Scherer drew a linguistic distinction that carried philosophical weight. The word 'job,' he explained, comes from the Old English 'gobbe' — a lump — because workers were paid by how many lumps they carried. The word 'work' comes from the Greek 'erg,' a measure of force directed with purpose. He urged graduates to find purpose in what they do rather than merely trading hours for pay. His son, a rock musician, had told him that people don't have careers anymore — they have a series of gigs. Scherer embraced this, urging graduates to find some thread to string those gigs together: a greater purpose, a backbone of meaning.