Key difference: Jobs are activities that are performed in exchange of a monetary value. A profession, on the other hand, is a vocation that is based on specialized educational training.

Job and profession are two words that are often used interchangeably by most. However, many do not know the difference between the two words. The words actually refer to two quite different things.

Jobs are activities that are performed in exchange of a monetary value. A job is often short-term and only done as a person requires money to live. Jobs do not make a significant impact to society of the person’s life and are commonly short-term. If a person is unhappy with a job, they tend to move on to a better one. There are also various different types of jobs including full-time, part-time, seasonal, temporary, odd jobs and self-employment. Jobs, depending on the type, may also require a specialized study. The hours of the job also depend on the type of job it is, it also can range from an hour to 9 hours.

A profession, on the other hand, is a vocation that is based on specialized educational training. Usually, the profession is regulated by a governing body of some sort and may require the person to pass a regulating exam in order to be considered as qualified in that profession. The person may or may not be also required to undertake regulated training, apprenticeship or internship. For example: a doctor who has to study for a number of years, pass the boards and complete a residency before he can be qualified as a doctor.

Some other professions include accountants, advocates, architects, dentists, doctors, nurses, economists, engineers, financial analysts, journalist, lawyers occupational therapists, pharmacists, physicians, priests, pastors, pilots, psychologists, scientists, social workers, software engineers, teachers, veterinarians, etc.

In order to understand the difference between job and profession, let us look at an example: A lawyer has finished law school, gotten his law degree, and passed the Bar exam, hence lawyer is his profession. However, his job is at the XYZ Pvt. Ltd. where he works as a Legal Representative. His job and profession are two different things.

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