what is a career?

I write a lot about career topics. Most people like to think that their family and friends are the most important things in their lives, but the truth is that in many ways your career is equally important.  Your career consumes your time, creates goods or services that benefit others (hopefully) and for good or ill defines a lot about you as a person – not everything, but a significant amount.  I use the term career loosely.  In the sense I mean it, “career” is the bundle of activities that together form “what you do.”  Your job, your entrepreneurial business, your networking and so on all come together to make a career.  It’s a term that is less and less defined here in the 21st century.

Labor Day’s a good day to reflect on your career – where it’s been, where you’d like it to go. If you are thinking about your career here are a few of the articles I’ve written that might kick-start some brainstorming about your career:

• 15 ways to make your 9-to-5 a 10
• the big present I gave my first employer
• so you want to be an international business jet setter…
• how to obtain an extraordinary job
• making overseas experience count
• raises – are they for suckers?
• boosting your career with an overseas stint

My “job jumper” series:

• job jumper tip #1: create a WIDD file ( and a response, reader question: “I forgot WIDD”)
• job jumper tip #2: be a discriminating networker
• job jumper tip #3: it’s not all about the money
• job jumper tip #4: leave on your terms
• job jumper tip #5: take a break

And the “biggest” career-related article I ever wrote:

8 steps to a six figure career

Now go celebrate work by not working. Be grateful if you’re getting the day off.  Unions, voters, activists and yes, even politicians made sacrifices up to and including dying to make working conditions better for all of us.

photo credit: pingnews.com