If you’re finding that going through the motions of your daily work schedule is less than fulfilling, it may have something to do with the level of ‘purpose’ you feel from your current work. While we all need to earn enough money to pay the bills and support our lifestyles, it’s easy to lose some of the motivation to continue on the same career path if we don’t feel as if our work is having a real and positive impact on the world.
If you’re looking for a way to find more purpose from your work, here are three career moves where you can give a little back and find a renewed sense of fulfilment.
- Social work
While it comes with its fair share of challenges, social work can also come with plenty of rewards.
While social work roles are wide and varied, they typically focus on assisting people who are facing a range of social, financial, mental, discrimination or other issues. Much of your work would likely involve making assessments to identify the various strengths and weaknesses of individuals and their circumstances, and providing the necessary support and recommendations to empower them to make positive changes and manage the situation as best possible.
You’ll need a degree in social work (BA) or master’s degree in social work to get started in the industry. While it will take a while to obtain the required qualifications to start working in the field, it’s well worth considering if you think it could be the career change you’ve been looking for. Most education providers also offer part-time or distance study arrangements so you can compete your qualification while continuing to work in your current role.
- Nursing
If you or a loved one has ever been admitted to hospital with a serious injury or illness, you’ll know just how valuable nurses are.
While doctors typically receive the most recognition for the work they do helping sick or injured patients (and with good reason), the care provided by the dedicated nurses who tend to patients’ both day and night is also an essential component of any patients’ recovery. In fact, it’s the nurses that are the primary carers the majority of the time patients receive treatment, making their skills and knowledge invaluable.
With a seemingly continual shortage of nurses in the UK, if you complete a diploma of nursing it’ll open plenty of doors to start working in the field as well as giving you the opportunity to pursue further education or specialisation in a particular field down the track.
- Volunteering
If you don’t want to throw in the towel in your current role but still want to gain a deeper sense of satisfaction from your work, volunteering could be a great option.
Whether it’s providing youth services and mentoring, getting involved with events, promotion and fundraising, working on community engagement strategies, brightening the days of those in aged care, or offering your professional skills to help a not-for-profit organisation, the opportunities really are endless.
While volunteering may not be a sustainable long-term option for you, it can still be a great way to gain experience and help you decide if you’d like to pursue more permanent employment in the field.
A good place to start is by visiting a website like Do-it, which connects you to a large database of a wide range of volunteering opportunities across the UK to see if there’s anything that sparks your interest.
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