Great Careers for Compassionate People

Are you a stress whisperer? Always there for friends and family when they need some support? Well, there are a lot of ways you can turn your love for supporting others into a fulfilling career.

It’s never too early or too late to put your passions into practice. Loving to help others—in any way you can—could lead you to your dream job. Even if you don’t know what that job is yet.

So, take a look at some careers for extra-caring people that cover all kinds of attributes and industries.

Yoga Instructor

Put your “nama’stay and help” attitude to work. You can teach others to achieve physical strength and mental harmony with poses, movements, and breathing.

Yoga instructors:
  • Teach students meditation and visualization
  • Help with health conditions including anxiety, stress, asthma, and depression
  • Design and adapt courses
  • Give people information about nutrition and maintaining an active lifestyle
What you’ll need:
  • A high school diploma or equivalent
  • A specialized training or certificate program
  • Some employers require an associate’s or bachelor’s degree
Some details:
  • Could make $19,000-$74,000 (a year)
  • Some yoga instructors follow other career paths and teach yoga on the side because it’s such a fulfilling job
  • Great skills to have: motivational, communication, physical fitness, and a passion for making others feel healthy and happy

What else could you do? Be a physical therapist or fitness instructor.

Massage Therapist

Make people feel sooo relaxed. Help others with pain, stress, injuries, and relaxation—just be ready to be everyone’s favorite person.

Massage therapists:
  • Treat people by manipulating muscles and soft tissue
  • Discuss symptoms, medical history, and desired results
  • Locate painful or tense areas of the body
  • Teach people how to stretch and improve their posture
What you’ll need:
  • High school diploma or equivalent
  • Postsecondary education program
  • A state-required license
Some details:
  • Could make $20,000-$77,000 (a year)
  • Types of massages: Swedish, deep-tissue, hot stone, sports, Shiatsu, trigger-point, reflexology, Lomi Lomi, and Thai
  • Great skills to have: empathy, communication, agility, and a love for making others feel better

What else could you do? Be an exercise physiologist or physical therapist.

Comedian

You know you’re the funniest person you know. Share that humor with everyone by making people around the world laugh.

Comedians:
  • Write, direct and perform comedy
  • Create on-stage acts
  • Interact with their audience
  • Capture attention and adapt to respond to audience moods
What you’ll need:
  • A high school diploma to some college
  • Long-term training
  • Some experience—do it for friends or try an open mic night
Some details:
  • Could make: $25,000-$200,000 (a year)
  • A lot of comedians also work as writers for movies, TV, and other live performances
  • Great skills to have: insightful, friendly, communication, persistent, and a love for making people laugh

What else could you do? Be an actor or announcer.

Special Education Teachers

You can truly change someone’s life. Teach, lead, and inspire students who have a wide range of learning, mental, emotional, and physical disabilities.

Special education teachers:
  • Prepare and help students transition to new grades and for life after graduation
  • Discuss progress with parents and other school staff
  • Assess students’ skills to determine their needs
  • Adapt lessons to meet student needs
What you’ll need:
  • Bachelor’s degree
  • State-issued certifications
Some details:
  • Could make $38,000-$95,000 (a year)
  • Work in public schools, private schools, childcare services, and other institutions
  • Great skills to have: friendly, communication, patience, and a love for impacting others’ lives

What else could you do? Be a childcare worker or middle school teacher.

Registered Nurses

Support people during some of the scariest and most stressful times of their lives. You can help take care of patients—from treatments to medicine.

Registered nurses:
  • Provide advice and emotional support to patients and family members
  • Set up patient care during and after hospital visits
  • Teach patients and families how to manage illnesses or injuries
  • Consult and collaborate with doctors and other healthcare professionals
What you’ll need:
  • An associate’s degree in nursing (ADN) or Bachelor of Science degree in nursing (BSN)
  • A nursing license
Some details:
  • Could make $48,000-$104,000 (a year)
  • Work in physicians’ offices, home healthcare, hospitals, and outpatient care centers
  • Great skills to have: compassion, emotional stability, communication, and a love for supporting others

What else could you do? Be an EMT or paramedic.

Social Worker

Protect people, families, and children at their most vulnerable times. You can help people solve and cope with mental, behavioral, and emotional issues.

Social workers:
  • Identify people and communities in need of help
  • Help people adjust to changes and challenges in life
  • Research, refer, and advocate for community resources
  • Respond to crisis situations such as abuse and mental health emergencies
What you’ll need:
  • Bachelor’s degree
  • Clinical social workers must have a master’s degree and 2 years of experience
  • Possibly a state-required license
Some details:
  • Could make $29,000-$79,000 (a year)
  • Work in hospitals, mental health clinics, schools, nonprofit agencies, and government offices
  • Great skills to have: emotional stability, communication, friendly, and a love for helping people in need

What else could you do? Be a community health worker or family therapist.

Psychologist

Love giving people life advice? Take it to the next level by helping others improve their lives and behavior.

Psychologists:
  • Identify and diagnose psychological, emotional, or behavioral issues
  • Discuss treatments with clients
  • Research and identify behavioral or emotional patterns
  • Study cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior
What you’ll need:
  • Master’s degree to Ph.D. in psychology or Doctor of Psychology degree
  • A state-required license
Some details:
  • Could make $42,000-$124,000 (a year)
  • Types of psychologists: clinical, counseling, developmental, forensic, industrial-organizational, rehabilitation, and school
  • Great skills to have: social, observational, patience, and a love for helping others solve friendly problems

What else could you do? Be a physician or a mental health counselor.

Sociologists

Have all the answers to why we are the way we are. You can study society and behavior of cultures, organizations, and social institutions.

Sociologists:
  • Design research projects to test theories about social issues
  • Collect data and draw conclusions from it
  • Prepare reports, articles, or presentations with findings
  • Collaborate with other social scientists and policymakers on research and sociological issues
What you’ll need:
  • A master’s degree or Ph.D.
Some details:
  • Could make $38,000-$141,000 (a year)
  • Sociologists may specialize in: education and health, crime and poverty, families and population, and gender, racial, and ethnic relations.
  • Great skills to have: communication, critical thinking, logic, and a love for understanding human behavior

What else could you do? Be an anthropologist or archeologist.

Rehabilitation Counselors

Imagine helping someone live independently for the first time ever. You can assist others in overcoming and managing the friendly, social, or psychological effects of disabilities.

Rehabilitation counselors:
  • Help people with physical, mental, developmental, or emotional disabilities live independently
  • Provide counseling to help people adjust to their disability
  • Help employers understand the needs of people with disabilities
  • Advocate for the rights of people with disabilities to live in the community and work in the job of their choice
What you’ll need:
  • A master’s degree or Ph.D.
  • A state-required certification
Some details:
  • Could make $22,000-$62,000 (a year)
  • Work in community rehabilitation centers, senior citizen centers, and youth guidance organizations
  • Great skills to have: compassion, communication, social, and a love for making others’ voices heard

What else could you do? Be a social or human service assistant.

With so many caring careers out there, why not follow your passion? You can love what you do!