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?
2. Am I challenged on my job?
3. Does the pay equal my experience?
4. Can I still pay my bills, and be creative?
5. Do I enjoy this position?
6. Do I have a job or a career?

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.