Like it or not, life is a series of competitions.
― Harvey Mackay
When career first appeared in English in the 16th century, it was used to refer to a jousting field or racecourse. Knights who jousted were said to "career" at tournaments.
The word came from the French carrière, also denoting a racecourse, which came from the Latin carrus, meaning a chariot.
It wasn't until the 19th century that career came to mean the "course of one's professional life."
For a fortunate few, careers are smooth, steady, genteel affairs.
It wasn't until the 19th century that career came to mean the "course of one's professional life."
For a fortunate few, careers are smooth, steady, genteel affairs.
But for most of us, they're pretty brutal, halfway between a joust and a chariot race.
