Livelihood

I just got back from Asia - while in India, as most of you know, I attended the IAEVG conference in Bangalore (a conference that Tony Watts said has the potential to be the most important conference he's ever attended, which is saying a lot!). One of the interesting things was their use of the word "livelihood," even in their association name (I'm an associate member of the newly formed Indian Association of Career and Livelihood Planning :-)). What I like about the term "livelihood" is how it honours the full spectrum of work, including entrepreneurial activities and "crafts." In Canada, too, there are many people earning a livelihood who wouldn't self-identify as having a "career" or even a "job" - they're just doing the work available to help support their families. In our own work and courses, let's introduce this term to our clients and students.