6 Great Career Paths for Ambitious Empaths
© Ruthson Zimmerman
While finding a career path that feels like the right fit is important for everyone, this is especially true for ambitious empaths, as they are more sensitive, empathetic, and aware of others’ feelings than the average individual. In the right position, this sensitivity and empathy can help you build a successful career. In the wrong role, however, these same qualities can be detrimental to your happiness and overall performance.
Change lives as a teacher
Teachers dedicate their entire lives to helping students achieve their dreams, whether they’re teaching them productive daily habits or changing their perspective with a wealth of knowledge. As an empath who is always ready to assist and has a naturally loving heart, you will be a great teacher. If you pursue a career in this field, you will have the ability to change the lives of your students through motivation and support.
Provide care as a nurse
Ambitious empaths are natural caregivers capable of building strong connections with everyone they meet, and are often attracted to people in need. Since empaths often have a strong urge to help, becoming a nurse practitioner is an excellent career choice. The role of a nurse will give you the opportunity to take care of and heal those who are unwell, providing you with fulfillment and satisfaction in return.
Depending on your choice of career path, nursing can allow you to take care of individuals, families, or even entire communities. But like most other jobs in healthcare, nurses have to go through extensive education and training, requiring a bachelor’s degree and licensing examination in most cases.
Give support as a psychologist
Another prospective career for empaths is psychology. As a professional in the field, you can observe and listen to individuals in order to assess their behavior, and help people in overcoming their mental health problems. This is a great career option for empaths, as you are likely able to connect and understand emotional suffering on a deeper level than others.
To provide the best possible mental health care, it’s recommended to get a master of psychology degree. This will provide you with the extensive knowledge needed to support optimal mental health. Consider an internship as well, to gain some necessary practical experience before you begin working.
Heal animals as a veterinarian
Most empaths don’t only value the importance of healing human beings, but also taking good care of all living things. If you can understand the behavior of animals and how they feel about their surroundings, becoming a vet can be another promising career. This job will allow you to protect animals by researching conditions and diagnosing illnesses, heal and comfort sick animals, and even soothe their owners.
To become a vet, you will need to acquire a veterinary science degree from an accredited university and pass a relevant licensing exam. This is not an easy process, but it will be rewarding in the long run once you see the positive impact you make on animals and communities.
Offer guidance as a life coach
Empaths tend to feel good when other people feel good – this makes them exceptional life coaches. By targeting a person’s unique gifts and skills, a life coach guides an individual on the path to becoming better and attaining greater fulfillment. For some, this could mean realizing that studying abroad is key to their professional success, while for others, it can just be about finding small joys in life in an effort to increase happiness.
Regardless of the specific situation, life coaches can help, inspire, and guide in numerous ways. What’s more, this career path doesn’t require any strict qualifications in many cases, although psychology degrees and appropriate credentials may help.
Inspire others by becoming an artist
The best artists have unique perspectives and often view the world in different ways, much like ambitious empaths. The strong emotion and passion many empaths feel can allow them to produce beautiful artwork and become excellent artists. And translating your creativity to the canvas won’t only aid in self-expression and fulfillment; it can help in inspiring others as well.
Art can be quite powerful at evoking emotion, encouraging critical thinking, and shifting our perspective. Consider becoming an artist if you want to impact people in such a way, whether you decide to undertake formal schooling or develop your skills through expression and practice.
There are a number of roles in which you can utilize your unique gifts and thrive as an empath. Take your skills, preferences, and feelings into consideration before choosing the best career path for your needs.