What constitutes a career?

In your mind what constitutes a career?

Is it something that you have to have tertiary education for or is it something you can create for yourself/work up to?

Can a career be something unconventional such as writing, comedy, or acting?

Is there a certain amount of money that needs to be made to take something from a job to a career?

I think it depends on your situation. But to me a career is something that at he time u could see yourself doing the rest of your life.

To me, a career is something you are going to be doing until you retire and you can get promoted/move up the ladder in. Acting, financial planner, lawyer, doctor, Anthropologist ( ) are careers. Flipping burgers or folding shirts are jobs.

To me career is what you do for long term employment. Ex: if you love working fast food and want to work until you retire then that's your career. Or whichever employment path you take.

Quoting khigh:" To me, a career is something you are going to be doing until you retire and you can get promoted/move ... [snip!] ... Acting, financial planner, lawyer, doctor, Anthropologist ( ) are careers. Flipping burgers or folding shirts are jobs."

I think you can make a career with them, too.

My cousin worked her way up to manager and she is 21. She loves her job and is very good at it.

Quoting khigh:" To me, a career is something you are going to be doing until you retire and you can get promoted/move ... [snip!] ... Acting, financial planner, lawyer, doctor, Anthropologist ( ) are careers. Flipping burgers or folding shirts are jobs."

Those could easily be careers. A job flipping burgers could turn into managing and one day possibly even having your own restaurant.

A career is soemthing you strive for, whether it is by tertiary education or by putting yourself out there in the job you have.

My mother has tertiary education as a teacher. But because she applied herself to the best of her ability and put her all into the job she had (filleting fish on a line in a seafood place) she became a union organiser and found the career of her dreams.

<blockquote><b>Quoting khigh:</b>" To me, a career is something you are going to be doing until you retire and you can get promoted/move ... [snip!] ... Acting, financial planner, lawyer, doctor, Anthropologist ( ) are careers. Flipping burgers or folding shirts are jobs."</blockquote>




I think that attitude is a bit naive to be honest. My Aunt started off as a cleaner in a School and worked her way up, she now is in charge of one of the biggest cleaning companies in the UK that are contracted to our biggest supermarkets and hotels and she oversees the entire UK staffing. My DH friend started out flipping burgers in McDonald's part time whilst at School, he now oversees a number of local McDonald's. A girl I worked with went to Uni to do Nursing, she graduated, however at the same time whilst attending Uni she worked part time on the checkout at a small supermarket and was offered the management position so she chose that instead and again she oversees several of of the local ones. That is only a few examples, I know many more people who have done similar things.

Careers are something you do long term and usually have a passion for. Writing, acting, etc are DEFINITELY careers (and can be very lucrative). Jobs, on the other hand, are just for the "here-and-now," a way to pay your bills.

It becomes a career when the job you are doing becomes more important than the money you make.

I think a career is any job you have where there are opportunites to progress upwards, or a job you desire to do because it's a passion and not just some job you turn up to to do your shift to make money.

It's a career when you enjoy it and want to do it long term. It's a job when you dread getting out of bed every day and can't wait to find other employment.

It's a job when you accept it as "a job." It's a career or BECOMES a career when there is a choice to pursue going up the ladder.
For example, if you fill out an application to flip burgers with the intention of becoming a manager and then involved with the franchise, you have a career in food service management. If you fill out the applicaton to make some money until you find something else or to just supplement your income, it's a job.
It's about intention, drive and attitude.

Ladies that said a career is a job you can advance in what if you are at the top but it's still your passion and field. Then is it no longer a career because there no room for going up?

And yes a fast food job or anything can be a career. Why about people with disabilities that will never be able to move up to a manager but they are passionate about their job and desire to flip burgers te rest of their life. Is this not their career? I think it doesn't matter how remedial people think it is, if a perps. Has a desire to work there and intends to do it the rest of their life then it can be a career. But of course the same job would be a job to skmekne else who is not emotionally committed to that job.

<blockquote><b>Quoting lolajessup:</b>" Ladies that said a career is a job you can advance in what if you are at the top but it's still your ... [snip!] ... it can be a career. But of course the same job would be a job to skmekne else who is not emotionally committed to that job."</blockquote>




I agree with you. After much soul-searching, I've realized that a "real" job might never be for me. I plan to start working at a restaraunt once LO is in school because I'm not really good at anything but serving people and any "real" job like that (ie, nursing) would be too high stress for me.