Every job has its advantages, and what is tedious to one person may be exciting to another. However, there are certain careers that make a tangible difference to society and to the world. Read on for our top five.

Doctor

Doctors make a difference to people’s lives every day. If a person is sick or hurt, they are often unable to keep up with their day-to-day routines. In some cases, their condition can seriously compromise their quality of life. Doctors work hard to accurately diagnose their patients so they can offer them the most appropriate treatment. In addition to helping people heal and improving their quality of life, doctors also save lives. There are many cases every day where a patient would have died, had the doctor not intervened. Some doctors work on research, developing new medicines and treatment options for people with particular illnesses. Whatever your specialism, working as a doctor can be incredibly rewarding.

To qualify as a doctor, you must be prepared for many years in formal education and you usually need to take the UCAT or the MCAT exam. Medical students in the US spend four years on a bachelor’s degree, four years in medical school, and three to seven years in residency and fellowship programs, before they can obtain their medical license.

Working as a doctor, typically in the early years, requires a lot of shift work and unsociable working patterns, but there are plenty of opportunities to specialize in areas such as cardiology, pediatrics, oncology, etc.

Doctors undergo intense training and, once qualified, work hard at their professions. However, most of them continue to work in medicine because they love it and find it rewarding. There will always be a demand for good doctors all around the world. So if you’d like a lifelong career where no two days are the same and you are truly making a difference to people’s lives, medicine could be for you.

Social Worker

Social workers work with people from a variety of backgrounds and with different challenges and problems. The intensity of the professional relationships you form with your clients, and the range of ways you can help them to create positive changes in their lives makes social work a rewarding career option. Every day, social workers have the potential to help not only individuals but whole communities. There are plenty of areas of specialism, including working with refugees and asylum seekers, people experiencing domestic violence and children in care, to name just a few. Wherever your passions lie, as a good social worker you’ll be able to progress through your career at a good rate.

To qualify as a social worker, you’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree in social work, usually a master’s degree, and relevant internship experience in the community. To work as a clinical social worker, you’ll almost certainly need a master’s degree. However, you won’t necessarily need to take a break from work to achieve this, especially if you opt to study for a social work degree online. The flexibility of an online degree means it can fit around your current career and lifestyle very easily. Earning a degree such as this will ensure you stand out amongst others who are also interested in the role.

Social work can be stressful, but in most cases, the rewards outweigh the challenges. If you’d like to help people to make positive changes in their lives, you could make a great social worker.

Care Worker

If you’re a caring person and enjoy supporting others but would rather not embark on many years of university education, a career as a Care Worker might be perfect. As a carer, you’ll offer support to individuals with their daily tasks. A typical morning might involve helping a person to wash and dress, or assist with meal preparation and eating. You might also help your client to arrange outings and family occasions. Care workers, sometimes called care assistants, can secure jobs in retirement homes, hospitals, and other healthcare settings, and in the community. Often, visits from a care worker can allow a person the opportunity to live in their own home and maintain their independence, rather than having to move into a facility. Care workers make a huge difference to people’s lives every single day.

Care workers often don’t have any formal qualifications. You will be given full training once you’ve been offered a position, and that training will allow you to obtain some essential certificates in topics such as emergency aid and moving and handling. Having said that, there will be many further opportunities to gain care-related qualifications, most of which can be done while you’re working and earning a living.

Care workers are in demand all around the globe. If you enjoy working with people and have a caring nature, this could be a wonderful and rewarding career for you.

Police Officer

Police officers are dedicated to serving and protecting their communities. Their main job is to keep people safe and support communities to function better and with less crime. Police officers save lives, whether that’s by catching criminals or arriving first at the scene of a road traffic incident and preforming emergency aid on injured passengers. Officers also educate people, both children and adults, on how to choose law-abiding lives over criminal activities.

To secure a position as a police officer, you will need high school qualifications and to pass the police entrance exams and fitness tests. Once accepted, you’ll be put through rigorous training to prepare you for a life of protecting and supporting your community. A bachelor’s degree might help you progress through the ranks more quickly, though sometimes there are options to study while you’re working in the field.

Police officers have to be brave, clear-headed and compassionate. If you tick these boxes, you could embark on the journey to build a great career as a police officer.

Teacher

Most people would agree that teachers make a huge difference to individual lives and to the world. Influencing the minds of the next generation is an honor, and the effect that teachers can have on young people shouldn’t be underestimated. A good teacher can change a child’s whole experience of school and, in turn, their childhood. Children and young people look up to teachers and see them as role models. That’s why it’s so important that only the very best teachers with solid values qualify. Could this be you? While teaching can be challenging, it’s undoubtedly rewarding.

To qualify as a teacher, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject. This can vary depending on which level you’d like to teach at, and in which environment. Therefore, if you already know that you’d like to teach science to 15-year-olds, check the specific qualifications you would need for this.

Teaching can impact your life in many ways and is certainly hard work. However, if you’re passionate about passing on your values and knowledge to the next generation, it could be a perfect career choice for you.