career path — job direction
collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
The direction your working life takes, including the jobs you choose and how you move forward in your profession over time.
Say it like a native
Textbook I am uncertain about the future direction of my professional working life.
Native I'm not sure about my career path.
'Career path' is the compact term; the long paraphrase is clunky.
Pattern: career path (noun phrase); often used with verbs like 'choose', 'follow', 'change', 'plan', 'pursue'
In use
- After university, she decided to follow a career path in medicine.work
- In my opinion, choosing the right career path is important because it affects your happiness and future opportunities.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ I want to choose a good career way.
✓ I want to choose a good career path.
The fixed phrase is 'career path', not 'career way'.
Common collocations
career path— choose, a clear, change, follow
Don't confuse it
Unlike 'job', which means a single position, 'career path' is about your whole journey through different jobs and roles.