Are you looking for the job of your dreams or career of your dreams?

Most of us are guilty of using the term job and career interchangeably. Sometimes when we do so, we have an idea in our mind of the difference between the two, however we are so used to 

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a job is a piece of work that you do because of your occupation. A job also describes paid employment. A career, according to the OED, is a person’s course or progress through life.

You can choose to change either your job or your career. For instance, you might still want to have your career as a computer technician, but you want to advance to a higher paying and more prestigious job. On the other hand, you might decide that you want a completely different path and this is where it gets a bit more complicated.

Perhaps you no longer feel that you want to be a computer technician and instead you would like to become a journalist. Career-changes are more time consuming than job-changes because they often require training. You will find yourself looking for experience in a field in which you don’t have experience. If you have worked in your chosen career for a number of year, switching to a new career can seem like an near impossible task

Neither career changes nor job-changes are impossible, and often they bring much happiness. When you are looking for a new job, it is important to consider what this means for your career. Some people choose not to have a career and instead have an overarching goal in life, or in the field in which they wish to specialise, they would rather simply move from job to job.

In order to have a career, you need to have a plan. What are your interests? What would you like to be paid? Once you have planned your goals, you might have to take certain steps to achieve them. Volunteer or intern in that environment so that you know what to expect in your future life.

You can also create a career out of a job. Perhaps you work as an assistant in an office. If you want to become a sales representative, you might need to take some courses. You might need to put in a few years behind the front desk. Ask your manager what opportunities you have for advancement, and how you can achieve it.

Some people choose to work a job while they are trying to create a career. If you take a job, consider how it affects your career. Are you biding your time there until you can break into a separate market? If so, when and how will you make your move to your career? Many people work at a job while they search for a career; if you don’t keep your ultimate goals in your mind, you might end up staying at the job you don’t particularly care for much longer than you had originally planned.

There are careers that are often begun later in life. Career planning, like all planning, takes both short- and long-term thinking. Make your goals accordingly. Write down your goals so that you can refer back to them and see how you are progressing. While you are looking for a job, always think about your career. You will be able to find your ideal job if you work diligently and are not afraid of a few rejections. So go find that perfect job, or simply find a job while you work on building the career of your dreams.

Yvonne Akinmodun is a HR and career expert with 20+ years’ experience. She is the founder and CEO of careercoachingmatters, a site dedicated to helping people solve their own career problems. Do you have questions about your career? Click here to book a FREE consultation session