The 2021 Great Resignation came about as a pandemic-era economic trend where people decided to quit their jobs voluntarily. In retrospect, a wonderful thing about it is that many shifted to jobs that help people.
Why is it so? The world seems to be undergoing a rise in consciousness. The more modern paradigm embraces a life of love, connection, and healthy choices, where people realize it’s better to connect rather than live in separation.
So if you want to join in and explore a career path that lends a helping hand, keep reading.
Spoiler alert: supporting others will have the bonus consequence of you helping yourself as well. Enjoy.
Necessary skills you’ll need for careers that help people
What kind of skills do you need to perform in jobs that help people? The list can be extensive, but compassion, patience, and self-awareness are three incredibly important qualities that set the foundation for this career path.
1. Compassion
When your heart is full of compassion, you’ve got enough to give to others while having enough resources for yourself.
Why is that? Because there is a difference between compassion vs. empathy.
When it comes to being empathetic, you automatically could get overwhelmed by emotions and situations that do not belong to you.
However, when compassion leads the way in your work, you can provide support and care with a detached frame of mind. As a result, you can see the solutions with more clarity and objectivity, which will benefit both you and the people you wish to help.
2. Patience
It’s important to understand that no matter how much we’d love to help everyone around us, people have their own pace of changing or even accepting support.
It depends on each individual context of life and what they need help with, of course. This will be different for everyone and that is why it’s essential to have a reservoir filled with patience. You’ll most likely fuel yourself with it. A lot.
3. Self-awareness
Being conscious of your thoughts, actions, and emotions is a great starting point when you’re working with others. Self-awareness helps you make sounder decisions, build stronger relationships, and communicate more effectively.
While helping people can have amazing benefits, there are times you can get triggered.
Why? Well, people will act as mirrors in the external world. And whenever a part of us gets active during an interaction with someone else, it means there are aspects of our psyche that want to be integrated.
Once you develop a minimum level of self-awareness, you’ll see every triggering moment as an opportunity for personal growth, a.k.a., doing some shadow work.
Jobs that help others
In case you’re looking for a career change, here are some ideas of jobs that help people for you to check out. Keep in mind that a career transition doesn’t happen overnight, so taking it one step at a time is always advisable once you find the suitable path for you.
Full-time job ideas
1. Energy healer
Who’s it for: People passionate about healing the physical and emotional body through energy work, who are interested in a holistic approach.
Main duties:
- Treating clients by using energy healing techniques
- Activating the healing process
- Preparing clients’ medical history
- Supporting your clients along their healing journey
- Identifying energy blockages and finding the right treatment for each of them
Average salary per year: $168,234
Where to start: Any course that teaches how to use energy in order to heal, for example, the Energy Medicine Quest by Mindvalley.
2. Life coach
Who’s it for: Life coaching is for those who are passionate about improving people’s quality of life and overall well-being. A life coach can work on leveling up any area of a client’s life, be it emotional, relational, financial, or spiritual.
Main duties:
- Generate progress in your clients’ lives
- Teach people how to regulate their emotions and behaviors
- Focus on the client’s advancement toward a set goal
- Work with your clients on the blockages they encounter toward their goals
- Create optimal action plans for your clients to achieve their purpose, no matter what area of their life they want to work on
Average salary per year: $52,054
Where to start: Any life coaching certifications attested by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), for example, the Mindvalley Life Coaching Certification. This is not only a great starting point, but will also make you qualified and eligible for the job.
3. Health coach
Who’s it for: People passionate about holistic health, including fitness, nutrition, and emotional hygiene are perfect candidates to be a health coach.
Main duties:
- Teach people a holistic health protocol that will improve their well-being
- Support your clients to create new healthy habits
- Create nutritious meal plans for your clients
- Plan an efficient fitness routine compatible with your client’s goals
- Help your clients shift their focus from challenges to action steps
Average salary per year: $61,817
Where to start: Any training course in health coaching, such as the Mindvalley Holobody Certification. This course will provide the necessary qualifications for you to start your actual coaching career.
Part-time job ideas
If diving headfirst into the deep end isn’t your style, then try out the waters of these careers that help people instead. Here are some job ideas that you could do part-time until you figure out what you like.
4. Public speaker
Who’s it for: People who are passionate about delivering information to a large audience on a specific subject they’re focused on. It can be personal growth, social change, financial advice, or a niche subject from their current field of work.
Main duties:
- Conducting pre-speech research
- Meeting with companies to discuss speech topics
- Writing the speech script
- Rehearsing and perfecting the speech before it’s delivered
- Speaking in front of large audiences of people
Average salary per hour: $44
Where to start: You can learn everything you need to know for delivering the best speech from public speaking courses, such as the Speak and Inspire Quest by Mindvalley.
5. Parents support group facilitator
Who’s it for: People who are already parents and would enjoy organizing a support group for their local community. The topics discussed could include conscious parenting, struggles, connecting authentically to your children, or how a parent can prioritize oneself when having children.
Main duties:
- Conducting support groups where people feel safe to open up and share their experiences
- Researching discussion topics
- Preparing suitable activities that would inspire parents to nurture better relationships with their children
- Facilitating an open space for people to connect
- Supporting other parents with their struggles
Average salary per hour: $25
Where to start: Besides group facilitator training, you will need a parenting course that will provide the appropriate guidance and information. You can check out the Conscious Parenting Mastery Quest by Mindvalley.
6. Health or life coach
As mentioned before, these two professions could offer great flexibility for someone just starting their coaching business. What is truly great about them is that you get to choose the amount of time spent and the number of clients you want to work with.
How to get a dream career that makes a difference
A career in service of others will most likely bring more satisfaction and rewards than you could’ve ever imagined. Jobs that help people might also pay well, create profound connections, and nurture your altruistic self which will only lead to more fulfillment and joy in your life.
- Focus on your strengths. Make a list of your qualities related to jobs that help people.
- Decide on what you would like to help people with. Will you assist them to improve their health? Or maybe learn a new skill? Perhaps living a happier life?
- Find your niche. It’s important to understand who you would like your potential clients to be.
- Get a certification. It will speed up the process of learning the required skills for your newly chosen career.
- Evaluate your past. What mistakes have you made professionally that helped you grow? See how you can act differently when choosing a new career.
We all need a little bit more support — with the times that we’ve had and the times that are coming — from somebody who can really help us navigate life, and coaches come in handy.
— Ajit Nawalkha, co-founder of Evercoach by Mindvalley
Be a changemaker
The world needs more compassion. And when we choose jobs that help people, we do our part for humanity. Knowing that we get the chance to make an impact on someone else’s life will completely transform our own.
If you’re ready for this great transformation in your career, Mindvalley is the place for you. In addition to a variety of transformational growth programs to find more clarity in your professional journey, you can also choose to get certified as a coach and start a new path.
You get the guidance, tools, and support you need to make the best out of it. And you will.
