by Claudia Baier

Created on: October 11, 2010

A lot of people believe it is just semantics, using the words job and career. Most people use them interchangeably.

Most of our society settle at the "job" stage of life. They are so certainty-driven, especially in times like these, where most people believe that times get even worse. So they hang on to any job they can find. The concept of "job" is short-term and me-oriented by nature. Me-oriented means that the people who settle for a job are mainly focused on what they can get out of it. They do not consider all the different aspects that will make them happy in the long run at work. That is why most of the jobs people settle for are considered unfulfilling after a short time. This causes them to often just invest the time they must into their work. So people start one job. Things go okay. Then they get fired, laid off or quit and look for a new job. In this stage, people usually focus on the current day-to-day tasks instead of the next career step they are interested in.  The likelihood that the same mistakes are made again in the job are high. It is a circle that continues until the person is dissatisfied enough to look into a career.

When people are either very ambitious or are looking for a more fulfilling way of working for a company they consider pursuing a certain career, which is long-term and still me-oriented by nature. Since in this stage, people usually associate their personal goals with the company's goals, the motivation factor is a lot higher. That is why people are willing to invest more of their time and effort into creating success. Here the individual is looking at the current position as a stepping stone, possibly even planning certain requirements needed for the next position. Following a career, people are mainly driven by the following needs: significance, certainty, growth and variety. Following a specific career makes people feel different from the rest of the population which fulfills the human need of significance. The individual has a higher likelihood of feeling certain of the future since they are involved in creating it. Also, in following a career, they have to learn new skills and grow as a person and thus experience a lot of variety and growth.

The highest level in this concept is a mission which is not only long-term but also contribution-oriented. People that follow a mission are looking beyond what they get and focus on what they can give to the environment around them. This level brings the highest level of motivation with it and fulfills all six human needs: certainty, variety, significance, love/connection, growth and contribution. Striving for this level is a goal we all should strive for. What is your mission? How are you going to contribute to your community?

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