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By Jim Davis
Lots of people find these two words confusing. Sometimes it seems that they both mean the same thing. Then sometimes it seems that "career" only refers to jobs such as doctors, lawyers, professional athletes, actors, or others that people usually think of as making lots of money.
Actually, the word "career" usually is used to describe a broader area that may include many different jobs. For example, a person with a career in law enforcement might have several different jobs in that career. Possibilities could range from police officer to FBI agent. And even those job titles could include lots of different types of work.
There is also another way of looking at the difference between job and career. I think the best way to describe it is by telling about a man who had a great impact on my life. His name was Dick Young, and he was my Scoutmaster when I was a Boy Scout.
Dick was as a carpenter at the nearby air force base. He helped build office buildings, houses, and anything else that was needed. That was his job. But his career was Scouting. His job of building things of wood just provided the money for his career of building young men.
Why do I call Scouting his career when he never made a dime from it? It's because that was where his heart was. He loved his job as a Boy Scout leader as much as any person ever loved a job. He was good at it, but most of all, he cared. He had more effect on more boys in that little town than any other person in the whole place. And, his influence spread to other adults who then got involved. He was a true leader.
So, as you are trying to decide on the direction for your future, think through it carefully. There are a lot of important things to consider. Just don't forget to listen to your heart. It might lead you to a career you would have missed otherwise.