life are you in professionally, as long as you want to make a shift from what you are doing right now, ask yourself this: am I hunting a job or pursuing a career?

You have to agree, your whole strategy is based on your plans, either short, or long-term.

To describe the difference between a mere job and a dreamy career only the sky would be the limit. However, we don’t own it, so let’s see the basic differences, that fit one page and won’t take more than two minutes of your time. This way, you will have a clear picture of where you’re standing and what you plan to achieve.

 

1. A job from 9 to 5 will secure your basic needs, while a career might help you see the world. Can you feel the wanderlust?

2. A dull, daily job will let you have kids when you’re barely out of adolescence, if all you want is being a young parent, while a career will be you baby until you actually have real, human babies, probably after the important milestone known as 30. But you can bet that if you build a career you will be a role model for your children.

3. A job won’t steal your time for extra readings, courses, classes, training and others; but a career will allow you to specialize in a certain domain and be the best in a certain field.

4. No one will force you respond to emails or phone calls outside working hours if you’ll stay in a standard job. The term “working hours”? It sounds so funny if you opt for a career.

5. You can leave a job at any time, while you can never leave a career. Why? Because it’s like removing one of your own organs. Without any anesthetics.

6. No major risks if you’re job oriented, but be ready to throw yourself in a carousel of changes, without a back-up plan if you want to build a career.

7. Your name? It will be dear to those working close to you, if you have a job. If you have a career, you name will be your business card.

8. You need a correct and articulate CV in order to get one job or another. You don’t need a single line in your resume if you already built your expertise and people know your name.

9. Be the change you want to see in the world – Gandhi said it so nicely. You can be the change or you can create and impose a change that evolves like a snowflake into a snowball.

10. You don’t need major goals to be competent, but you need to dream big if you plan to build an empire.

 

In the end, it’s all about finding your balance and knowing your priorities. Do you know yours?