There are days I wonder about the concept of careers.
Even before the recession, the idea was a bit wobbly. According to some vague citation that everyone quotes, most of us will change careers several times during our adult lives.
It’s hard to wrap my head around that idea. Isn’t a career something you’re supposed to focus on for most of your working years? Isn’t it something you start at and, through the years, rise through the ranks in?
Assuming the average worker has about 50 years of employment, wouldn’t that mean that, on average, we’re changing “careers” every few years? How serious can they be, then?
I know that not everyone gets to be passionate about his work, but doesn’t the term “career” imply a level of commitment? I am not sure I really see that anymore.
And now that the job market has been so tough? People are taking whatever jobs they can get, regardless of the field.
Sure, eventually, companies will stop contracting and will probably even expand. Ostensibly, then we will see more positions open up, allowing people to get back onto their career paths.
But will people go right back, or will they consider different fields of work? Will they re-evaluate their priorities and opt for something that is more stable in economic downturns?
And what about people who have stable jobs but who also have side projects?
It seems like at least half of the those people would drop their normal jobs in a minute if they could make their side hustles into a full-time income. Is this a reflection of the people’s dislike of their regular jobs? Or is it simply the allure of being their own bosses, working their own hours, and doing something out of the mainstream?
So what do you think is going on with careers?
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I don't know about other people, but I hope to never have a career again. You're right, to me career implies a certain level of commitment. I just want a job that pays the bills. . .and hopefully doesn't take up too much of my time. (our expenses are pretty low)
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Well, first off, I should say that I define "career" as sort of like a series of jobs in a certain field. For example, a career in medicine, or a career in teaching, or a career in computing. It doesn't necessarily mean being loyal to one company — which is getting much rarer these days.
But careers as I see them definitely do exist. My husband has a career. He's been working in more or less the same field since before he graduated high school, though he's had more than a couple jobs. And he loves it because it's a field that really interests him.
My interests are bit more scattered and so I've done a much wider range of things, but I hope that I'm now settling into a career. It's hard to really get anywhere income-wise unless you do because of the experience needed to get most better paying jobs.
But careers aren't for everyone. Some people just get bored too quickly working in only one field. Others just don't care what they do so long as they are treated alright and make enough money. Others don't have a real opportunity to choose their jobs so deliberately because they're in a situation where they can't be picky.
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I actually define a career a little bit like Meg does but in a more self-centered way. A career to me is the sum total of jobs and progression (upwards, downwards, sideways, zigging OR zagging) over my working lifetime and not just a commitment to a single job in a single industry.
The real constant is simply working to produce income, so freelancing is part of a career, part-timing is part of a career, etc.
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