How to describe a career

kentsmith · Nov 19, 2016

A recent discussion with a learned agent educated me on the error in the phrase:

architectural career

when the author intended to describe:

career in architecture

Initially I thought they meant the same thing, but after the agent reminded me that architectural is an adjective, I recognized the error. I thought about the following which are not synonymous:

A fun career is not a career in fun.
A short career is not a career in short.
A legal career is not a career in law, but rather a career which does not break the law.

Therefore I have to assume:

A political career is not a career in politics, but rather a politically motivated or driven career.

But then I ran into military career http://www.dictionary.com/browse/military?s=t where adjective definition #5 states:

A military career is following the life of a soldier.

I then returned to architectural http://www.dictionary.com/browse/architectural?s=t and found the definition of or relating to architecture with the example architectural metals.

If I can have a military career describing a type of job and an architectural metal describing metals relating to architecture, why can't I have an architectural career?

Am I still missing something from my 6th grade grammar lessons, or is English grammar just that inconsistent?

ironmikezero · Nov 20, 2016

From a writer's perspective, you may be over-analyzing . . . If you isolate a sentence from its surrounding context, you can make arguments for either (or any) interpretation of the presumed attendant grammar rules/guidelines. What may be more important is what is intended to be conveyed within the circumstantial context, and whether or not the voice is appropriate for the character(s) involved--especially in dialogue. Context is important; too often we fail to see the forest for the trees. When the grammar rules suggest that either of two options is technically correct, it becomes a matter of personal taste and/or style. Don't let paralysis by analysis bog you down.

evilrooster · Nov 20, 2016

I would say that military career, political career and legal career are both usages, which is to say, technically grammatically incorrect things that people say often enough that they have become unexceptionable.

If your agent balks at architectural career, they balk. Change it. But don't worry too much about usages unless they clash with the tone of the text.

King Neptune · Nov 21, 2016

I think the allegedly "learned" agent was doing the over analyzing. "Architectural" is an adjective, and it can be used to describe a career, as evidence, you did that.

WWWalt · Nov 21, 2016

kentsmith said:
A legal career is not a career in law, but rather a career which does not break the law.

What it is is a problematic phrase, because -- unless the context clarifies your meaning -- some readers will read it with the former meaning, and some with the latter. On its own, it's ambiguous.

"Architectural career" suffers no such ambiguity. There is no reasonable way to read it other than as a career in architecture.

How to describe a career

kentsmith

Writing myself into a new career

ironmikezero

practical experience, FTW

evilrooster

Wicked chicken

King Neptune

WWWalt