Samuel Johnson’s eighteenth century Dictionary of the English Language defined the word career as “1. The ground on which a race is run; the length of a course. 2. A course, a race. 3. Height of speed; swift motion. 4. Course of action; uninterrupted procedure” (Johnson, 1819). None of these things directly reference the traditional idea of work, but this early definition hints at the ideas behind the modern idea. When people think of a career, they think of doing something for life. A person does a job at one company and stays there, slowly working his or her way up the ranks until they finally retire. A career is uninterrupted work in one place. Once started on a track, the worker stays there. He or she can define themselves by what they do day in and day out. They have an uninterrupted routine, they go through a process, day by day working towards an end goal, payment, and then eventually retirement. By doing just one thing they can compare how they did on one day to how they did on previous days, or to how other people did.
By 1893 the Funk and Wagnalls dictionary in America added the more contemporary notion of a career. “1. A complete course or progress extending through the life or a portion of it, especially when abounding in remarkable actions or incidents, or when publicly conspicuous: said of persons, political parties, nations, etc. 2. A course of business activity, or enterprise; especially, a course of professional life or employment, that offers advancement or honor.” (Funk and Wagnall, 1893) The image of a single track with an end goal that the employee runs day after day still exists, but now more emphasis is placed on the public aspect of a career. People use their career to define themselves, and others. In...
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...t it is much more fluid now. Workers have to be able to adapt. They are no longer stuck in one job for life. Workers will find themselves in multiple jobs and working with many people they would never have come across before. The career isn’t going anywhere it’s just changed, and there is nothing to worry about.
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Since the inception of civilization, people have dedicated themselves to certain practices to obtain needed supplies. With the advancement of society, these practices have specialized into roles that society needed and have become jobs and careers. With these jobs and careers, people have struggled to find a difference between the two, if there is one. However, the two are very different. There are a multitude of differences between a job and a career, but the most distinct differences being the necessary skill, and dedication needed.
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In my 1109 class our task for eight weeks was to observe a tutor and writer working together during fifty minute sessions. This took place at the Writer’s Studio here on Newark’s OSU campus. The tutor I observed was Wyatt Bowman and the student was Adam Bielby. Ad...
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Drawing the concept from the above definition of career development provided by national career development association (2003) is reveal that there are various factors which influence the appropriate career development, included as ‘psychological, sociological, educational, and economic
Coming to the point of my current career choice has been a long road. My idea of what a career is or should be has changed with circumstances and age. According to Weintraub (2005), “the average worker spends only four years in a job and will have 12 jobs in as many as five career fields during his or her working life.” (para. 1) My first career was marriage and motherhood followed by a surprising healthcare career. What the future holds waits to be seen. With a bachelor of science degree in information technology the options are wide open.