UNIT 4

WHAT IS AN OCCUPATION?
Why do we get jobs and pursue our individual career paths? Is it simply to earn our
livelihood and enhance personal and professional development? Every individual has
a role to play in society; a way they can contribute and make a difference. In addition
to keeping ourselves busy, disciplined and self-dependent, an occupation contributes
to socio-economic growth and development, thereby making a difference in society.

Read on to see what is meant by occupation, its types and various examples.

Additionally, let’s explore how the meaning and scope of occupation have changed
over time and various ways to stay on top of such changes.

WHAT IS AN OCCUPATION?
DIFFERENT OCCUPATION CATEGORIES AND EXAMPLES
WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS TYPES OF OCCUPATION?
OCCUPATION, JOB AND CAREER: EXPLORING THE DIFFERENCES
THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF VARIOUS TYPES OF OCCUPATION
RIDE THE WAVE OF CHANGE WITH HARAPPA

WHAT IS AN OCCUPATION?
To understand what is meant by occupation, we need to go back to basics and
explore where the term comes from. The dictionary defines occupation as an activity
that occupies a person’s attention. In professional settings, it refers to someone’s
work situation or their role within an organization.
It can be said that the word occupation is an umbrella term, used to define
someone’s role or industry or work where they can display skills that benefit that field.
If a person is looking for a job within a specific occupation, they are likely to build a
career in that occupation. If an occupation requires certification and licensing, people
can pursue it as a profession.
In a nutshell, our occupation is a pillar of our role in and contribution to society. Here
are some examples of occupation:
Artist Designer Social worker
Business analyst Entrepreneur
Construction worker Freelancer

Different types of occupation are usually defined in general terms and not in specific
job titles. For example, we say consultant and not Senior Consultant, when
describing our occupation to someone.

DIFFERENT OCCUPATION CATEGORIES AND EXAMPLES

The various types of occupation fall under different categories and each category
consists of different types of job titles and professions. Here are some examples of
common occupation categories and related jobs:

HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
Physicians
Nurses
Veterinarians
TEACHING PROFESSIONALS
Schoolteachers
College professors
Lecturers

ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS
Aeronautic engineer
Mechanical engineer
Chemical engineer
Therefore, occupations group different kinds of jobs that share similar characteristics.

WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS TYPES OF OCCUPATION?

The examples of occupation can be broadly classified into three different types. Let’s
understand each of them in detail:

PROFESSION
People often confuse the term ‘occupation’ with ‘profession’. As we’ve already
established, occupation is a person’s role in society and it can be a job,
business, employment or profession. On the other hand, a profession is a type
of occupation that requires expertise and specialized knowledge in a particular
field. Examples of professions include lawyers, doctors, engineers and
professors.

There are various characteristics of a profession, including:

SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE
Every profession requires intensive training as this type of knowledge
can’t be inherited. People need to acquire the necessary learning and
skills to flourish in their fields. Often, an academic program sets the tone
for someone’s professional journey. For example, those pursuing Media
Studies often end up in journalism.

SERVICE MOTIVE

The main motive of every profession is to provide service. Whether it’s

doctors, lawyers or engineers, everyone works with the intention of
providing service and getting paid for their labor.

CODE OF CONDUCT

Each professional body such as an institute or organization has a code of

conduct that every professional must follow. This ensures that there are
proper checks and balances in place that help professionals maintain
uniformity in their work culture and behavior. The standardization helps to
hold professionals accountable.
EMPLOYMENT
Employment is a type of occupation where people get wages or salaries in
exchange for their work. Let’s look at the defining characteristics of
employment:

FIXED INCOME
An employee gets their wage or salary at regular intervals. The
remuneration payable is fixed and paid on a daily or monthly basis.
Increments, dearness allowance and other types of allowances are also
payable.

 WORKING FOR OTHERS

People engaged in employment don’t have as much autonomy as

independent professionals. Employees aren’t always free to decide the
work that’s to be done. They have to follow the instructions of the
employer or the upper management.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

There are certain terms and conditions that employers provide at the time
of onboarding employees. These are organizational policies that everyone
must abide by. They include the role and responsibilities, amount of
remuneration and hours of work. The individuals seeking a job must
agree to the terms and conditions before joining the organization.

BUSINESS
A business is a type of occupation where people or organizations produce, sell
and exchange goods and services for money. When carried out on a regular
basis, it leads to growth and profitability. Some examples of business activities
include trading, manufacturing and banking.

The primary goal of all types of occupation is to engage in an activity, earn money
and participate in economic growth.

OCCUPATION, JOB AND CAREER: EXPLORING THE DIFFERENCES

People often use the terms occupation, job and career interchangeably. While all of
these things are what people do for a living, there is a distinction in their meanings in
a broader sense. We’ve already highlighted the defining characteristics of an
occupation. Let’s explore the meanings of a job and career in detail. 
JOB
At its simplest, a job is work an individual does for a living. An employer defines the
job role and an individual or employee undertakes all related tasks and
responsibilities. Employees need to abide by certain terms and conditions
determined by the organization. Additionally, they need to work toward achieving
goals and objectives set by their employers or leaders.
A job can be temporary or permanent, full-time or part-time or even freelance. No
matter what type of job it is, employers and employees agree on the number of
hours, types of responsibilities and remuneration in advance. Moreover, an individual
can have more than one job at a time. For example, freelancers often undertake
multiple projects from various organizations.
 

CAREER
A career is a lifelong journey in which an individual might undertake a series of roles
or employment opportunities. They develop knowledge and skills and gain
experience in a particular industry to earn a livelihood. A career includes education,
specialization and training, and work experience. It’s long-term and it encompasses
various benefits such as building connections, learning and using the knowledge for
promotions and appraisals.
Individuals may play either various roles in one field or industry, or start their career
in one domain and move on to other, more complex domains with increased
experience and expertise. In other words, people can change their career paths and
can grow in any role that they want, as long as it aligns with their overall professional
objectives. For example, someone who starts out as an engineer may become the
managing director of an engineering firm.

THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF VARIOUS TYPES OF OCCUPATION

 It’s no secret that the nature and scope of occupations in India have been changing.
Evidence also suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic will have a lasting impact on
labor markets. With rapid digitization, business models have been undergoing
monumental changes. Remote work has become the new normal and it is here to
stay.

With increasing automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and gig work (contractual or
short-term work), people will need to find work in occupations that require complex
skills. Upskilling, reskilling and employee training and development programs will act
as catalysts that’ll enable this change. At the same time, demand for workers in
occupations such as healthcare, teaching and social work will continue to accelerate
and the workforce needs to prepare themselves to find work in these types of
occupation.
While this wave of change may push decision-makers and organizations to hire a
new generation of employees, it may not be the wisest decision for the business.
organizations should think about upskilling (teaching employees new skills) and
reskilling (training employees to do a different job) more seriously. The biggest
advantage is that existing employees already have sufficient knowledge about the
organization’s mission, vision, values and objectives.