Do you know the difference between a “job” and a “career”?

According to the dictionary, a “job” is defined as “a paid position of employment and something one has to do, a responsibility.” Interestingly enough, the root word for “job” is, humorously, an Old English word that means “a lump.” The reference is to a quantity, a “lump” of work, so to speak. As it applies to our topic, it is one distinct and unrelated period of employment in a series of jobs one may have.

A “career,” on the other hand, comes from Middle French and stems from an earlier word for “car” — and then “street.” So, a career is a path. The dictionary defines it as “an occupation, a way of making a living, especially with opportunities for advancement or promotion, and progress through life.” It is a journey – a career pathway.

These definitions are nice and dandy – but what do they mean to you?