started out working as a dishwasher

[keannu]

What's the difference between "start out sth" and "start sth"?

gibon112
ex)...Lee became Norway's "Ramen King". He started out working as a dishwasher at a hotel, but soon learned how to cook....

 

[Tdol]

It means that it was the beginning of his career and that he has come a long way since.

 

[keannu]

What if you said "started"? Does it mean "not a long way" but a relatively short experience? I can't see the difference clearly.

 

[Tdol]

Started alone would work, but it doesn't necessarily carry the idea of and then went on to... that started out has.

 

[emsr2d2]

"He started working as a dishwasher" would be followed by some information about when he started working in the job:

"He started working as a dishwasher in 2007."

"He started out as ..." specifically means "his first job in the industry was ..." For me, it doesn't give any idea of timescale. Someone could have moved very quickly up the ranks in a job if they were particularly good at it.

"He started out as a dishwasher at Le Gavroche, within a month he was a commis chef, two weeks later he was the chef de partie. By the end of the year he was the sous chef and now he's the chef de cuisine! Wow! That's a spectacular career progression!"