If you speak to your grandparents, or even your parents depending on their age, and ask them about finding a job, they might tell you about having a ‘job for life’. This was normal in the past, and it simply meant that once you started in a job or profession, that’s where you stayed working until you retired. Ideally, you would have been able to work up the career ladder as time went by so that by the time you did leave your job you were a manager of some sort. You might even have risen to be overall boss.
Today things are different. Jobs are often seen as temporary things that people take on knowing they are going to be looking for a new position within a year or so. There is a lot of choice out there, and this is one reason why people tend to move around a lot during their careers, but there are a number of other reasons too, one of which has to be general unhappiness in the workplace. If someone was completely happy, they wouldn’t be tempted away.
The difference comes if you are working in a ‘caring career’. These careers tend to be the ones in which people do stay for life and gain promotions and more responsibilities over time (if that’s what they want to do). If you are a caring person and you want to find a career you can truly enjoy for many years into the future, here are some ideas for you to think about:
Nurse
When you think of the most caring job in the world, it might be nursing that comes to mind. Certainly, nurses help many different people on a daily basis, sometimes saving their lives in a literal sense, sometimes in a more metaphorical one. No one is ever in more need than when they are in pain and suffering in some way, and a nurse will be there to help that patient feel better and recover.
Nurses also have to talk to relatives to explain difficult situations, and they need to be able to work with a number of different colleagues from various backgrounds and at various levels. All of this needs a caring person who loves their job and who wants to do well.
There are opportunities for progression as a nurse too, so for those who are caring and ambitious it can be a great choice. Studying for a master of science in nursing will give you more chance of promotion, and it will offer you an insight into what nursing really involves.
Social Worker
Being a social worker is certainly a challenging career, and for those who aren’t caring or who don’t want to help people as their first priority, it isn’t going to work. In order to do a good job as a social worker, you must care about other people, and you must want the best for them.
You must also be emotionally able to cope with the potentially upsetting things you will come across when working in this career. It can be traumatizing, and understanding this before you start is crucial. There is no shame in deciding that this is not the kind of career you can enjoy and thrive in; everyone is different, and that means some careers are just not suited to certain people.
What’s truly amazing about being a social worker is that you can, in your daily working life, do many incredible things such as:
- Positively change lives
- Help a variety of different individuals and families
- Give people self-worth
- Meet new people
- Be challenged
- Learn about yourself
Being able to do all this and more during your career is something rather unique, and it’s why being a social worker is such a good choice if you can do it.
Teacher
Teaching is an important and fulfilling profession and is perfect for those with a caring nature. This is just one of the many reasons why teaching is such an important profession and is perfect for those with a caring nature. It is truly rewarding and something you can really enjoy.
Children who are the most engaged in their learning and go on to achieve more are the ones who had great teachers, so if you want to make a difference to children’s learning at an early age and help them see their own potential, and reach it, then you need to work hard to be the best teacher you possibly can. Whether you choose to start teaching kindergartners or seniors, or anyone in between, you must be interesting, fun, and caring. This combination is what will help children the most, and it is what will give both them and you the ultimate chance of the most rewarding career.
