Is it a job?

What does it mean to have a job vs. a career vs. a profession? Well, Senor (it's Cinco de Mayo) Dictionary says a job is, "a piece of work, esp. a specific task done as part of the routine of one's occupation or for an agreed price". Well, that sounds mundane. El Senor Dictionary says a career is, "an occupation or profession, esp. one requiring special training, followed as one's lifework". That sounds a bit better, I suppose. A profession is, "a vocation requiring knowledge of some department of learning or science". Uhhh, I am not really excited about that definition.

I believe that whether you have a job or career or profession is actually more of a feeling that cannot be defined by El Senor Dictionary. I have had jobs, many jobs, and I have walked out of jobs. I have loathed, to the point of nausea, a few jobs. I have had nightmares and daymares over the simple task of getting into my car and driving to a job. It has been jobs that have left me with the acidic taste of being belittled. Jobs have cultivated my ability to dig my heels in and envision sharp horns emerging from my frontal bone. Instantly, I metamorphose into an unyielding force. Unless, of course I chose to just walk out instead!

I no longer have a job. And not because the dictionary suggests this to be true. I know, because I feel that I no longer have a job. There is no option to walk out. I don't loathe the idea of getting up in the morning. I appreciate that I am responsible for myself, I feel like an adult. I certainly enjoy a short 6-8 hour day, but I am not devastated if my day evolves into a 12 hour or longer day. Finally, I feel a sense of responsibility that is bigger than myself. Despite my nearly nightly dreams about work, and of the innumerable things I could have done wrong, I welcome the feeling that my work is no longer just a job. It is OK that I can never fully leave my work at work and that is how I know that my work is so much more to me than a job.

I don't want another job, but I am indebted to my jobs for teaching me to metamorphose when the need comes for me to fight for my place, or even more importantly, for my patients. If you are fortunate enough to work in a career or profession don't forget the invaluable lessons of your jobs.