When you were growing up, did you have a clear idea on what you wanted to do with your life? Most people do take some time to finally settle on a career path, but something that many people know early on in their lives is that all they really want to do is help to make a positive difference in the lives of others. How they achieve that they might not be sure, but that feeling of wanting to be of service, of use to others is something that can quickly take hold and stick.
As we think about how to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives, there are certain professions that clearly leap to mind:
1. Counsellor
The term “counsellor” can mean so many things. You could be a school guidance counsellor, for instance, or you could look for trauma counselling training and go to help people who have lived through horrific experiences. There are also marriage and relationship counsellors, mental health counsellors, rehabilitation counsellors, and so it goes on.
Whatever type of counsellor you become, you will certainly have a marked effect on other people’s lives. You’ll be the impartial, fair-minded, rational voice they come to hear that will help them to better understand their problems and find ways to overcome them. Many people in this world owe so much to a counsellor that has helped them at some point in their lives.
2. Doctors and Nurses
While counsellors may help heal our minds, we can’t ignore the amazing impact that doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals have on our lives, too. If you were to visit any family in Australia, they’d likely be able to tell you about how a doctor, nurse or other professional saved the life of someone they know and love.
Life takes a nasty turn if and when you face the grim news of diseases like cancer, HIV/AIDS, motor neurone disease, MS, and more. When the work of doctors and nurses helps us turn our lives back to the sunlit uplands either with cures and treatments, or lifestyle regimens that help us manage our ailments, it’s impossible not to feel a debt of gratitude.
3. Teachers
Teachers often claim that they have the best job in the world, though we also know that they like to have a good moan every now and then. Perhaps that’s warranted when they work so tirelessly and so hard to positively impact our lives. Most people will remember their best school and college teachers well into old age, and simply can’t deny the incredible effect that their teaching style, personality, and educational lessons and philosophies have had on their lives.
4. Emergency Services
Next, we have emergency service workers, which includes police officers, paramedics and ambulance drivers, as well as firefighters.
Others can also include things like mountain rescue, lifeguards and other Coast Guard professionals. These men and women also make a profound difference to our lives, frequently risking their own lives to protect and save ours and those of the people we love and cherish.
What’s interesting about emergency service jobs, too, is how the jobs themselves save people who may have once been suffering from a kind of crisis. Young offenders who retrain as paramedics, for instance, find an entirely new lease on life as they turn everything around. Working to serve others has a profound effect on people in that way.
5. Carers and Social Workers
Finally, we have to mention those who work so diligently in the community to bring hope, happiness, companionship and support into the lives of vulnerable, elderly, lonely, and sick people. Carers and social workers dedicate their professional lives and themselves undergo a great amount of emotional strain just to make other people’s days a bit better.