Career vs Job: What is the Difference?

How can you tell if you have a career or if you simply have a job?

The first time this question really stuck with me was when a famous comedian joked about it. American actor/comedian Kevin Hart said he feels sorry for the pot washers, the McDonald’s workers and the office runners because they do nothing but “stare at that slow-ass ticking clock on the wall.” He compared it to his day, saying that before he knows it the morning has passed and he’s only got a couple of hours left in his day to dedicate towards his career.

So the first obvious noteworthy distinction between a career and a job is if you catch yourself clock-watching. It may be that employed people are more inclined to watch the clock than self-employed, but nonetheless if you’re counting the second then it is more likely that you have a job and not a career.

A career is a path, it’s not just an amount of hours you put in per day to give you a paycheck. It’s a journey, with miles and miles of road ahead for you to gallop through. If you’re lucky and mindful you can enjoy this process of progression. Taking the everyday to-do’s and challenging moments in your stride.

The next step is to have not just a career, but a passionate career. Where you wake up looking forward to the new week ahead. Where you find yourself thinking up creative ideas outside of “work hours” and cannot wait to implement them. Occasionally waking at the dead of night and scribbling these AHA moments down.

I have personally experienced all three levels. The first level made me feel useless, brain dead and lacking in abilities, which is why I see it as a trap that many of us stay in forever. We simply cannot see how we have anything to offer the world and certainly nothing that will bring home the bread for the family, thus giving ourselves a self-worth of nothing but a mediocre job.

Thankfully I got out of this rut. I wake up everyday looking forward to committing to my career, growing in every way I can. And you know what? It has affected every part of my personal life in a positive way.

How did I get out of the rut? When I graduated from university my parents suggested I see a coach. I was very skeptical and so put it off. Eventually ,I got around to it and within 30 minutes of the session I was laughing at the endless possibilities I had to becoming a successful man and living a life full of happiness. The sessions went on to open my awareness and develop smart routes for a transition into a career. I now see coaching as a key to making that leap from having a job with diminishing hopes and dreams to having a career that encourages me to thrive, be happy and give meaning to my life.

The takeaway from this blog post? If you are clock-watching get a coach. Better yet get a really good coach.