While money is an excellent motivator for getting you up in the morning and off to work, the happiest people in life aren’t just spurred on by their paycheck. Instead, they work in jobs that they find rewarding in some way. Let’s face it, when we spend such a large portion of our lives in the workplace it makes sense that we want our time to matter.
Having a high salary and working a large corporation might pay the bills (and let you maintain the lifestyle you want) if you can find something that matters, to you chances are you’ll be happier in general. If you’re fed up of the daily grind, work feels monotonous or you just want to do something more rewarding, here are just a few directions you could go in with your career.
Teaching
Mastering a skill or improving your own education is incredible enough. However passing down your knowledge and inspiring a new generation is something else entirely- and if you want rewarding work then teaching is a good one to consider.
There are a few different routes you can take to becoming a teacher, but if you already have a degree (in any subject) you only have to do another year or two of training. So it’s ideal if you want to make a career change but don’t want to study for a whole other degree or spend years going back to school yourself to get the right qualifications. If you don’t have the inclination to become a formal, academic teacher there are other options too.
If you have a special skill such as being a skilled and experienced musician or sports person, why not become a tutor? You could teach to either adults, kids or both. Being able to pass down your knowledge and skills, and train up someone else to do well in the field that you’re passionate in is an extremely rewarding job.
Tutors are generally paid very well, and it’s something you could do either full or part time. Since you’ll be working for yourself you have that flexibility there which is great for maintaining a work/ life balance.
Business
You might be wondering how business could be seen as a rewarding job. In many ways it’s big corporations that are responsible for the disconnect and unrewarding work many of us are used to. However as with any field of work, business roles are incredibly diverse and many can leave you feeling very rewarded. Take HR for example, as the name ‘human relations’ suggests in this role you will be working with people.
HR is responsible for everything from hiring to firing and anything to do with employees. As a human relations worker you could be responsible for getting to the bottom of workplace bullying and harassment, or helping workers transition smoothly back into their roles after some time away perhaps due to injury or illness. You will be responsible for recruiting and interviewing, meaning you get to match people to the right roles and could be helping some secure their dream position.
There are lots of HR recruitment specialists out there to help you find the job you want if this is the direction you want to go in. Another way that business can be rewarding is if you set up your own. You get to pour your passion, creativity and time into your own venture that matters to you.
The internet has made it easy for anyone to get set up, however being successful isn’t plain sailing. Seek advice before jumping in, do plenty of research and be prepared for a rocky road- things might not take off right away. But with hard work and dedication, the right help on hand a little bit of luck, you can create a business about something you’re passionate about and take the leap from employee to boss.
Building something from the ground up and making it a success- what could be more rewarding than that?
Care and Medical
Caring for others is possibly the most rewarding job there is. You could be working with adults or children, disabled people, the elderly- either way, helping someone recover from a difficult time will give you plenty of job satisfaction. If you don’t mind going back to gain a degree, you could study to become a nurse or mental health nurse.
If you’re young and just starting out, if you have excellent grades you could reach for the sky and study to become a doctor, surgeon or specialist. Any kind of medical job will help people and make their lives better, however if you want to change career without going back to university then a care job could be for you. You can usually secure these jobs with less qualifications and without experience as they train you up.
You could be working in a nursing home, a hospital, an army base, even out in the community visiting patients in their homes. While care and medical are interlinked fields, the path you decide on will be based on your current education or willingness to go back to study, and how quickly you want to get into a paid position. It could take years to get into a medical job as you need to qualify first- but once you do you have the potential to earn more money. Care jobs tend to be less well paid but you can start earning right away and learn on the job.
If you’re thinking of switching to a more rewarding career then money might not be the driving force. However it’s still something to think about, as not everyone can afford to quit their paid job and go back to school for a number of years. Whichever route you decide to take, you can be safe in the knowledge that when it comes to care work it all makes a difference.
It gives you the opportunity to help people and make their lives better. While it’s exhausting, you can go to bed at the end of each day knowing that someone’s life is a little brighter thanks to you. Does your current job leave you feeling like this?!
