Career vs. Job

Someone said to me recently that they wanted a career not a job. That got me thinking about what exactly the difference is between a career and a job. Some would say that a career is a series of jobs, others would say that a career involves actually having a titled profession.

The dictionary defines career as:

1.	an occupation or profession, esp. one requiring special training, followed as one's lifework.

2.	a person's progress or general course of action through life or through a phase of life, as in some profession or undertaking.

A job is defined as:
1. a piece of work, esp. a specific task done as part of the routine of one's occupation or for an agreed price.

2.	a post of employment; full-time or part-time position.

I know what this person meant was that what they were looking for was something that fulfilled them, that offered something more than just a pay cheque but also came with some status, a title and the opportunities for progression. A noble aspiration of course, but my fear is that we can get lost in the language and the expectations. Sometimes a job turns into a career when we least expect it. After all careers are made up of a number of jobs! Someone who claims to be looking for a career is likely unsure of what they want to do and would benefit from trying on a job or two to see if they fit.

From the definitions above jobs are the building blocks of a career. Overlooking that great job for the labeled career may mean passing up the first block that will ultimately build your career. So many success stories start with flipping burgers or sorting the mail. At face value these starting points are just 'jobs' but when viewed from the other end of a career they end up being catalysts for great careers.