The Times Australia
Google AI
The Times Lifestyle

.

Top Careers to Pursue If You Want to Help People

  • Written by Diana Smith


Helping people is one of the noblest things in the world, and if you decide you want to pursue a career that focuses on offering people guidance, support or any kind of healing, you’ll be able to change people’s lives for the better. However, you need to have in mind the fact that you’ll need to be empathic, considerate and most of all patient if you truly want to give your maximum to the people that need your help. If you’re ready for that kind of commitment, then browse through some of the following career options and you’ll certainly find your cup of tea.

Teaching and education

A career in teaching can be rewarding and exhausting at the same time, so before you decide you want to spend all of your working time around children or teenagers, think it through well. While this career allows you to help individuals very directly and see how they grow and progress before your very eyes, sometimes the kids will be so mischievous that you’ll have to put an extra effort into making them behave. Furthermore, schools for pupils with disabilities and special needs are also some of the places where you can pursue your career and help others who weren’t so fortunate to have a healthy life as the rest of the kids their age.

Psychology

Psychology offers various types of careers you can pursue in this field of medicine, starting from health psychologists, to clinical psychologists, neuropsychologists, and to counseling psychologists. If you’d like to help people give up smoking, for example, or some other bad habit, you should consider health psychology. Mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety are the problems that fall under the specialty of clinical psychology and counseling, while neuropsychology deals with problems such as brain injuries. If you’d like to work with prisons to reduce re-offending then forensic psychology is your cup of tea.

Aged care

If you’ve always thought that helping the elderly is something you could be good at, then a career in aged care is something you should definitely consider. Working at a nursing home, or an aged care facility is a great way to take care of the seniors and make their golden years safe, fun and secure. Offering the elderly specialized aged care support will require you constantly being around them, helping them dress, walk, maybe even bathe if they’re facing disabilities. Just as children, older people can sometimes be a lot of work, because the fact that they can’t take care of themselves anymore isn’t always the fact that they accept lightly. Therefore, think well before you opt for a career in aged care, because your main goal will be to help the elderly no matter how difficult to bare they might be.

Social work

When individuals and families need support, one of the options is to turn to social workers. They will do everything in their power to help adults with learning disabilities, mental or health issues, and elderly people live independently. Children in care or families in which there is a child protection concern of any kind are all taken care by a social worker. Fostered children or those that are going through an adoption process all spend a certain amount of time with social workers who manage all of those processes.

Nursing

Should you choose a career in nursing, you’ll be able to work with different types of people. From assisting surgeons and visiting people in their own homes, to being a specialized children’s nurse, or neonatal nurse working with newborn babies, there’s a myriad of possibilities to help people. You can also be a mental health nurse or learning disabilities nurse.

Charity career

There are so many people in need nowadays, so becoming involved with charity work can really be an amazing way to help the less fortunate. You might interact directly with people, if you start working for a charity, or you might have an office-based job. Your job can be related to anything from lobbying parliament, to campaigning, marketing and fundraising. So, you need to be prepared to speak your mind and raise awareness often, so you can help those in need the best way possible.

From education, through aged care, psychology, social work, and to charity, there’s a full spectrum of amazing careers that’ll allow you to help people. Therefore, think well before you opt for the one you’d like to pursue, and make your dream a reality.

Times Lifestyle

Parks Victoria launches major statewide recruitment drive

The search is on for Victoria's next generation of rangers, with outdoor enthusiasts encouraged to apply for one of 62 new roles across the state.  Parks Victoria is recruiting motivated, hands-on people to strengthen our frontline and keep park...

How to beat the post-holiday blues

As the summer holidays come to an end, many Aussies will be dreading their return to work and study as they experience a serious case of post-holiday blues. Jumping back on the treadmill and getting into the groove of work and the busyness and s...

Bailey Smith & Tammy Hembrow Reunite for Tinder Summer Peak Season

The duo reunite as friends to embrace 2026’s biggest dating trend  After a year of headlines, viral moments and a much discussed dating arc, Bailey Smith and Tammy Hembrow are reuniting with Tinder - this time,  firmly as friends.  Following th...

A Thoughtful Touch: Creating Custom Wrapping Paper with Adobe Firefly

Print it. Wrap it. Gift it. The holidays are full of colour, warmth and little moments worth celebrating. From thoughtful gifts to meaningful details, it’s often the personal touches that make this time of year feel truly special. Adobe Firefly, an...

Ash Won a Billboard and Accidentally Started a Movement!

When Melbourne commuters stopped mid-scroll and looked up, they weren’t met with a brand slogan or a celebrity face - they were met with a call to action. “Stop scrolling. Start connecting.” Front and centre on a major Melbourne billboard is Ash, t...

Why Fitstop Is the Gym Australians Are Turning to This Christmas

And How ‘Training with Purpose’ Is Replacing the Festive Fitness Guilt Cycle As the festive season rolls in, so does the familiar fitness dilemma. Between Christmas lunches, late-night catch-ups and the all-or-nothing “I’ll start in January” mindset...

Times Magazine

Shark launches SteamSpot - the shortcut for everyday floor mess

Shark introduces the Shark SteamSpot Steam Mop, a lightweight steam mop designed to make everyda...

Game Together, Stay Together: Logitech G Reveals Gaming Couples Enjoy Higher Relationship Satisfaction

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, many lovebirds across Australia are planning for the m...

AI threatens to eat business software – and it could change the way we work

In recent weeks, a range of large “software-as-a-service” companies, including Salesforce[1], Se...

Worried AI means you won’t get a job when you graduate? Here’s what the research says

The head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, has warned[1] young people ...

How Managed IT Support Improves Security, Uptime, And Productivity

Managed IT support is a comprehensive, subscription model approach to running and protecting your ...

AI is failing ‘Humanity’s Last Exam’. So what does that mean for machine intelligence?

How do you translate ancient Palmyrene script from a Roman tombstone? How many paired tendons ...

The Times Features

5 Cool Ways to Transform Your Interior in 2026

We are at the end of the great Australian summer, and this is the perfect time to start thinking a...

What First-Time Buyers Must Know About Mortgages and Home Ownership

The reality is, owning a home isn’t for everyone. It’s a personal lifestyle decision rather than a...

SHOP 2026’s HOTTEST HOME TRENDS AT LOW PRICES WITH KMART’S FEBRUARY LIVING COLLECTION

Kmart’s fresh new February Living range brings affordable style to every room, showcasing an  insp...

Holafly report finds top global destinations for remote and hybrid workers

Data collected by Holafly found that 8 in 10 professionals plan to travel internationally in 202...

Will Ozempic-style patches help me lose weight? Two experts explain

Could a simple patch, inspired by the weight-loss drug Ozempic[1], really help you shed excess k...

Parks Victoria launches major statewide recruitment drive

The search is on for Victoria's next generation of rangers, with outdoor enthusiasts encouraged ...

Labour crunch to deepen in 2026 as regional skills crisis escalates

A leading talent acquisition expert is warning Australian businesses are facing an unprecedented r...

Technical SEO Fundamentals Every Small Business Website Must Fix in 2026

Technical SEO Fundamentals often sound intimidating to small business owners. Many Melbourne busin...

Most Older Australians Want to Stay in Their Homes Despite Pressure to Downsize

Retirees need credible alternatives to downsizing that respect their preferences The national con...