What is a career?

What does it really mean to make a career? Is it to advance within the company's hierarchy? To earn a lot of money? To create something of value? Perhaps to get more responsibility? Or just feel that you like your job? There are as many answers as there are people with jobs.

At Wikipedia the definition of a career is:

"A career is mostly seen as a course of successive situations that make up a person's occupation. One can have a sporting career or a musical career without being a professional athlete or musician, but most frequently "career" in the 20th century referenced the series of jobs or positions by which one earned one's money. A person's worth is often measured by the career success or failings"

I believe that we nowadays have a broader interpretation of the concept. One can advance both horizontally as well as vertically within an organization. Even if the desire to make a career often is seen as something evident it is more about the importance of the work enhancing life, it should be self-developing and not the least a pleasure! It is also about reaching a balance between the professional life and the personal life.

Personally I see my career as a journey where the goal is to:

• Reach my full potential


• Continously develop my competence


• Grasp all opportunities and make the best out of them


• Reach my goals


• Feel that I am having fun along the way

THIS is what a successful career is for me!

What does career mean to you? Please write and share!