Having a Career and Not a Job

By Thad Plumley

As I began to tour the office of a water well drilling company, I noticed a certificate perched on a shelf of one of the first employees I met. It was honoring the person’s five years of service to the company.

I chatted with the obviously proud employee and thought what a nice and smart touch by the firm. Easy to do, and it obviously made this person feel special. A win-win.

My tour continued, and I was immediately staring at another certificate in the next office. This one honored 10 years of service. Incredible, I thought.

As I met the team, I eventually lost count of how many certificates were on display. Safe to say, it was several. A lot of five-year employees, more than a few 10-years, and even a couple with 15-year awards mounted on shelves or walls.

I was blown away. The hardest thing to do right now in the groundwater industry is to find employees, and this company has decades of experience in every hallway.

The firm has accomplished what is incredibly hard to do and what is incredibly critical to do today: Selling potential hires that working for their company is not a job; it’s a career.

There’s a difference.

A job is punching a clock and getting paid every two weeks. A job is something you don’t think about when you’re not in the office or at the worksite. A job is simply a means to pay your bills. A job is easy to quit.

You feel blessed to have your career. Your company feels blessed to have you.

We’ve all had jobs. Some of us have probably forgotten some.

A career is different. Careers are rare. You’ll have one or two in your life. Careers are positions at companies that take care of you with a fair and good salary, an array of excellent benefits, and a strong
insurance package.

Careers come with pride. You feel blessed to have your career. Your company feels blessed to have you. It knows the longer you are there, the more success both you and the company will enjoy.

You don’t quit that. You don’t quit a career. You leave a career. There’s a difference.

I asked the owner of the company whose staff is so deep in experience about the certificates. He proudly said that is not all they do to recognize the long-term employees.

Instead of a holiday party, the company has an annual employee appreciation event late in the year. It’s held in a huge room at a nice hotel complete with excellent food and drink. The employees with work anniversaries are called to the front and recognized in front of all their colleagues. They are then awarded money reflective of how long they have been at the firm.

That’s a company that values its employees. That’s a company that knows its employees are in the midst of long and successful careers.

So, what about you and your company? Is it a job or a career?

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Thad Plumley is the editor of WWJ and the director of publications for the National Ground Water Association. He can be reached at tplumley@ngwa.org, or (800) 551-7379, ext. 1594.