Hustle is defined in the Urban Dictionary as “making money by doing something slightly shady,” and Merriams Webster Dictionary adds that hustling is “to sell something or to obtain something by energetic and especially underhanded activity.”

A career is defined as a profession or occupation. Basically both a career and a hustle require, time, dedication, and energy – but one is an honest pursuit while the other requires deceit and subterfuge.

A Hustler and the Sell

A hustler and a careerist may both have an item or product that they need to sell, but the two individuals will accomplish the goal using different methods. The hustler may have a defective product such as an air conditioner.

The hustler will attempt to sell the air conditioner despite the defect in the machine. The hustler will make efforts to conceal the flaw in the air conditioner as it is installed and – although the product is defective – sell the air conditioner to the unsuspecting buyer.

A Careerist and the Sell

The careerist who is selling the air conditioner will ensure that the product is efficient. If the careerist is in the business of selling air conditioners but continually defrauds customers and sells defective products he or she will not have a successful business.

In fact, if the air conditioner is faulty the careerist must ensure that the air conditioner is either repaired or replaced. The careerist understands that a satisfied customer will speak well of the company and can help in making more sells.

A hustler will not care about whether or not the customer is satisfied; the hustler only cares about making the sale.

A Hustler and the Company

A hustler cannot establish a company because the hustler cannot establish customer relations. Because a hustler is not honest and does not make the customer a priority the customer will not be satisfied.

A company cannot be established without customers. Since a hustler cannot produce satisfied customers, the hustler can only have short-term success. A hustle cannot last long enough to produce a business or company that endures.

Business has to Have Customers

All companies and businesses operate according to supply and demand. The company or business recognizes a demand and then supplies the product or service to meet the demand.

If there are no customers – there is no demand.

Because a business requires customers to purchase products to sustain the business, the individual with a career tries to ensure that customers are satisfied. To the hustler a fraudulent sell means money in his or her pocket.

But to a careerist, a fraudulent sell means an unhappy customer, a bad impression and the loss of business.

A Hustle versus a Career

The major difference between a hustle and a career – a career will last a long time, maybe a lifetime, but a hustle only lasts for a short period of time. A hustler only cares about a one-time business transaction.

The individual who is pursuing a career considers the transactions that will take place in the future and tries to establish a relationship with the customer, so that the customer will use the same products and services in the future.