People are often seen using the words job and career as synonyms but are they really synonymous? Well, let’s look at it in detail. A job is also known as an occupation, employment, or also livelihood. A person can take up a job or several jobs in their career. However, a career is an ambition, a long term goal, which people pursue. Some also believe that anything which is carried out for less than five years is a job; where as anything or any profession in which a person has spent more than five years automatically get the recognition of a career.

A job is defined as a piece of labor or work which can be taken up on a full-time basis, part-time basis, or freelance basis. A person who wishes to hold on to a job or seeks a job opportunity is supposed to hold a basic degree and should be qualified enough to be eligible for an employment.  Also, the person who takes up a job is accountable for his or her tasks and can expect to be paid which is called as remuneration or salary. 

A career on the other hand requires one to hold on a particular and specific training, more apt for the career to thrive. A job is taken up to sustain a living out of it, where as a career needs more time, skills, and dedication and it is not done purely to earn a livelihood out of it. 

A job is usually taken up for a short period of time where as a career is a long-term thing. One can take up numerous jobs in one’s career. Let me cite an example for a clear understanding. If a person started off with a job titled a instructional writer, soon enough she is promoted as senior instructional designer, then as lead instructional designer but all these jobs come under the umbrella of titled as Learning and Development professional. So a Learning and Development (L&D) professional can have numerous jobs where as L&D is a career.

Many people now opt for two or more jobs owing to price rise and in order to maintain a good lifestyle. However, taking up more than one job while a person is in a full-time job is considered illegal by many companies. Hence, people take up jobs on a freelance basis, where the employer doesn’t give you any work experience certificate; hence, this does not go against the law.

Also, in order to take up a job, you may or may not require special training or skills, but in order to seek a career you need to have additional training. Also, you can continue with a job for many years and then make a career out of it. At times due to lack of job satisfaction, people even switch careers. A career may or may not offer security and pose greater risks, however, in a job there is some amount of security.  Jobs can be either a short term job or long term job, but a career is definitely a long term undertaking, which needs the person to remain open to risks and downfall. 

Before modernization, before the advent of internet and technological advancement people did not find it difficult to stick to one particular job until they breathed their last breath. However, with the growing popularity of online jobs, work from home jobs, and freelance jobs people now wish to take up multiple jobs and even switch career for monetary benefits and job satisfaction. Now no one is happy with just one source of income to run their household expenditure. A job seeker only looks forward to monetary benefits but a career seeker is more often connected with commitment which may not accrue any financial benefits. Also, it is very rare that both job and career aspirations meet and become pleasurable, but if it does nothing like it.