VOA慢速英语2020--Job and Career

Today we answer a question from Soheila in Iran. She writes:

Question:

What's the difference between job, occupation, career and profession? – Soheila, Iran

Answer:

Dear Soheila,

Thank you for asking this question. The four words you named have small differences.

Job

I will start with "job," the simplest of the words. A "job" is work people do, usually for money. It can mean work a person does for a single employer¹. That work might last for years or a much shorter period, as in this example.

The shortest job I have ever had lasted three weeks.

We may also use the word "job" to talk about unpaid² work, as in housework:

Mother said, "Cleaning your room is your most important job today."

Occupation

The word "occupation" is more general, and means the kind of work a person does. For example,

I left my previous occupation to be a professional artist.

We also use "occupation" to talk about things people enjoy spending a lot of time doing, as in this example:

Hai's favorite occupation is playing tennis.

But note that this use of the word has become less common over time.

Career

A "career" is what people do over a longer period of time. We use the word "career" to talk about a series of jobs over a person's lifetime. Some people plan a career while others simply try for better jobs. You can also use "career" to talk about what someone does in school, the military or performing arts.

General George Patton had many victories in his military career.

A "career" depends on your goals and the path you want to take through your working life. It does not always require that you have special training.

Profession

However, a "profession" is a kind of occupation that requires special training, knowledge or skills. For some occupations, you must successfully complete a study program at a college or university. Or you must pass a test and practice in your field of expertise³ for some time before you can become a professional.

Here are two examples:

Magazines can be about any profession like medicine, law, engineering⁴, teaching⁵ and so on.

I have spent years learning⁶ my profession and I will not quit easily.

Comparing all four words

Finally, let us compare all four words in Soheila's question:

A job is work you do, sometimes for pay.

An occupation is something you spend your time on.

A career is the path you follow through your working life.

A profession is a career that requires special knowledge or skills.

I hope this helps to answer the question. And that's Ask a Teacher.

What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at [email protected]

Words in This Story

profession – n. a paid occupation or calling

previous – adj. existing or happening before the present time

practice – v. to do something again and again in order to become better at it

quit – v. to resign from a job; to leave a place permanently

1 employer   

n.雇用方，雇主

参考例句：

• My employer deducted ten pounds from my wages this week.我的雇主从我本周的工钱中扣除了十英镑。
• His monthly salary is paid into the bank by his employer.他的月薪由雇主替他存入银行。

2 unpaid   

adj.未付款的，无报酬的

参考例句：

• Doctors work excessive unpaid overtime.医生过度加班却无报酬。
• He's doing a month's unpaid work experience with an engineering firm.他正在一家工程公司无偿工作一个月以获得工作经验。

3 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

4 engineering   

n.工程，工程学，管理，操纵

参考例句：

• The science of engineering began as soon as man learned to use tools. 人类一学会使用工具,工程科学就开始了。
• It was the first great engineering works in the world. 这是世界上第一家大型的工程工厂。

5 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

6 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。