By Grace Du Prie Career Development & CounsellingServices
09/04/2011 CAREER – JUST
WORK OR IS THERE MORE TO IT?
When thinking
about ‘career’ the term can be used to refer to a person’s whole path through life. This broad definition uses ‘career’ to
include all major life experiences, such as family, education, employment, marriage,
community and leisure activities etc.
Another
definition of ‘career’ restricts the meaning of the word to way of making a living, profession, and
also a person’s lifelong pattern of work.
This could be the activities that appear under a heading of ‘Employment
History’ in a person’s resume.
Everyone makes
vocational decisions. These choices are crucially important, frequently
difficult, and rarely ‘once-in-a-lifetime events’. That’s why it good to take
some time while going through his process.
When making
career decisions it is important to use a ‘holistic’ approach and focus on
yourself as a whole person and not just a ‘job seeker’.
It is
interesting when considering this that the Hebrew word ‘Avodah’ means both work
and worship. The word vocation also has a fascinating origin. It comes from the
Latin word ‘vocatio’ meaning to call (the same root as for ‘vocal’. It is based
on the idea of God calling a person to do a certain work or fill a certain
position.
Work is thus seen as more
than a way to earn money.
Hence, in
modern usage, your vocation means your occupation, business or profession, or
the feeling that you are called to a certain kind of work.
Now More About Building Your Career:
Your career: A lifelong journey
We
often use the terms ‘career’, ‘occupation’, ‘job’ and ‘work’ as though we are
talking about the same thing. But your career is something much larger than a
job or an occupation.
Career: the sum total of paid and unpaid work,
learning and life roles you undertake throughout your life.
Occupation: a group of similar jobs found in
different industries or organisations.
Job: a position in which you perform tasks
for payment.
Work: a set of activities with an intended
set of outcomes (it can include parenting or volunteering as well as paid
employment).
Your
career is the variety of experiences of learning and work (both unpaid and
paid) that you undertake throughout your lifetime. If you want to take charge
of the development of your career, you will need to actively manage your
learning and your work.
Developing
your career is not an easy or a short process. Our careers are influenced by
many things, such as our age, our gender and our ability/disability. Our
careers are also influenced by our families and our cultural values.
It’s
up to you to plan, build and manage your lifelong career journey. You are the
person best suited to make choices on the basis of your own skills, knowledge,
interests, personal circumstances and preferences.
But
you won’t be alone. Be open to those who can help and support you along the
way, and offer your help and support to others as well.
You
will need to be flexible. In the 21st century, very few people will
have a job or an occupation for life. In this ever-changing world, you will
need to keep learning to keep pace. The good news is that it is very difficult
to go through life without changing, growing and learning. It is important that
you actively manage this process as much as possible, rather than just letting
it happen. Source: www.jobguide.deewr.gov.au
Contact Grace du Prie to discuss your career options and the benefit of career counselling.
Grace Du Prie Career Development & CounsellingServices
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