(ThyBlackMan.com) When you’re young and impressionable; it can be a challenge to choose the path you’re going to take regarding your job and how to spend your life. You will, of course, need to consider a career that gives you the means to live comfortably, and one that you look forward to heading towards each day of the week. However, you may not have considered a role in giving back and caregiving, as this might be something that you focus on during your free time, outside of work.
Therefore, it might be a smart idea to explore all of your options regarding your career path, and, instead of focusing on the salary a job will give you; focus on how it will feed your soul each day and will reward you differently. The following are some ideas on careers that
focus on giving back to others and looking after those in need, so you can make an informed decision if you’re heading to college or are thinking of retraining.
Counseling and Mental Health
It’s certainly not for everyone; but, if you’ve always had a way with words, and your friends and family come to you for advice on a regular basis, counseling could be the right career path for you. Helping people through traumatic situations and ensuring that they’re able to rebuild their lives successfully, can be extremely rewarding work. However, there are many situations within a career in mental health that will prove challenging and even distressing for you. Therefore, you need to know that you’ll have the strength of mind to process events and situations positively so that you’re not taking them home with you at the end of each day.
There are different levels you can train towards within mind management, and you’ll be able to find the right environment to use your skills and qualifications. Remember; not all roles within a counseling career are based sat in an office or medical room. You can teach sports as part of a rehabilitation process for adults and kids alike, or work with therapy animals to help those regain confidence in the world after a trauma. For an idea of a counselor’s role has evolved, check out the following infographic: How Does The School Counselor Of 20 Years Ago Compare To Today’s’ for some inspiration. If you feel that you’d be skilled at encouraging and enriching someone’s life; it’s worth thinking about how you’d be best to do so before you begin training. You may be able to train on the job and learn as you go; a great way to see if it’s the right choice for you.
Medicine And Nursing
Becoming a doctor or nurse is a classic route to helping people directly and practically. Not for the faint-hearted; a career in medicine, in a hospital or surgery setting, will sometimes push you to your limits. However, those who work in healthcare often find the rewards of saving lives and nursing them back to full health, more than enough motivation to keep them going.
If training to be a doctor or surgeon is not an option for you; becoming a nurse or carer is a great option to thrive within a similar environment and help people to recover from illness and injury. Take a look at this infographic: Nursing is the Fastest Growing Occupation in the U.S. and discover how many people are choosing a career in nursing and consider how it appeals to you. Much like with a career in mental health; you’ll need to have a strong character (and sometimes, stomach) to cope with the sights and situations that you’ll be confronted with. To have an enjoyable family life at home; you don’t want to bring what happened in the ER to the dinner table, so bear that in mind when you’re thinking about your next step in healthcare.
Charities And Mission Work
The world is a huge place, and there are plenty of deserving people that could use your help out there. If travel is something you’re interested in; there are plenty of organizations that go to developing countries to deliver aid and help to build hospitals, schools, wells, and villages for the people that live there. You could make a career out of working with a charity; however, you could also use your vacation time or a sabbatical to join a team and head towards a mission to help others across the ocean. You’ll have the benefits of discovering new destinations, understanding a different way of life, and providing your services to improve people’s lives; what could be more rewarding and soul-enriching than that?
Staff Writer; Peter Jackson