Want a career that makes you feel good every day, safe in the knowledge that you are always helping others? Rewarding jobs like those are things many of us dream of having. That sense of pride and achievement at making a positive impact on society is a huge motivation, and one you can find in many places. Read on to learn about some of the most fulfilling job sectors, and what you can study to get into them.
Healthcare
Whether as a nurse, doctor or otherwise, working in healthcare is a sure way to help others, and achieve a high level of job satisfaction. It is a line of work that can be challenging, but also one of the best if you want to make a difference.
Additionally, as it is such a wide field, you are not short of options for the part of it you would like to enter. Interested in helping children get better? A specialist paediatrics course could be for you. Keen to have an impact on wellbeing on a societal scale? Try studying public health.
Healthcare degrees come in all shapes and sizes all over the world, so you are sure to find one that suits you, and a fulfilling career to follow. From dentistry to midwifery, people will always require medical assistance. Being the one to provide it would be immensely rewarding.
Teaching
What could be better than helping people learn and grow? If it sounds appealing, you might want to consider a career as a teacher. This could be at primary, secondary or even university level.
To have a successful career as a teacher, you need to be passionate about helping others reach their potential. Whether you are working with young children or adult learners, the job can be demanding. Every student will face their own unique challenges, both inside and outside the classroom, and it will be your role to ensure they overcome them. Helping people enjoy learning and get the best out of themselves may not always be easy, but it will be rewarding.
The qualifications needed to become a teacher vary across countries. In many cases, however, you will need to complete an undergraduate degree in addition to a teaching course which will typically last for one year. Your undergraduate degree does not usually need to be in education, although studying it at that level is an option.
Additionally, you could also enjoy the fulfilment of classroom work in other roles. For instance, if you prefer working with small groups, you could take a teaching assistant course.
Counselling and therapy
Our mental health is as important as our physical health, so we need counsellors and therapists to help us cope with anything we might be going through.
Work in those roles can include supporting people through depression, anxiety, grief, divorce, unemployment or any number of other things that life can throw at us. While this can be tough, it also makes for a hugely rewarding job. Seeing the progress made by the people that you are helping is an incredible feeling, and one that you will get to experience every single day.
It is important to remember that although counsellors and therapists have similar roles, there is a major distinction between them. Counsellors work with more immediate issues, while therapists (specifically psychotherapists) deal with more deep-rooted issues over a longer period of time.
Most therapists have a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in a relevant field such as psychotherapy or psychology, with some also pursuing a PhD. By contrast, you do not necessarily need a degree to become a counsellor – although one can boost your chances of finding work. You might instead study for a counselling diploma, which usually takes between one and two years to complete.
Politics
What do you feel strongly about? Is your government acting in a way that doesn’t sit comfortably with you? A career in politics might be a very fulfilling one. From activism to policy, working in this area can have a profound impact on society, giving you the chance to truly improve the lives of others.
If you were thinking that the only way to work in politics was as a politician, you were mistaken. The political process is a complex and extremely wide-ranging one, meaning that a lot of people are required to work on it, and even more are employed in related roles. Some of the many rewarding jobs to be had in and around politics include:
- Elected representative (eg Member of Parliament)
- Policy officer
- Civil servant
- Charity worker
- Human rights campaigner
- Political journalist
- Public relations professional
Although some people do enter politics without a degree, an undergraduate qualification makes it easier to get started. There is no specific educational pathway into the field, but graduates of humanities subjects such as law, history and journalism often find success.
Additionally, any time spent completing relevant internships or work experience will help you at the start of your career. However, the importance of this will depend on the area of politics in which you have an interest.
Social work
Social workers address the everyday implications of society’s most complex problems, making a big difference to countless lives. In the role, you will help people of all ages, backgrounds and experiences under all kinds of circumstances. At times, this could involve dealing with a crisis or a potentially harmful situation.
Without doubt, social work can be hard. Having the most success in this extremely rewarding job sector therefore requires development of the following skills:
- Compassion
- Communication
- Keeping calm under pressure
- Problem-solving
- Risk analysis
- Leadership
In most cases, a bachelor’s degree in social work is required for jobs in this area. If you studied a different subject at undergraduate level, you could move into the field with a master’s degree. In either instance, you need to make sure that your course is accredited. In the UK, for example, your degree needs to be approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
Want to find a degree that will lead you to the rewarding job of your dreams? Use our course matcher tool now to discover which universities would accept you.
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