20 Most Rewarding Jobs That Help People

Working a job that helps others is an excellent way to ensure that your work is rewarding. Most people report higher job satisfaction if they feel like they get something positive out of their career beyond just a paycheck.

Having a rewarding job is an excellent way to help ensure your mental health as well. However, the majority of jobs that help people aren’t tremendously high paying, as the benefit of having meaningful career offsets the difficulties of the job. That being said, if you’re looking for rewarding work helping others, here are some careers to keep in mind.

Key Takeaways:

• There are many rewarding jobs that help people, from social work to financial assistance.

• Picking the right job for you depends on your values and skills. Consider exactly how you want to help other people and focus on the positions that address that need.

• If you’re unsure about whether or not a career focused on helping others is right for you, try setting up informational interviews to ask current workers about their experiences.

17 Jobs That Help People

What are the best jobs that help people to consider during your job search? Here are some suggestions to help you find a job you love.

1. Teacher
   Average Annual Salary: $46,000

   Being a teacher means guiding the next generation. While there are a lot of responsibilities and difficulties associated with the job, you will help kids to learn and become productive members of society.

   A a teacher, you’ll help people in other ways too, such as assisting parents with their kids’ struggles and being another safe adult that children can turn to.

   Find Teacher jobs near me

2. Nurse
   Average Annual Salary: $59,000

   Nurses are always in high demand. In addition to their direct medical duties, such as administering medication and diagnosing illnesses, nurses are the ones who look after their patients. They’re also the ones who advocate for what the patient wants and needs and act as a go-between with the medical team the patient.

   Being on the front line means that nurses spend a lot of their time directly helping others. There are many different settings for them to work in, including hospitals, clinics, private practices, and home care.

   Find Nurse jobs near me

3. Social worker
   Average Annual Salary: $51,000

   Looking for a job that provides support for people in crisis? Social workers help people by connecting them with the resources they need. There are many different types of social workers with different specialties, meaning that you can choose what’s most important to you.

   There are a variety of locations that need social workers, including mental health clinics, schools, hospitals, and private practices. They work tirelessly to help people who find themselves in the direst of situations, including children, victims of abuse, and families in poverty.

   Find Social worker jobs near me

4. Therapist
   Average Annual Salary: $40,000

   Therapists are professionals who are trained to listen and offer support and suggestions to maintain mental well-being. They help people to handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices.

   There are different specialties of therapy, such as addiction, family relationships, sex therapy, and mental illness. However, therapists can help anyone who’s struggling, and even work to help prevent their clients’ problems from escalating.

   Find Therapist jobs near me

5. Financial coach
   Average Annual Salary: $40,200

   A finance coach helps people review their situation and make a plan to improve their finances. They can help you get out of debt, improve your credit score, create a budget, and save for retirement.

   Unlike a finance advisor, finance coaches focus on their clients’ well-being and relationship with money when creating a financial plan. They can help advise clients on how to view their finances, why they’re striving for a particular goal, and even how to talk to a partner or spouse about finances.

   Find finance coach jobs near me

6. Fitness trainer
   Average Annual Salary: $41,000

   Helping others get in shape, eat better, and generally make healthier choices is a fitness trainer’s area of expertise. This career specializes in fitness, meaning that fitness trainers advise their clients on the types of exercises that suit their goals and help them to stay on track.

   The majority of fitness trainers work in a gym, typically working with a group. Others will do private lessons or even private coaching in people’s homes.

   Find Fitness trainer jobs near me

7. Physical therapist
   Average Annual Salary: $69,000

   When someone gets injured, a physical therapist helps them get back on the path to recovery. A physical therapist helps address chronic pain, recovering from an injury, or healing from surgery. They create customized recovery programs that helps patients regain their strength, flexibility, and mobility.

   Find Physical therapist jobs near me

8. Physician
   Average Annual Salary: $180,000

   When people think of a career helping others, physician often comes out near the top of the list. It takes a great deal of education, work, and dedication to become one, meaning it isn’t for everyone. However, most people who make it there find the work extremely rewarding. It’s also one of the higher paying careers on this list.

   Find Physician jobs near me

9. Police officer
   Average Annual Salary: $52,000

   While a lot of a police officer’s job is upholding the law, they also have the opportunity to save lives and help others on a regular basis. Police officers are first responders, meaning that they’re one of the first people to arrive in the case of an emergency.

   There are a lot of types of law enforcement if being a police officer isn’t appealing. There are federal investigators, such as the FBI, DEA, and ATF, as well as state police, correctional officers, detectives, and federal troopers.

   Find Police officer jobs near me

10. Paramedic
    Average Annual Salary: $41,000

    Being a paramedic is an extremely difficult job, as they have to provide crisis care. Both paramedics and emergency medical technicians are first responders, meaning that they’re the first line of support in an emergency. That means it requires quick thinking, being calm in an emergency, and accepting that you can’t save everyone.

    Paramedics provide immediate treatment and advanced life support, as well as transporting the patient to the hospital in an ambulance.

    Find Paramedic jobs near me

11. Pharmacist
    Average Annual Salary: $119,000

    When people are sick or need medications for managing chronic health conditions, pharmacists are there to help. Pharmacists are masters of medicine and know about possible drug interactions and side effects. It’s their job to review and make sure your drug prescriptions are accurate.

    Find Pharmacist jobs near me

12. Dentist
    Average Annual Salary: $134,000

    While no one loves going to the dentist, they’re the ones who keep our teeth and mouths healthy. Oral health is its own specialty, though dentists have to go through just as much schooling as primary care physicians.

    Dentists ascertain oral health and make suggestions to keep teeth and gums healthy. They’ll also take care of health issues, such as broken or chipped teeth, cavities, and gum disease. In addition, they perform cosmetic procedures, such as fitting crowns and bridges, installing dental implants, and making sure that dentures are properly fitted.

    Find Dentist jobs near me

13. Nutritionist
    Average Annual Salary: $49,000

    Nutritionists provide an essential service. The food you eat dramatically affects your health. Nutritionists can help you lose weight, gain muscle, manage health conditions, and more. If you are passionate about assisting others in prioritizing health, self-care, and well-being, finding work as a nutritionist helps you do that.

    Find Nutritionist jobs near me

14. Optometrist
    Average Annual Salary: $231,000

    An optometrist is a doctor that specializes in eye care. While they’re best known for ascertaining if you need glasses, they also take care of your eye health in general. They can screen for eye diseases, as well as check on any abnormalities in your eye, such as cataracts.

    Find Optometrist jobs near me

15. Postal mail carrier
    Average Annual Salary: $52,000

    While delivering the mail may not pop into your head as a career that helps other people, it’s an essential service. The mail service delivers prescriptions, notices, packages, and even cremains. They’re also the only delivery service that is required to service everyone, meaning that they make the trip into rural or unpopulated areas that others won’t.

    Find Mail carrier jobs near me

16. Utility worker
    Average Annual Salary: $29,000

    Gas, water, and electricity are critical services. Other services may include the internet, telephone, can cable service. If service goes down, it’s up to you to get things up and running again. There is a vast range of career paths available for utility jobs like management, gas, engineering, managerial, customer service, and sales.

    Find Utilities jobs near me

17. Chaplain
    Average Annual Salary: $46,000

    Chaplains are spiritual leaders who offer help during times of crisis. Most chaplains are employed by either the military or hospitals, as a way to comfort those who don’t have access to their normal spiritual leader. They will offer comfort, advice, and, if necessary, last rites to anyone who desires it.

    Find Chaplain jobs near me

18. Fire fighter
    Average Annual Salary: $57,000

    While fire fighters are primarily known for their work putting out fires, they also provide other service to help people. They’re first responders, meaning that they show up along with police and paramedics during an emergency. Many of them also have first aid or CPR training, so they can field dress injuries if needed.

    In order to do this job, you have find helping others rewarding, as you’re required to put yourself in harm’s way in order to aid other people. It’s a challenging role, both physically and mentally, as you have to be willing to go into dangerous situations — such as a burning building — in order to save someone.

    Find Fire Fighter jobs near me

19. Service dog trainer

    Annual Salary: $34,000

    Want to help people without working with people all the time? Training service dogs is a rewarding way to make sure that people get the help they need. There are many types of service dogs, from seeing eye dogs, autism dogs, hearing dogs, and ones that help with PTSD.

    While you don’t need a degree to do this job, you will need a lot of expertise in dog training and how service dogs help their human partner. Generally speaking, you’d need to complete an apprenticeship in order to learn what you need to know, but you can also get a certification.

20. Speech language pathologist

    Annual Salary: $62,000

    Not everyone is able to speak easily, and that’s where a speech language pathologist comes in. If someone has a stutter, stammer, lisp, or other speech disorder, then a speech language pathologist will help them overcome it by therapy, techniques, and exercises. They don’t solely work with children, either as they also help clients who have had a brain injury, stroke, or hearing loss.

    This is a rewarding career, as you’ll be able to watch your clients overcome their disability through your assistance and coaching. It’s also one of the higher paying jobs on this list, as it requires a master’s degree. depending on the state, you may also need to be licensed.

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Skills needed for jobs that help people

While working to help other people is a rewarding career choice, there are certain skills needed in order to specialize in the job that helps others. This list goes over the qualifications and set of skills that someone working a career that helps people in need.

• Having a passion for the work you do is essential. A passion for your work will shine through and inspire others around you.

• Empathy is a critical skill to have. Empathy helps you to understand the needs of the people you are serving.

• Communication is also important. You need to be able to communicate, listen, and interact well with others if you want to have an impact.

• Be ready to face difficult situations. Many times the people you work with will be in pain emotionally, mentally, or physically. You’ll need to discover their situation, uncover their needs, and share how you can help.

• Be able to act quickly and make decisions. You may be forced to take action in escalating situations, so critical thinking skills will help you succeed.

• Finally, your integrity is of utmost importance. People are putting their hope and faith in you in times of trouble. They are trusting you to do the right thing and act ethically.

How to find a job that helps people

Finding and getting a job that helps people involves choosing a career path that sounds interesting to you and acquiring the skills necessary for whatever roles you need to land along the way. But once you’ve got your dream job figured out, it’s time to use your commitment to helping people as your way to stand out as a job seeker.

There are a few good ways to maximize your chances of landing a great job that helps people:

• Informational interview. Informational interviews are a great way to reach out to people in your field of interest and learn about what it’s like to work in an industry (at least through the lens of one company).

  If you’re still trying to decide how exactly you’d like to apply your skills to help people, informational interviews can be a great tool for getting your foot in the door.

• Letter of introduction. Whether you’re writing one on your own behalf or asking a friend to write one for you, letters of introduction serve much the same purpose as informational interviews in that they get a conversation started without talking about a specific job opening.

  While these letters can lead to conversations that lead to jobs, they’re also a useful way to get more insider knowledge from someone who works in a career that interests you.

• Resume. Once you’re ready to start applying for jobs, it’s time to let your compassion shine. While your resume is sort of a dry document, there’s one place to really let your passion for helping shine: in your resume summary statement.

  While it’s only a brief section, figuring out a way to tailor this section for the specific job can be just the thing to get you an interview invitation.

• Cover letter. Your cover letter is a much better place to let your personality shine than your resume. Here you can explain the “why” and “how” of your approach to your job, whereas the resume just covers the “who, what, where, when.”

  Describe the origins of your interest in a career helping others or go into more detail about past experiences spent helping people and what you learned from those moments.

• Job interview. Once you’re in the job interview itself, your passion for a job that’s dedicated to improving the lives of others should be super clear.

  Make sure the recruiter knows that they’re interviewing a candidate who cares more about fulfilling their vocation than punching a clock. If your interviewer can see that your commitment to the mission runs deep, they’ll have an easy time seeing you perform well in the position.

Signs that a job helping people is right for you

1. You help others without expecting something in return. People who choose a career in service are a special breed. You have a servant’s heart.

2. You are ready to make a positive impact on the world. Nothing brings you greater joy than knowing you are making a difference.

3. You put others before yourself. Your whole life, you have naturally looked for ways to help those in need.

4. You really connect to people on a heart level. You have a natural ability to hear someone’s hurt and compassionately help them.

5. You stay calm and think on your feet. When an emergency happens, you are the calm in the storm.

6. You do what’s right every time. When people are down or injured, they need someone they can trust in their time of need.

7. People are drawn to you for help. There’s something about you that when people need someone to listen or a shoulder to cry on, they feel safe with you.

8. You devote yourself to helping others. This isn’t just a career for you. It’s a heartfelt mission.

Inspirational quotes about jobs that help people

Here are some truly inspiring words about why people make the career choice to help others.

• “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Jake Goodall

• “We rise by lifting others.” – Robert Ingersoll

• “There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others.” – Mandy Hale

• “There is no greater reward than working from your heart and making a difference in the world.” – Carlos Santana

• “Sometimes just a smile on our face can help to make this world a better place. Stand up for the things that are right. Try to talk things out instead of the fight. Lend a hand when you can. You can help to make a difference” – Robert Alan

• “I think there’s no higher calling in terms of a career than public service, which is a chance to make a difference in people’s lives and improve the world.” – Jack Lew

• “We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don’t know.”” – W. H. Auden

Jobs that help people FAQ

1. What job is most rewarding?

   There are many jobs that can be considered the most rewarding. It all depends on what you feel is rewarding and how hard you work at the job. For example, if you believe saving lives would be the most rewarding experience for you, then a job as a doctor or nurse would be a good choice.

2. Can I find a job that helps people?

   Yes, you can find a job that helps people. However the first step for you is to decide how exactly you want to help people. Do you want to provide for their health, protection, or maybe their financial freedom? These are questions you need to ask yourself while you look for a job that helps people.

3. Will a job that helps people always be rewarding?

   No, unfortunately not all jobs that help people will always be rewarding. That is just a fact of life. A lot of these jobs do come with stresses. However, it is in these stresses that make the job rewarding. It is especially important to focus on the positives when faced with difficulties.

4. What are important skills needed to have to help people?

   Communication skills, leadership skills, and conflict management are important skills to have to help people. Other important skills include:

   • Teamwork and collaboration

   • Building bonds

   • Self-confidence

   • Open-mindedness

Final Thoughts

If you have felt a need for a new career in service, we salute you. The world is grateful for your dedication and caring. When you have a service-based job, you can be proud of the work you do, the person you are, and the difference you make.

Thank you for your commitment and dedication; thank you for your compassion, collaboration, and courage. You are the true heroes, and we appreciate you and your sacrifices more than words can say.

Now that you’ve learned more about a career in service, do these signs point you towards a job that helps others? If you’re led to serve others, consider making a career of it. Here’s to listening to your heart and making a difference.

References

1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – Registered Nurse occupational Outlook

2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics – EMTs and Paramedics Occupational Outlook

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.