Career Metaphors

by Gopal Ramasammy-Cook (Career-Creative Coach, ZestWare)

Just as we apply metaphors to our work-roles, we also apply them to our careers. Here too, the purpose they serve is not merely descriptive. They become a lens through which we view our careers. This influences how we create meaning about our careers, and this in turn determines how we construct and craft our careers. The astute reader would have noticed that words like lens, construct, and craft are themselves metaphoric in this context.


Here is a list of metaphors we might apply to our careers:

• A map and compass


• A voyage of discovery


• A ticket to success


• A ladder


• A vehicle


• A maze


• A road


• A safety net


• A race track


• A matrix


• A growing plant


• A chess game


• A movie


• A gift


• An evolution


• A stage play


• A canvas


• A building


• A blueprint


• A music score


• An improvisation


• A story


• A jigsaw puzzle

In their book Metaphors We Live By, Lakoff and Johnson, give several examples which illustrate that metaphors are not merely language tools, but are a pervasive part of our understanding and reasoning. In the following video clips, James Lillis shares his interesting perspectives about the Power of Personal Metaphor.


Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5



What metaphors do you use to think about or describe your current, past, or future career situations? Please post a comment and tell me about your personal experience with these or any other career metaphors you may have used or encountered.


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