7 Great Careers For Empaths
Empaths are more discerning than most individuals about the emotions of others. Therefore, empaths typically know how other people feel at all times, while others may struggle to figure it out. A recent YouGov survey in the UK revealed that 51% of Britons think empathy has declined. Everyone needs to pursue a career that feels like the right path, but this is particularly vital for empaths. Your sensitivity and ability to better understand others’ emotions will help you build a thriving career in the right role. However, these qualities can be major liabilities to your performance and satisfaction in the wrong roles.
Here are seven great career paths that will put your empathy to good use.
- Career coaches
Career coaches assist their patrons in identifying, getting, or creating their dream jobs. They help clients achieve their career aspirations in various ways, including professional goal setting, resume and interview coaching, and conducting exercises to find the perfect jobs and industries.
You will also be in charge of keeping your clients accountable as a career coach. In a few cases, career coaches help clients hone their leadership and communication skills, improve productivity, get a raise or promotion, or achieve other goals unrelated to job searching.
Nearly everyone who sees a career coach is either unsure of the next step to take in their careers or struggling to navigate bothersome situations at work. As such, you have to truly get to know your clients to understand their feelings and what they want.
A great career coach cares about their clients and can put themselves in their shoes to discover the best way to coach and help them pursue careers they are passionate about. These skills are abundant in empaths, so you won’t struggle to excel in career coaching.
- Teacher
Teachers are responsible for educating their pupils, which involves many roles.
You will give lectures, develop lesson plans, and create and supervise field trips, science experiments, and other educational experiences.
Teachers also offer direct support to their students to assist them in attaining their educational goals.
You may also have to lead extra-curricular clubs or after-school programs related to the subject you teach. For instance, you will likely be the director for the school play if you are a drama teacher, while you will be heavily involved in anything Spanish, French, and German-related in the school as a foreign language teacher.
According to the British Educational Suppliers Association, there are presently 624,520 full-time teachers in the UK. If you intend to add to this number, it is vital to invest heavily in your students. You must be able to listen to and understand students, one of the best qualities of a good teacher.
Additionally, you should be able to perceive and interpret pupils’ emotions to connect with them and foster a great learning environment. However, it is vital to note that standing in front of dozens of young people or dealing with parents and school administrators might be too much if you are introverted. As such, you may initially feel overwhelmed, but with the correct mindset and skills, you can manage yourself well and thrive in this profession.
- Marketing manager
Marketing managers are responsible for all efforts related to promoting an event, product, service, or company. Depending on what they are advertising, marketing managers may oversee various tasks, including running social media and email accounts, developing and managing marketing campaigns, and conducting market research. They will also be in charge of writing marketing content and materials and analysing and improving campaigns.
As a marketing manager, you must be able to enter into your target audience’s strategies that will influence their perspectives and behaviour. This is your only real way to connect with consumers and improve sales. Consequently, an empath’s ability to understand and interpret others’ emotions is invaluable in this career path.
- Nurse
Statista data estimates that there were 593,000 nurses employed in the UK in 2019 alone.
Nurses offer patients medical care in various settings like hospitals, doctor’s offices, schools, and even patients’ homes. Depending on your specialisation and the type of care your patients require, you may be responsible for various tasks like administering drugs, helping physicians with surgeries and other medical procedures, and reviewing treatment plans with patients and their families.
You may also monitor vital signs, perform diagnostic tests, and conduct physical examinations.
Nurses must be able to support and provide comfort to their patients, two things empaths specialise in. You must also understand your patients’ emotions to understand what they are experiencing and what they may require.
However, much like medical schools, many nursing programs and hospitals are tiring and fast-paced. Therefore, if you can sail through nursing school successfully as an empath, opt for quiet places of work like a nursing home or doctor’s office. Also, remember that your job will sometimes require you to be the bearer of bad news or offer end-of-life care. As such, you will have to develop tougher skin to prevent being overwhelmed by your duties.
- Social worker
Social workers offer assistance and services to help people, families, and communities overcome difficult physical, social, mental, and emotional challenges. Depending on the needs of the population you work with, you might be tasked with helping individuals access food assistance or housing services, mental health treatment, and aftercare plans that help those who leave treatment programs. Social workers may also be in charge of case management for people reintegrating themselves into their communities after passing through the criminal justice system.
Empaths are natural fits for social work because of the opportunity to make a genuine difference in people’s lives, which they may find incredibly rewarding. However, experts advise that empaths in social work should be careful because they may feel drained if some of the cases they handle don’t end well. Additionally, social work requires exposure to some of humanity and society’s most negative aspects, which can take a toll on anyone, especially empaths.
Consequently, ensure that you have a thick skin, healthy self-care routines, and the ability to handle life’s darker side if you wish to thrive in this field as an empath.
- Psychologist
Psychologists help people with mental health issues much like a nurse assists with physical needs. Empaths’ ability to connect with others makes them ideal for the job. Indeed, it is easier for empaths to listen to and understand others’ positions without judging because they are highly compassionate.
Empaths are also excellent at observation, and being a psychologist requires a lot of this to understand human behaviour. After completing your studies and the right training, you can work independently or work for a health organisation. In addition, you can specialise in various fields, from relationship issues to family counselling.
This job can be highly rewarding because you can connect with others and make a difference in their lives by boosting their mental health. However, it is vital to learn how to shield yourself from other individuals’ energy to prevent being overwhelmed by people’s challenging life situations and difficult emotions.
- Human resource manager
Human resource (HR) management is also a great career path for empaths. Working in the HR department involves handling all the worker-related tasks within the organisation.
Your role will involve onboarding new employees, organising team-building events, and executing people management policies and procedures. Furthermore, walking as an HR manager will mean building relationships with workers, which can be quite fulfilling for empaths.
Nevertheless, you will be responsible for some of the most difficult parts of people management, like discipline, so you should have a tough side.
