Careers that help people
Written by Michael Feder
Reviewed byÌýKathryn Uhles, MIS, MSP,ÌýDean, College of Business and IT
People today spend up toone-third of their lives — or 90,000 hours — working. What’s more, a growing body of evidence points to a strong connection between helping others and life satisfaction which might explain why there's a continual interest in careers that help people.
Many careers in healthcare, education, behavioral science, business and technology offer ways to spend time in a capacity that applies both your skills and knowledge for the greater good. Let’s explore some of the options.
Healthcare careers that help people
Careers that help people include those in healthcare. They provide the opportunity to help patients who are coping with disease, infection, injury, or behavioral or mental health challenges. Caring for and assisting vulnerable patients is often enriching for that reason.
The first step toward a career in patient care is very oftenÌýobtaining a healthcare degree. Depending on your career path, this will provide valuable instruction in skills and processes you’ll need each day in a healthcare profession.
Healthcare jobs include the following:
Nursing
Nursing is an essential occupation within the healthcare industry. These professionals offer aÌýwide range of skillsÌýto help both patients and doctors. For example, nurses might assess patient conditions, record medical histories, perform diagnostic tests and analyze results, operate medical equipment and more. What nurses do can also be determined by whether they specialize in a certain field, such as labor and delivery, pediatrics, oncology or public health.
- ³§²¹±ô²¹°ù²â:ÌýAs of May 2024, RNs earned an estimated wage , with a median wage of $93,600, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
- Education:ÌýRNs can benefit from skills and knowledge they obtain from an undergraduate degree — often aÌýbachelor’s degree in nursing. AÌýmaster’s degree in nursingÌýcan further qualify RNs for a job in nursing administration, informatics or education.
Salary ranges are not specific to students or graduates of ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½. Actual outcomes vary based on multiple factors, including prior work experience, geographic location and other factors specific to the individual. ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ does not guarantee employment, salary level or career advancement. BLS data is not geographically based. Information for a specific state/city can be researched on the BLS website.
Health information
Health information professionals helpÌýmanage an organization’s health information: collecting, analyzing and securing health information to identify trends in data that can contribute to improved patient outcomes.
- Salary:ÌýIn May 2024, medical records specialists earned between with a median annual wage of $50,250.
- Education: AÌýbachelor’s degree in health administrationÌýcan help you learn skills to become a health information specialist. To further strengthen their candidacy in the field, aspiring health information specialists may obtain aÌýmaster’s degree in health administration with a concentration in informatics.
Healthcare management or administration
Overall, a healthcare facility could not run properly without management and administration, which makes this a pivotal career for individuals who thrive in detail-oriented administrative work and who also want to have a positive influence in their community. In such a role, they help everyone from their co-workers to patients.
- Salary: In May 2024, medical and health services managers earned with a median wage of $117,960.
- Education: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), these , but education for particular jobs may vary. Experience in an administrative or clinical role prior to applying for these management roles is also typically helpful. An officer manager role does not necessarily require a bachelor’s degree, but an employer might prefer it.
Education and behavioral science careers that help people
Educational careers provide the opportunity to teach students in a variety of fields. Behavioral science, meanwhile, offers opportunities for both research and hands-on careers.
Some potential career paths include:
Social work
Social work helps connect individuals, families and communities with a variety of assistive resources and services.
With a social work degree, professionals can contribute toÌýimplementing real change across a community. They might help keep children in school, for example, or assist parents in coping with mental health challenges.
- ³§²¹±ô²¹°ù²â:ÌýAs of May 2023, social workers , with a media wage ofÌý$61,330, according to BLS.
- Education:ÌýAÌýbachelor’s degree in social workÌýcan help you learn how to work productively with families and individuals as well as understand social welfare policies
Teaching
Teaching can be enriching as you witness your students’ progress and help shape their minds to become better citizens. Teachers can also play a crucial role in helping lay the foundation for children or young adults and their social and educational skills. Many find it satisfying to help mold young minds.
You might opt to teach many subjects to one grade level, or you could pursue a specialization, such as teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) or special education students. Teaching others a new language or creative elective can also be incredibly helpful to students and satisfying for teachers if they are passionate about their specialty subject.
- Salary:ÌýAs of May 2024, elementary school teachers , with a median wage of $62,340, according to BLS.
- ·¡»å³Ü³¦²¹³Ù¾±´Ç²Ô:ÌýAÌýdegree in educationÌýcan help you prepare for licensure or certification while also imparting skills related to education theory, classroom management techniques and more.Ìý
Careers in business and finance that help people
Careers in business and financeÌýmight not be the first thing that comes to mind for careers that help people. However, the right finance or business career can enable you to help others in a variety of ways. You might encourage smart financial management, ethical business practices or other decisions that help people achieve success and fulfillment.
Some examples of such careers are:
Personal financial planning
Personal financial planningÌýÌýregarding investments for long-term goals. It can help people consider options like stocks, bonds, real estate and retirement funds.
- ³§²¹±ô²¹°ù²â:ÌýAs of May 2024, personal financial planners , with a median wage ofÌý$102,140, according to BLS.Ìý
- Education:ÌýAÌýbusiness-related bachelor’s degreeÌýhelps aspiring financial planners learn valuable skills, particularly when they want to work for a larger financial firm. ToÌý, you might also need to obtain a state license or register with the Securities and Exchange Commission.Ìý
Accounting
Accounting includes financial record preparation and review, noting potential risks and opportunities and suggesting advice and solutions for business and individuals.
- ³§²¹±ô²¹°ù²â:ÌýAs of May 243 accountants earned between $52,780 and $141,420, with a median wage of $81,680, according to BLS.
- Education:ÌýAÌýbachelor’s degree in accountingÌýhelps students learn skills to be considered for hire. In addition,ÌýÌýthat qualifies them for practice in a specific state.
Careers in information technology
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity keeps organizations, employees and individuals safe from cybercrime with strategies that help fortify devices, networks, servers and databases from hackers.
Cybersecurity professionals monitor an organization’s IT infrastructure and are responsible for any response to an attempted cybersecurity attack. They also help to educate employees on the best ways to keep their devices and data secure.
- ³§²¹±ô²¹°ù²â:ÌýAs of May 2024, cybersecurity analysts , with a median wage of $124,910, according to BLS.
- Education:ÌýIf you’re looking toÌýget into cybersecurity, aÌýbachelor’s degree in cybersecurityÌýcan help. Depending on the size and complexity of your organization’s IT department, you might also benefit from earning aÌýmaster’s degree in cybersecurity.
Careers that help the environment
Ìýinvolves understanding how people interact with the environment and the effects it may have. It’s also an interdisciplinary approach to supporting diverse stakeholders in mitigating impact to the environment. Helping reduce environmental footprints helps not only now but also can leave a lasting impact for generations. If this is important you, environmental science is a field to consider.
Professionals in this field might work with local governments, communities or private industry to assess the impact of business and community decisions on the environment.
Salary: In May 2024,Ìýenvironmental scientists and specialists earned with a median wage ofÌý$80,060.
Education: To pursue a role in environmental science, you may need aÌýdegree in environmental scienceÌýor a related field. Many organizations offer internships and volunteer opportunities that allow people to gain experience and build their skill set before pursuing a career.
Explore online degree and certificate programs to learn more about careers that help people
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A graduate of Johns Hopkins University and its Writing Seminars program and winner of the Stephen A. Dixon Literary Prize, Michael Feder brings an eye for detail and a passion for research to every article he writes. His academic and professional background includes experience in marketing, content development, script writing and SEO. Today, he works as a multimedia specialist at ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ where he covers a variety of topics ranging from healthcare to IT.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
Currently Dean of the College of Business and Information Technology,ÌýKathryn Uhles has served ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½ in a variety of roles since 2006. Prior to joining ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½, Kathryn taught fifth grade to underprivileged youth in ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½.
This article has been vetted by ¶¶Òõ´«Ã½'s editorial advisory committee.Ìý
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