Expert: Sharon Reed Abboud - 10/29/2008

Question
I have a bachelor's degree.  I did that work for several years but have decided to go on a different path because i didn't like the job.  I was making 50k a year but money could only take me so far.  I need to sincerely enjoy my work.  I am 31 now and have no "fire" to go back to school to get a different degree.  I want to find a line of work that I can just jump into that involves helping others.  I am introverted so no sales jobs like customer service, real estate, etc; I would hate it.  No teaching jobs either.  I know there are those aides type jobs like those in senior/retirement centers, but #1, I would not like having that "clean them up" job and #2, those aide jobs (w/out the nursing degrees) pays way too little, $10+/hr only I think.  

So again, I would like to have some meaning in my work where I help people.  The only ones I'm aware of are social workers.  However, that requires a master's degree I believe.  So what type of "helping people" jobs should I look into that doesn't require a degree?  - a job that I can just jump into and make a career out of?  I understand that with this "helping people" line of work (except nurses), the income will not be great, which I'm aware of.  I'm sure that I will have to take a major pay cut from what I was making.  But so long as I can make 35-40k at the min with benefits and with normal work hours + the idea of having some meaning in the job as a result of helping others, I'll be satisfied financially and emotionally.  What should I look into?

I'm in the USA.

Thanks for your time.


Answer
Carl,

Thanks for your question. There are many possible careers that you can explore. You can start by taking a look at the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH): http://www.bls.gov/OCO/ On the site you can search hundreds of different careers to find out:

*the training and education needed
*earnings
*expected job prospects
*what workers do on the job
*working conditions

You can start by looking at the following categories of occupations on the OOH:
*"Community and Social Services Occupations":
*"Health Care Workers"

In terms of the health care or social services fields, you may be able to find a new career that requires minimal additional education or short-term training. For example, the following health care/social services jobs are listed by the additional education that each job would require. Consult the OOH to find out about any of these jobs:

"Listed by Required Education or Training"

* Short-Term on-the-job Training:
Personal & home care aides
Home health aides
Physical therapist aides

* Moderate on-the-job Training:
Medical assistants
Pharmacy technicians
Dental assistants
Social & human services assistants

* Post Secondary Vocational Award:
Surgical technologists
Emergency medical technicians & paramedics
Nursing aides, orderlies & attendants
Dietetic technicians
Medical transcriptionists
Licensed practical & licensed vocational nurses

*Associate’s Degree:
Physical therapist assistants
Dental hygienists
Cardiovascular technologists and technicians
Radiation therapists
Registered Nurses
Respiratory therapists
Medical equipment repairers
Diagnostic medical sonographers
Medical records & health information technicians
Nuclear medicine technologists
Medical & clinical laboratory technicians
Radiological technologists & technicians
Occupational therapy assistants

Another idea would be to find out about jobs in not-for-profit organizations.  Here is a sampling of a few websites for finding not-for-profit job leads:

*Deep Sweep, www.deepsweep.com
*Nonprofit Career Network: www.nonprofitcareer.com
*Opportunity Knocks, www.opportunityknocks.org
*Philanthropy Careers: philanthropy.com/jobs

I hope this is helpful to you! Good luck!