The Difference Between Your Job and Your Work

“Don’t let schooling interfere with your education.” – Mark Twain [tweet this]

There’s a difference between your education and your schooling.

Your schooling is what happens in the classroom. It’s the classes that you take to achieve a standardized level of education and get a diploma.

Your education is what you learn in all of life. It’s what you read, practice, experience. It’s what you learned from coaching little league, and how you grew as you led a project at work.

Your schooling is part of your education, but your education is much bigger than your schooling.

Similarly, there is a difference between your job and your work.

Your job is what you do to pay the bills. It’s a role in some organization (even if it’s your own) where you bring value to the organization in exchange for payment.

Your work is about making an impact. Your work is a theme of meaning from your story that gives energy to the things you do and gives you a sense of purpose and satisfaction.

Ideally, your job is part of your work — an avenue through which you have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact.

Few jobs bring a perfect alignment between your real work and your job. The more you can do your work in and through your job, the more connected you’ll feel to what you do.

But remember this:

Your work is much bigger than your job.[tweet this]

No job can contain all that you have to offer.[tweet this]

In the comments, how do you see your work as different from your job? How are you able to do your work through your job?

I’d love to hear some of your stories. Click here to comment.