The origin of the word “career” is based on the Latin word “carraria”, which means “way of carriage”. It is seen that the word Carraria, when used as a noun until the 16th century, means “the path followed by the horses” and “race ground”, and “galloping” and “running very fast” when used as a verb. Towards the end of the 16th century, the word Carraria started to carry a figurative meaning and gained the meaning of “the way that must be followed quickly and without stopping in order to achieve a job or task” (Arthur and Lawrence, 1984). However, it can be stated that this meaning began to change in the early 19th century, with the Duke of Wellington’s use of the word “diplomatic career” in a letter and a poem written by W. H. Ireland about the “public career of the great statesman”. When the meanings of carriageway, racing field and running very fast, which form the origin of the word career, are examined, it can be stated that the meanings attributed to career have not changed much today. It is seen that people generally describe their careers in their daily lives as “an ongoing journey”, “the path followed to reach a certain status”. Accordingly, it can be stated that the career carries traces of the meaning of the carriage route, the racing field and running very fast, from which it originated. It is noteworthy that the word “carraria” has turned into the word “career” over time and has begun to mean “a professional life that offers opportunities for advancement” (Arthur and Lawrence, 1984). When the literature is examined, it is seen that various definitions of career are made. These definitions are presented below.
– Ranking of professional achievements in business life
– A more or less predictable sequence of jobs in the organizational hierarchy
– A process expressed by titles and statuses
– Progress in the profession Today, career in the most accepted sense is defined as “a sequence of job roles undertaken by a person throughout his/her life” (Granrose, 1995).
