| |
| |
|
Careers & Employment Information |
|
|
|
Job or Career
At this present time I have a job. It pays some of my bills, and again I have a job. I don't think of my job as a career because I don't have a passion for it. I dread going to work at times, so I know this isn't a career for me. I'm working at a clinic at the present time, and it's a stressful job, and not really my cup of tea. A job is defined as a series of tasks or activities that are performed within the scope of what we call work, according to The Career Fitness Program, Exercising Your Options by Diane Sukiennik, William, Bendat and Lisa Raufman. They also define career as a sequence of attitudes and behaviors that are associated with work and that relate to our total life experience. An integration of our personality with our job activities can also be called a career according to the authors above. A career, the dictionary continues, is defined as "an occupation, a way of making a living, especially with opportunities for advancement or promotion," and progress through life." It also means waking up excited, and ending the day with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. A job defined by The Oxford American Dictionary, is "a paid position of employment?got a job at the factory," and "something one has to do, a responsibility, it's your job to lock the gates." The dictionary mentions that job happens, but careers are planned down to the last detail. The development and implementation of a sound and detailed plan distinguishes the successful enterprise from the failure; the individual we admire from the one who has never earned or achieved anything. "Many had been lulled to sleep by the gold handcuffs their companies placed on them; good earnings, good benefits, lots of vacation and an economy that seemed it would never end." Most people are comfortable with just having a job, and they have no intention of moving up the ladder of a career. I know a lot of people in this boat. I have a job, and it pays the bills, so why should I think about going back to school, and begin another headache all over again? I'm blessed to have a job and I'm going to keep it for as long as I can. I had to admit that I felt this way for a long time until writing came into my life, and I knew there was something out there better for me. I can have a career in writing, and then have it all. Today according to Oxford hundreds of thousands of these individuals recognize they have a job, never had a career. They suddenly had to face the reality of life; their futures are their problems. I think of a job as going to work and paying the bills; a career is something that I dream about doing, and being, and it's a constant tumor in my brain. I think about it all the time, and it constantly nags me when I'm not doing it. This is a career. I have friends who dream of being nurses, court reporters, attorneys, and doctors. Some made their career goals come true, but others went down the path of working because they needed a roof over they head. They had no choice but to defect because something to eat was much more important than going to school to pursue that diligent career. We all dream of having that one career where we can get paid and still do what we love. It's not a burden getting up every morning and going to work because this is a career. My career goal is becoming an established writer. I'm pursuing this goal with my published novel, and a number of short stories, but I'm not writing on a full-time basis. I'm not making enough money to quit my full-time job, so this isn't a career for me. I work on a job, and the bills exceed my pay check. I'm blessed to be working with the employment rate being high and then low, so I should be grateful. I am, but I dream when I can still pay my bills, and spend my time working on new novels, and new short stories. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life. I don't treasure leaving my house to go to a building to work. I want to work at home, and get paid for doing it. Consider the path you have chosen and your current job. Ask yourself these questions to see if you master up to a job or a career: 1. Do I love getting up every morning and going to work? In the real world today everyone is busting their butts to make ends meat. We have to feed ourselves and make sure the children have the necessities to survive in this world. A lot of times we have to sacrifice our dreams for a husband or children. Along the way we forget about becoming a doctor or lawyer because the realities of life are more important. My friend since the 9th grade of high school had this dream to be a nurse. She spoke about being a nurse, and she never stopped focusing on her dreams. When she was in high school she bought every book she could on nursing, and volunteered her services in hospitals to work with nurses so she could have a better understanding to see if this was the career choice for her. She did a lot of networking and reading to make sure she was making the right choice. When she graduated from high school, she went right into a nursing program at the age of eighteen. She was thrilled to finally be making her dreams come true. I am her best friend, and I thought along the road of her growing up she'd change her mind about five or six times, but my friend was adamant in her dreams. She wanted to become a nurse. She graduated from nursing school as a LPN, a RPN, and a Surgical Nurse. She also became the head nurse at her hospital. I admired her, and kept in touch with her as she got married right after high school, and still continued on with her dreams. She made sure that her husband understood that she was bent on being a nurse, and he was very supportive of her dreams. He had dreams to become an attorney. As their marriage progressed, the two worked diligently on making their dreams come true, and they both succeeded with a passion. The children came along, but she was a certified nurse, and he was a pass the bar attorney. My point in this part of the article is to let you know that you can get married, and still keep your dreams going, especially if you marry someone who has the same goals in mind. If you're passionate about being a nurse, and an attorney, then nothing is going to erase that option from your lives. My friend and her husband had careers, and currently they're still married with two children, and still a nurse and an attorney. Of course they have hobbies to keep them creative, but their main goals are still a part of their lives. My friend chose a career path, instead of a job path. I chose the job path because I needed to make money, and I went wherever I was sent by joining an employment agency. I was a typist, secretary, legal secretary, teacher's aide, office manager, etc. I never gave up on my writing dreams, but I spent more time concentrating on my job, and keeping it. It was a stressful and draining opportunity of a waste of precious time. I always admired my friend, and at one point I wanted to be her. I'm shaking my head now because you never have to wish to be someone else. If they could pursue an interesting and satisfying career, then the same success can happen to you. It's 2005 now and I'm living my career because my book is published, and I have a lot of short stories published also. I have another book coming out in 2006, and my writing is progressing very well for me. I can't quit my day job just yet, but one day I'm going to do just that, and go from a job to a career. I have the drive, and it's going to work for me. I just have to be patient because patience is definitely the key. I also have to keep telling myself that careers are made from determined and persistent people. I belong in that category. So after reading this article, ask yourself do I have a job or a career? If you have a job and you're satisfied at this point in your life, then more power to you; but if you're like me, and want to turn that job into a career, then you better get moving. It begins with a career, education, and the will to make it happen. Let's get paid for what we're worth in our careers, and let's love getting up every day and going to work. Life is just too short to be miserable. I have a job now, but one day I'm going to have a career! Yes I am! (1,614) My name is Carol Ann Culbert Johnson. I love writing, so I hope you check out my current articles as you check out this one. Also my debut novel, I CONFESS can be purchased at http://www.publishamerica.com Visit my website to learn about me and my book at http://www.freewebs.com/jcarolann.
MORE RESOURCES:
Employment - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Taking Charge During An Interview! Perhaps you've found yourself in the position of seeking a new position due to a layoff, cutback or downsizing and are now facing the interviewing process. As scary as that may seem, one of the most critical points to remember is that just because you're sitting in the seat opposite the potential employer doesn't mean you have no control. Hot Business Trends for 2004? And Beyond: Maybe One Will Turn Into a Creative Business Idea for You I always look forward to the December issue of Entrepreneur magazine. That's the issue that features the publisher's annual pick of hot businesses, markets, and trends for smart entrepreneurs - or those who aspire to be. Are You Sabotaging Your Career? My experience working with thousands of leaders world wide for the past two decades teaches me that most leaders are screwing up their careers.On a daily basis, these leaders are getting the wrong results or the right results in the wrong ways. Your Salary: What Are You Worth? Why is it a good idea to determine your worth? Whether you plan to stay at your current job or seek employment elsewhere, your assessment of your worth can become a bargaining chip should you choose to negotiate for higher compensation. It's a reference point on your way to improving not only your standard of living but your sense of self as well. Planning To Work Abroad Working abroad can be an exciting, rewarding and horizon broadening experience; and if you take the time to plan ahead carefully before you go, you will make your transition into the overseas work place a smooth and successful one.So, if you're considering relocating overseas to take up a temporary assignment or you'd like to move abroad permanently and find work there are basically three main aspects of expatriation that you need to think about before you make your move and this article examines them for you. Why You Should Never Complain About Former Bosses You're at a job interview. You're doing great, answering questions left and right. A Bit of Pollyanna "Stop being such a Pollyanna," a trusted, more experienced colleague counseled as we took the long route back to my office. He had just witnessed my project idea annihilated as co-workers eagerly argued why my idea wouldn't work, where it was flawed and why it shouldn't be funded. Interview Preparation The dreaded job interview is the Number 1 source of email enquiries to Confidence Club. The following email is typical:"I have an interview coming up and I'm terrified! I have to do a presentation in front of a panel of judges, and I just know I'm going to make a fool of myself"Interviews generate immense levels of anxiety. Are Your Intentions Clear in Your Job Search? 1. Do you REALLY know what you want?2. Job! Money! Career! Feel somehow your life is stuck in MS-OFFICE - The reality of life for MBAs is Excel or PowerPoint , I heard Google is catching up at campus. Having gone through this myself, (I am still not out of it!), having had the nightmare of freshly minted MBAs reporting to me every year ( 90% of MBAs in their first job believe that their first Boss in Incompetent) and struggling to manage their transition to reality, guess I am now in a position to give some Gyan on assessing your job and career moves. Driver Team Solo Positions: The Nitty Gritty On Truck Driving Jobs Trucks and truck drivers are a constant presence on US highways and interstates. A person on even the shortest drive is likely to pass by a truck or two transporting goods, and even merchandise that travels by ship, train, or airplane travels on a truck for some phase of the journey to the customer. Growing Up On A Delaware Farm Growing up on a Delaware farm was a wonderful and rewarding experience for me.I grew up in an area where a couple of dozen families in an area of about hundred square miles had farmed, married each other and been a stable community for centuries, along Delaware Rout One just north of Lewes. 7 Deadly Cover Writing Sins Don't start off your job search with one (or more) strikes against you by committing any of these common cover letter blunders. Each is easy to avoid, but they can sink your chances of an interview if you include them in your letter. Moving From A Weekend Hobby To Career In The Arts Building a career as an artist takes hard work. Because the field attracts so many talented people, jobs in this field remain competitive. Writing Resumes Use a resume as a foot in the doorWhen you go to college, they don't really teach you how to advance your career. In order to get the jobs you want, you need to know how to write an effective resume that will win you interviews. Recruiting Excellent Job Candidates An independent recruiter, recruiting agency or executive search firm is charged with tracking down excellent potential candidates for available job positions. Despite the fact that there are innumerable people seeking positions of employment in the 21st century, it often seems to a typical recruiting agency that qualified men and women are few and far between. Career Searching: A Vision Without A Plan is a Hallucination Success is not always something you necessarily find when you arrive. It may be the journey that gets you there. Managing Emotions During Career Change and Job Search, Part One How can you manage your emotions during your career change or job search? To answer this practical and wise question, let's first define what emotions are. Emotions, also commonly referred to as feelings, are energy released in your body in response to perceived events, that is, to data received via your five senses. Your Attitude Is Screaming There is more attitude around than the 'traditional 'positive / negative attitude. This issue's topic will expose you to the other kind of attitude. How to Overcome a Bad First Impression Have any of these situations happened to you? Forgetting your client's name, unintentionally insulting a co-worker, spilling coffee on your boss, not recognizing an old friend, drinking too much at the company party, sending a racy e-mail to the wrong person, or asking a woman's due date when she's not pregnant - ouch! You never have a second chance to make a first impression, so what happens when that first impression is a negative one?In a perfect world none of these things would occur, but the truth is, we all make mistakes. Effective communicators are not only aware of how their actions impact others; they also know how to respond in uncomfortable situations.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
