Feeling unfulfilled by your career? Perhaps it’s time you explored other avenues that bring you job satisfaction and a sense of value?
Could your talents be better spent helping others? Perhaps it’s time you pursued a different job. There are lots of careers that involve working with people who need help. Here’s some advice on switching to a career that helps others.
How to know it’s time for a change
If you’re feeling unhappy or unfulfilled in your current job, then you need to first establish what it is that needs to change. If you’ve thought long and hard about your job and you’ve decided that you will always feel dissatisfied by it regardless of what company you work for, then it’s time to make a career change.
Feeling like you’re lacking energy and being bored is a major sign it’s time for a change. If you’ve lost interest in your hobbies outside of work, are experiencing jealousy of friends’ and family members’ jobs, and know that money is the only reason why you’re still working there are also indicators to switch it up.
By taking the focus off of yourself and looking for a job where helping others is at its core, you will experience increased job satisfaction and a sense of achievement which will breathe new life into your career sector.
Retrain for a career you’ll love
It’s never too late to switch careers. Whether you’ve always wanted to be a nurse, or you want to become a teacher, it is possible to retrain and do something that you love. There is no wrong time to change your career and the only thing holding you back from doing this is your own attitude. Gone are the days where people stay in the same job until they retire. The skills required for employment are constantly changing, which means that employees are more likely to change career paths during their working lives.
Retraining doesn’t mean the end of your career. It can actually make you more desirable to prospective employers because choosing to retrain shows that you are proactive and are not afraid to take the initiative to improve your situation. You will also have valuable skills and experience that can be transferred to your new profession.
More and more people are heading back to college to retrain, so why can’t you? Take a look at some of the best career’s worth going back to school for, to give you inspiration.
Find out your options
As touched on above, it’s never too late to change to a career you love, and that is centered around helping other people. There are many professions where providing help to others is at the core, but it’s up to you to decide which is best for you.
Healthcare
A career in healthcare is an obvious choice for anyone considering taking on a job where they can help others, whether that’s working as a caregiver providing help in people’s homes or as an administrator ensuring the smooth running of medical settings. One of the most rewarding careers within the health sector, which revolves around helping people, is nursing. However, nursing has seen people leave the profession in recent years thanks to the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, nursing is an incredibly rewarding career that makes a difference in people’s lives. Nursing is a varied but rewarding role, whether it’s looking after patients in their final moments of life, providing comfort to those facing scary surgeries or treatments, or visiting people’s homes to give vital aftercare in changing and cleaning dressings. The demand for nursing is at an all-time high, which means there are plenty of training options. Click here to make your first steps into the world of nursing.
Law
You might not think it, but law careers are based on the desire to help those who need it most. There are many different areas of law, but lawyers are crucial to safeguarding people and society. Family lawyers who specialize in child protection keep kids safe from neglect and harm and help to ensure that children are kept safe when family relationships break down by ensuring children are placed with a guardian that will look after them in the best way. Suppose you don’t fancy a career in family law. In that case, human rights lawyers dedicate their careers to helping those from marginalized areas of society, such as refugees, to claim asylum in safe countries, which truly makes a life-changing difference to those affected.
If you desire to help others, other suitable professions include teaching, customer service, emergency services, and scientific research.
Use your existing skills to help others
Could your talents be better used elsewhere? Many people become disillusioned with working for commercial companies, so why use your skills somewhere that could help others? Getting a patent for medical device tools that you’ve created can be very rewarding if you work in a field lie product design or engineering. Whatever industry you might work in, think about how you could use your skills and experience to do some good.
Make a list of your top skills that you use in your current job and think about how these can be put to use to help others.
Look for work with a charity
Working for a charity is another great way to help give back. Charities are organizations like many others, with various departments and job roles that lend themselves to all kinds of skills and experience. Many charities are featured in lists of top employers to work for, with an atmosphere that is supportive as you work towards a common goal. Charities need all kinds of people, including lawyers, fundraisers, accountants and store assistants, so why not explore the different opportunities and start to work for a charity that’s close to your heart?
Volunteer in your free time
If changing your career isn’t a realistic option, why not consider volunteering in your free time? There are a lot of ways to find places to volunteer, including contacting charities and local organizations to see what’s available and to offer your services. It’s worth asking friends, family and colleagues if they volunteer, or if they know of any local opportunities. Volunteering could also be worth suggesting to your employer as a way for teams to bond and a way for the business to give back to the community. Finding the time to volunteer can be difficult, but you can guarantee that your time will be greatly appreciated and valued.
Volunteering comes in many forms. You might choose to volunteer in a very conventional way, such as helping out at a local homeless shelter or soup kitchen. Still, there are many different ways to volunteer – all of which are equally important. If you only have a spare 20 minutes in a week, you could give up your time by offering to phone an elderly person, who otherwise would not have any contact with the outside world. A small act like making a quick phone call can make a world of difference to a person. Other volunteering ideas that only require a small amount of time yet have a big impact on the beneficiary include offering to walk your neighbor’s dog or feeding their cat when they are out. You could even pick up some food supplies for a person in need when you do your own weekly shop. If you fancy taking on a bigger challenge, you could organize an event to help bring the community together, such as a coffee morning or a bring and buy sale.
There are lots of benefits to volunteering your time, for you, as well as the people who reap the rewards from your selflessness. The social aspect of volunteering has been proven to boost mental health and wellbeing. Social interactions and building connections release endorphins in the brain, which help to lower the risk of depression and anxiety and encourage better brain function. If you experience feelings of loneliness when you have spare time, volunteering is a great way to get out of the house, make new friends, and meet people. Friendships form when people bond over shared interests, and volunteering is a great conversation starter. On top of this, volunteering is proven to boost your career prospects as employers highly value candidates who are socially aware. Having volunteering on your resume can boost your skills and help you stand out from the crowd when it comes to your job applications.
Making the decision to switch careers is a tough one, but it can be hard to ignore the calling if you’re drawn towards working with people. There are careers out there that can make your life more meaningful, helping you to find job satisfaction and a work/life balance you might not have been able to have before. If you’re serious about the switch, research your options carefully. Wanting to help others is an excellent trait to have, and there are plenty of opportunities out there that will help you fulfill this ambition.
