You might have heard people using job and career as each other’s synonym. However, they do not mean the same. While both are the sources of earning money- a job is a short-term position to earn an income, and a career is a long-term one with various jobs oriented towards a specific career path endowed with structured planning. You may change your jobs stretching to a large variety of fields, but your career is concentrated towards one particular field.
What is a Job?
A job is simply an aim to earn money. It can be part-time or full-time and is usually a means to fulfil our basic needs. It may or may not require advanced training and degree and focuses primarily on completing the task. They do not hold an exceptional value on your future portfolio because they are barely fixated on the career you are going to establish eventually.
A job can also be elucidated as an agreement between employer and employee wherein the wages, hour of work, and other terms are predetermined. Once the project is accomplished, the terms are fulfilled, and the job ends.
What is a Career?
A career, on the contrary, is a long-term plan that provides you with experiences to boost your professional life. It is a choice that is influenced by your passion and helps you in achieving pace, which is sparsely available in a job. Moreover, forging your career gives you a feeling of contentment and self-worth as it is a method of channelling your ambition and skills. It is also a way of improving your experience, building your networks with people, and helping you to acquire promotions.
To put it simply, a job does not help you in advancing your financial life while a career is focused on growing your financial life. The benefits of a career go beyond salary; however, they require a distinct degree and experience.
How to turn your job into a career?
Presently, you might be employed in a job that may or may not have a link with your career. If you are looking for an advancement in your professional life and have finally decided to start working on your career path, then below are the steps to transforming your job into your lifetime career.
– Developing your skills
If you want to convert your job into a long-term career, you need to expand your job. You need to learn about the skills and experience required in your career path and continue with enriching your abilities and knowledge. Once you have listed all the requirements, start working towards developing your resume. You can go with training, virtual courses, workshops, books, and education. All these will steer you towards your career path. You can even read about successful people in the same field to help you understand their strengths and struggles.
– Hire a career coach
A career coach has expertise in career planning, interviewing, and creating resumes. Due to their connection with the professional lives of various individuals, they are well-equipped with the current hiring and interviewing system.
Choose a career coach that has been successful with clients interested in the same field as you.
– Internships
Applying for an internship is yet another way of advancing your career. While most of them are unpaid, they will help you to achieve exposure and experience. The internships should be around the same field you have opted to build a career in. Further, suppose you have been working in a different field from your career path. In that case, internships can be a great way to introduce you to that sector and earn you recommendations and certification.