A Career is technically defined as a persons course or progress through their life, or often, more specifically, their working life. The origin of the word career actually comes from the Latin word carrera, which mains race, ironically, it also relates to the term ‘rat race’ a popular term which implies the opposite of a useful or fulfilling career track. A career is often seen as a course of successive situations which makes up an individuals occupation. Often, a person’s worth is measured their career successes or failings, it’s not often until an individual matures that they will take possession of their life, as well as the realisation of life balance with it. Life balance often entails the separation of career activities, tasks and achievements from the rest of the person’s life e.g. leaving work life and work, and having a separate home life.

Career and Education

Often, to achieve success within the employment world and gain a fulfilling career, education is very necessary. Education is often a very important component when it comes to your career, as it can help to give you the skills and knowledge you need to succeed and achieve within your chosen field. Whether you are private schooled or state funded, the curriculum is generally the same and nowadays you have just as much chance and opportunity to succeed as long as you are motivated to do so. Subjects within schools are generally the same across the board and are designed to teach you specifically what can help you in the working world, giving you a great foundation before you head off to college or university to study a subject that is more defined for a specific career. English, Maths and Science are the most important subjects, as every career will root back to some knowledge in at least one of these subjects.

Professions or Professional Careers

A profession is a vocation that has been founded upon specialist training on a specific subject for the purpose of supplying expert advice, counsel and service to others, often for a direct and definite compensation. Professions are often gained through time and effort spent learning and within a career, they include most types of careers, such as Doctors, Athletes, Designers, Architects, the list is endless. It is often said that turning your career into a profession is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding choices, as in most cases you will have hit the peak of your working life, and hopefully achieved your ambitions.

Career concepts

It’s well known that the traditional concept of a career has always been the progression up a typically ordered employment hierarchy within an organisation of specific profession; however, some people refer to a career as an individual’s work and life roles over the life time. This version of the term career often makes it clear that people can progress through their career horizontally as well as vertically.