...Do you know the difference?
Most
of us here in America have jobs. For years, most of us have been successful at
getting jobs, losing jobs, and centering our lives around jobs by going to
work. We go to work for 8-16 hours a
day, 5-7 days a week. Most of us don’t
like what we do, but we do it for the money in hopes of providing a better life
for our family and ourselves. Even our own economy is fueled by jobs and the
unemployment rate can show how healthy or unhealthy our economy is. Some
industries suffer from having more jobs than they have positions to fill and
other industries are just the opposite. They have more people applying for jobs
than they have positions available to fill. Well, the music industry is no
different. You can try to find a job working in the music industry or you can work
hard to establish a career. My question to you is, do you know the difference?
In this clip, Chris Rock gives a very funny interpretation about what he
believes is the difference between a job and a career.
The
minute someone says, “I’m about to quit doing this so I can go pursue my dream
or start a career”, what’s the first thing we say? Even if we don’t say it,
what are we thinking? Some of us are thinking, “That’s crazy or I don’t know if
I would do that!” If not that, we think or say something very, very similar. This
actually happened to me in a true story about a friend of mine in college. I
didn’t get to speak with him before he left, but it was rumored around campus that
he had left school to pursue his career and follow his dream. I remember
thinking, “I don’t know if I would have just dropped out of school like that…!”
Well a few years later I remember going to the movies and as I’m watching this
film, I see my friend in one of the scenes. I remember saying to myself, “Wow,
he made it…!” I remember feeling excited and very happy for him. It wasn’t long
after that, I remembered the thoughts I had about him leaving school to pursue
his career. I thought if he had not left school, it is very possible that I would
not be looking at him on the big screen. As I continued to think, I began to do
a self-examination and I realized that the only difference between, he and I
was that he found out his passion and he pursued it and became known for it. I
was known around campus for having a lot of jobs and being very busy. My
friend’s name is Christian Keyes. Please check him out; he’s doing some really
big things in the entertainment industry.
As I
look back on what I was doing then and what I’m doing now, I’m finally in pursuit of my passion and fulfilling my purpose. I now reflect very often on
something my pastor says and he states, “… I learned early on not to work for
money, but to work for purpose…” I truly believe that this is the difference
between having a job and having a career in the music industry. A job is
something that you will look for and your primary purpose in doing that job
will be for you to receive a check. A job in the music industry is temporary.
It may or may not last very long. After finishing one job, you will go in
search looking for the next job. However, if you choose to have a career in the
music industry, discover early on your purpose for doing music. Find out why
and what you are most passionate about. You may not make music, but you would
like to hold a position in the music industry, whether it is in management,
promotions, etc. As you seek out opportunities and are afforded a chance,
perform in that position in a way very few can do it the way that you do it. This type of effort will help you establish a
career. When you have a career, you will have the opportunity to affect people
in a way that no one else can. Careers have more long-term and permanent life
long impact. It is my hope that you choose to pursue a career in the music
industry and not only look for jobs. By doing so, you will have an opportunity
to make the world a much better place simply because you’re in it pursuing your
purpose!
-The
Mike Sears
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