“What is an occupation? How is it different from a job or a career?”

The terms job, occupation, and career all relate to work, but they have different meanings. The terms profession and trade also relate to work. People use these terms interchangeably because their meanings overlap. But it’s important to understand the differences.

Career is the broadest work-related term. It describes the big picture—the overall path of your life experience at home, at work, at school, and in your community. Your career includes your learning experiences, jobs, occupations, education, volunteer work, and leisure activities.

An occupation is a specific category of work or a group of similar jobs in a particular field or industry. The word occupation can be a general term that refers to your role within an organization. For example, your occupation may be “teacher.” But there are many different kinds of teachers. You could be a special ed teacher or math teacher or a kindergarten teacher. All these types of teachers share the same occupation, but they have different job titles.

An occupation that requires licensing or certification is called a profession or a trade. Both professions and trades require specialized knowledge, training, and skills. Professions usually require advanced education. Trades usually require apprenticeship training and hands-on skills.

A job is a position that has specific duties performed for a specific employer. It’s something you do to earn money. A job can be something you do full time, part time, or as a consultant or contractor. You will probably change jobs more often than you change your occupation or career. Think of jobs as the building blocks that make up your career.

What would you like to know?

An alis staff member will review your question and respond via email. If it’s something that can help others look for work, explore careers, or succeed on the job, a version of your question and answer may even be added to the site.