Searching for a Career not a Job - CareerAlley

Searching for a Career not a Job - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Written by Arlene Chandler. Arlene acquired her experience in a Seattle real estate firm. After spending her days writing articles for Suncorp, she enjoys evenings and weekends trying out new restaurants and taking long walks. There is a difference between having a job and having a career, and its not always the hours you have to put in or the money you get out. A job is an occupation that you do, unhappily or not, because you have to put bread on the table and pay the bills. A career is something you excel at and find fulfilling in every aspect. If youre unemployed and need the money, take a job, it can keep you afloat until you can make the right move into a fulfilling career. Confucius said it best; Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Photo-Credit Which career is right for me? Thats an excellent question and can be answered by digging a little deeper. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Do you naturally take control of things? If you are a doer and dont have to wait for others to tell you what to do, you might have what it takes to lead and take it all the way to the top. Are your insecure? If you are insecure it will show and you are probably better fit to follow, than to lead. Insecurity in oneself reflects on ones actions as well. This is not a negative thing, au contraire, where would the leaders be without followers? Are you focused? Having focus is a great attribute when you are dealing with detail oriented positions, such as found in accounting, controlling etc. Do you know what you want? The kind of person that has a goal and will do everything in their power to reach it, is a winner in every sense of the word. Only when you know what you want can you find out what needs to be done to achieve it. Do you change your mind often? Changing your mind indicates that you dont have a set goal and are still searching for that one thing that will blow your mind away. Searching means, that careers arent going to be top choice, in this case a job is the way to go. Are you emotional? A career in the arts would probably best suit you. These are careers where you learn to channel your emotions into your work. You will need discipline and you will probably have to learn to deal with rejection, but its just another emotion you can use in your art oriented career. Can you empathize? Empathy, not to be confused with sympathy and emotionality, is a key component for a person working in social careers, such as nursing, social workers etc. How can I be sure? The best way to see if you are looking at the right career for yourself is to get your feet wet. If youre still in college while contemplating these questions, you can volunteer during your semester breaks. Not only will you know if its the right move for you, it will also give you the possibility to show an employer that you have what it takes for this career. If youre already working, unhappy with your job and want to make a change, there are possibilities as well. Visit a company website of the sector youre interested in. Many companies have job descriptions accompanying open positions. Reading through these will give you an idea of what the positions require and if its something you can see yourself doing for the unforeseeable future. The main issue, with any decision that brings about change, is to know what you want and where you want it to lead you. You cant build a house without a foundation and you cant build a career on a position you arent happy with. Choose wisely! This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Joey Trebif