Job, Work, Profession or Career?

July 15, 2009

I received an excellent question as a comment on an earlier blog post about the difference between the a job vs. your life’s work. This contributor asked me to further define the terms, job, profession, work and career. It is true that they are often used interchangeably and mean different things to different people. So, it can be confusing. I’ll start by how the dictionary defines them:

Job
1) a post of employment; full-time or part-time position, 2) anything a person is expected or obliged to do; duty; responsibility.

Work
1) employment, as in some form of industry, esp. as a means of earning one’s livelihood

Profession
1) a vocation requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science; 2) any vocation or business.

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

In my book, Professional Destiny, I expand these definitions to reflect the level of satisfaction we feel in what we do. The terms job and work (with a small “w”) are what we do for the primary motivation of earning a living. They can feel like an obligation, a duty or a responsibility. Oftentimes they are too small for our spirit.

I introduce the terms “Life’s Work” (with a capital W) and the “Career You Were Born For” to reflect Work that completely taps into our creative energy and reawakens our spirit. When we are so engaged, we feel energized, challenged and productive. We feel that we are making a difference to someone or something—and that feels good. Once we start doing this Work, the urgency is bigger than us and we feel that there is simply not enough time in the day to do what we can’t wait to do. And, while we may be well compensated, our driving force is purpose and contribution above money. When we are engaged in this way, we are pursuing our Professional Destiny.

For more detailed information on discovering and living your Professional Destiny, you may order the book at: http://tiny.cc/prodestiny

Filed under: Job vs. Career vs. Life's Work

Tags: career, job, personal growth, profession, Professional Destiny, professional growth, purpose, self help, vocation, work