Job, Work, or Career? Confusing English Words

Difference between Job, Work, and Career from EspressoEnglish.net A lot of English learners confuse the words Job, Work, and Career. Today, I'm going to teach you how to use each one correctly, as well as various collocations, typical phrases in which you can use these words. To learn practical English for your job and career, check out my Business English course. A job is a regular and official activity that you do and receive money, a salary, for your activity. It is also called a profession or an occupation. You can have a full-time job, around 40 hours per week, or a part-time job, which is around 25 hours per week. When someone is looking for a job, this is sometimes called the job hunt or job search. If you have a friend who's looking for a job, you can ask them, How's the job hunt going? To find a job, you can check the job listings, online or in the newspaper. These are small advertisements about job openings, meaning job opportunities. The process of trying to get a specific job when you send your resume or CV to a company is called applying for a job. If the company offers you the job and you say yes, then you have gotten the job. There are several different ways to describe a job. You can describe it as a demanding job, one that requires a lot of effort. For example, being an emergency surgeon is a demanding job. You have to be on call 24 hours a day. If a job is fulfilling or rewarding, it makes you feel good. For example, working with refugee children was one of the most rewarding jobs I've had. An entry-level job is a job that can be done by someone who is beginning their career, which doesn't require much experience or many skills. For example, Daniel got an entry-level job as an administrative assistant. A dead-end job is a job that has no opportunities for advancement or promotions. For example, being a truck driver is a dead-end job. A high-powered job is a dynamic and important job. For example, after she published her book, she got a high-powered job as director of a national newspaper. And a lucrative job is a job where you earn a lot of money. For example, my mother wants to marry a guy with a lucrative job, like a doctor or lawyer. The word job is a countable noun. You can say, Right after graduating from college, I worked two jobs so that I could pay off my student loans faster. Terry has had seven jobs in the past five years. The word work is more general than job. Whereas job is a specific occupation or profession, work refers to general efforts and activities done to accomplish a goal. Work can be done both inside an official job and outside a job. You can say you work at or for a company. For example, I work at General Motors. You can say you're working on a project or task. For example, I'm working on a market analysis. Or, I'm working on improving customer satisfaction. You can say you work with people or objects. For example, I work with special needs children. Or, I work with hazardous chemicals. The word work also refers to the context of your place of employment. So we can say, I start work at 7 a.m. I finish work. Or, I leave work at 4 30. A more informal way to say it is, I get off work at 4 30. We go to work by car. Don't say, We go to our job by car. I went to the bar with some friends from work. I can't access Facebook when I'm at work. Work is an uncountable noun, so it is not used in the plural. Don't say, I have three works to do this week. Instead, say, I have three projects, three things, three tasks, three assignments to do this week. There's only one exception when you can use work in the plural, and that's when talking about works of art or works of literature. But for everyday work around the house or on the job, it's always work, singular. Your career is the total progression of your professional life, and your career can include many different jobs over the years. You can have a career in a field. For example, a career in politics, journalism, teaching, or finance. To embark on a career means to begin a career. To pursue a career means to make an effort to have a career. Describing a career as a promising career means a career with good future potential. A varied career is a career with jobs in many different areas. The expression career prospects means career opportunities. To switch your career means to change it. When your career takes off, it means it starts to become very successful. If you are at the height or peak of your career, it means you are at the most successful point in your career. And ruin your career means when your career is destroyed. Check out my Business English course to learn practical English phrases and vocabulary for work. You can click on the link in the video or in the description for more information, a free sample lesson, and to sign up.