Career vs. Passion — What's the Difference?
By Fiza Rafique & Urooj Arif — Updated on May 6, 2024
Career focuses on long-term professional goals and financial stability, while passion centers on personal interests and intrinsic motivation.
Difference Between Career and Passion
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A career is typically pursued as a means to secure stable employment and financial success, often involving long-term planning and professional development. On the other hand, passion is driven by a deep personal interest and enjoyment in an activity, which may not necessarily align with one's career or financial objectives.
While a career can offer a structured path with clear milestones, such as promotions and salary increases, passion often lacks such formal progression, emphasizing personal fulfillment instead. Whereas careers may demand compromise on personal preferences for the sake of job requirements or market demand.
Careers are often chosen based on industry demand and potential earnings, aiming for a secure and predictable professional life. Passion, however, is chosen purely based on what activities resonate on a personal level, regardless of financial gain or job security.
In many cases, individuals try to align their career with their passion, aiming to achieve both personal satisfaction and professional success. While some succeed, others might keep their passions as hobbies separate from their career, to maintain enjoyment without the pressures of professional demands.
Comparison Chart
Definition
Profession followed as a long-term vocation
Strong, enthusiastic devotion to an activity
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Motivation
Financial stability, professional growth
Personal interest, enjoyment
Progression
Structured, with clear professional milestones
Informal, self-guided improvement
Influence
Market demand, job availability
Personal choice, intrinsic value
Outcome
Financial security, professional status
Personal fulfillment, happiness
Compare with Definitions
Career
The progression through professional life.
His career includes several managerial roles.
Passion
Strong affection or enthusiasm for something.
He has a passion for watercolor painting.
Career
Pursuit of successive achievements in a profession.
He advanced his career by acquiring new skills.
Passion
A powerful emotion.
Her passion for animal rights is evident in her activism.
Career
A chosen pursuit, profession, or occupation.
She built her career in law over two decades.
Passion
The object of somebody's intense interest or affection.
Teaching is her passion, not just a job.
Career
Long-term professional engagement.
She considered teaching as her lifelong career.
Passion
A hobby or activity one is enthusiastic about.
Her passion for gardening takes up most of her weekends.
Career
A job or profession for which one trains.
He is in college preparing for a career in medicine.
Passion
An intense desire or enthusiasm to do something.
His passion for chess led him to compete internationally.
Career
The career is an individual's metaphorical "journey" through learning, work and other aspects of life. There are a number of ways to define career and the term is used in a variety of ways.
Passion
Strong and barely controllable emotion
A man of impetuous passion
Career
An occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life and with opportunities for progress
He seemed destined for a career as an engineer like his father
Passion
The suffering and death of Jesus
Meditations on the Passion of Christ
Career
Move swiftly and in an uncontrolled way
The coach careered across the road and went through a hedge
Passion
Strong or powerful emotion
A crime of passion.
Career
A chosen pursuit; a profession or occupation.
Passion
A powerful emotion, such as anger or joy
A spirit governed by intense passions.
Career
The general course or progression of one's working life or one's professional achievements
An officer with a distinguished career.
A teacher in the midst of a long career.
Passion
The object of such desire or love
She became his passion.
Career
A path or course, as of the sun through the heavens.
Passion
Boundless enthusiasm
His skills as a player don't quite match his passion for the game.
Career
Speed
"My hasting days fly on with full career" (John Milton).
Passion
The object of such enthusiasm
Soccer is her passion.
Career
Doing what one does as a permanent occupation or lifework
Career diplomats.
A career criminal.
Passion
An abandoned display of emotion, especially of anger
He's been known to fly into a passion without warning.
Career
To move forward at high speed, often with minimal control
"that lordly car ... How smoothly it ran. In what style they had come careering along the country roads!" (James Joyce).
Passion
The sufferings of Jesus in the period following the Last Supper and including the Crucifixion, as related in the New Testament.
Career
One's calling in life; a person's occupation; one's profession.
Passion
A narrative, musical setting, or pictorial representation of Jesus's sufferings.
Career
General course of action or conduct in life, or in a particular part of it.
Washington's career as a soldier
Passion
Martyrdom
The passion of Saint Margaret.
Career
(archaic) Speed.
Passion
A true desire sustained or prolonged.
Career
A jouster's path during a joust.
Passion
Any great, strong, powerful emotion, especially romantic love or extreme hate.
We share a passion for books.
Career
(obsolete) A short gallop of a horse.
Passion
Fervor, determination.
Career
(falconry) The flight of a hawk.
Passion
An object of passionate or romantic love or strong romantic interest.
It started as a hobby, but now my motorbike collection has become my passion.
Career
(obsolete) A racecourse; the ground run over.
Passion
The suffering of Jesus leading up to and during his crucifixion.
Career
To move rapidly straight ahead, especially in an uncontrolled way.
The car careered down the road, missed the curve, and went through a hedge.
Passion
A display, musical composition, or play meant to commemorate the suffering of Jesus.
Career
Synonym of serial
A career criminal
Passion
(obsolete) Suffering or enduring of imposed or inflicted pain; any suffering or distress.
A cardiac passion
Career
A race course: the ground run over.
To go back again the same career.
Passion
(obsolete) The state of being acted upon; subjection to an external agent or influence; a passive condition
Career
A running; full speed; a rapid course.
When a horse is running in his full career.
Passion
(obsolete) The capacity of being affected by external agents; susceptibility of impressions from external agents.
Career
General course of action or conduct in life, or in a particular part or calling in life, or in some special undertaking; usually applied to course or conduct which is of a public character; as, Washington's career as a soldier.
An impartial view of his whole career.
Passion
(obsolete) An innate attribute, property, or quality of a thing.
[...] to obtain the knowledge of some passion of the circle.
Career
The flight of a hawk.
Passion
(obsolete) Disorder of the mind; madness.
Career
To move or run rapidly.
Careering gayly over the curling waves.
Passion
(obsolete) To suffer pain or sorrow; to experience a passion; to be extremely agitated.
Career
The particular occupation for which you are trained
Passion
(transitive) To give a passionate character to.
Career
The general progression of your working or professional life;
The general had had a distinguished career
He had a long career in the law
Passion
A suffering or enduring of imposed or inflicted pain; any suffering or distress (as, a cardiac passion); specifically, the suffering of Christ between the time of the last supper and his death, esp. in the garden upon the cross.
To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion, by many infallible proofs.
Career
Move headlong at high speed;
The cars careered down the road
The mob careered through the streets
Passion
The state of being acted upon; subjection to an external agent or influence; a passive condition; - opposed to action.
A body at rest affords us no idea of any active power to move, and, when set in motion, it is rather a passion than an action in it.
Passion
Capacity of being affected by external agents; susceptibility of impressions from external agents.
Moldable and not moldable, scissible and not scissible, and many other passions of matter.
Passion
The state of the mind when it is powerfully acted upon and influenced by something external to itself; the state of any particular faculty which, under such conditions, becomes extremely sensitive or uncontrollably excited; any emotion or sentiment (specifically, love or anger) in a state of abnormal or controlling activity; an extreme or inordinate desire; also, the capacity or susceptibility of being so affected; as, to be in a passion; the passions of love, hate, jealously, wrath, ambition, avarice, fear, etc.; a passion for war, or for drink; an orator should have passion as well as rhetorical skill.
We also are men of like passions with you.
The nature of the human mind can not be sufficiently understood, without considering the affections and passions, or those modifications or actions of the mind consequent upon the apprehension of certain objects or events in which the mind generally conceives good or evil.
The term passion, and its adverb passionately, often express a very strong predilection for any pursuit, or object of taste - a kind of enthusiastic fondness for anything.
The bravery of his grief did put meInto a towering passion.
The ruling passion, be it what it will,The ruling passion conquers reason still.
Who walked in every path of human life,Felt every passion.
When statesmen are ruled by faction and interest, they can have no passion for the glory of their country.
Passion
Disorder of the mind; madness.
Passion
Passion week. See Passion week, below.
Passion
To give a passionate character to.
Passion
To suffer pain or sorrow; to experience a passion; to be extremely agitated.
Passion
Strong feeling or emotion
Passion
Intense passion or emotion
Passion
Something that is desired intensely;
His rage for fame destroyed him
Passion
An irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action
Passion
Any object of warm affection or devotion;
The theater was her first love
He has a passion for cock fighting
Passion
The suffering of Jesus at the crucifixion
Common Curiosities
How can one integrate passion into a career?
By choosing a profession that aligns closely with personal interests or incorporating aspects of one's passion into their job.
What are the risks of following passion over a career?
Following passion over a career might lead to less financial stability and fewer job opportunities if the passion is not in demand.
What impact does following a passion have on one's lifestyle?
Following a passion may lead to a more fulfilling but potentially less predictable lifestyle compared to a traditional career path.
What is the main difference between a career and a passion?
A career is focused on professional achievements and stability, whereas passion is about personal interest and fulfillment.
Is it necessary to have passion in your career?
While not necessary, having passion in your career can increase job satisfaction and motivation.
Can a career also be a passion?
Yes, many people strive to align their careers with their passions to achieve both professional success and personal satisfaction.
How do people usually discover their passion?
People often discover their passion through exploration of different activities and noticing what consistently engages and excites them.
Is it better to pursue passion or career?
It depends on individual priorities, such as financial security versus personal fulfillment. Ideally, finding a balance between the two is beneficial.
What are common examples of careers and passions that align?
Examples include artists, musicians, teachers, and entrepreneurs who follow their passion in their professional fields.
How does society view career versus passion?
Society often values career for its stability and financial rewards, while passion is seen as a personal pursuit.
What advice is given to someone trying to choose between career and passion?
Experts often suggest trying to merge both, but if not possible, to maintain passion as a fulfilling hobby alongside a stable career.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
