Careers that involve helping people

At a glance

• People spend about a third of their lives working, and a career that helps others can impart meaning and fulfillment to those years.
• Careers in healthcare, behavioral science, education, technology and business can positively impact other people.
• Discover your educational pathway to a rewarding career using the Find Your Program feature at University of Phoenix!

People today spend up to one-third of their lives — or 90,000 hours — working. What’s more, a growing body of evidence points to a strong connection between helping others and life satisfaction.

Knowing that, it makes sense to look for ways to spend that time in a capacity that applies both your skills and knowledge to the greater good.

Many careers in healthcare, education, behavioral science, business and technology offer just that. Let’s explore some of the options.

Jobs in healthcare

Careers in healthcare can provide the opportunity to help patients who are coping with disease, infection, injury, or behavioral or mental health challenges. Caring for and assisting vulnerable patients is often enriching for that reason.

The first step toward a career in patient care is very often obtaining a healthcare degree. Depending on your career path, this will provide valuable instruction in skills and processes you’ll need each day in a healthcare profession.

Healthcare jobs include the following:

Registered nurse

Becoming a nurse allows you to work directly with patients, family and the community if you so desire. Registered nurses (RNs) provide assessments, perform diagnostic tests and create treatment plans — all of which directly help patients. Nurses also may help manage nursing informatics, which includes the collection and analysis of patient data.

• Salary: As of May 2021, RNs earned an estimated wage between $59,450 and $120,250, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
• Education: RNs can benefit from skills and knowledge they obtain from an undergraduate degree — often a bachelor’s degree in nursing. A master’s degree in nursing can further qualify RNs for a job in nursing administration, informatics or education.
• University of Phoenix (UOPX): If you’re an RN seeking to expand your skills, view online RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees.

Salary ranges are not specific to students or graduates of University of Phoenix. Actual outcomes vary based on multiple factors, including prior work experience, geographic location and other factors specific to the individual. University of Phoenix does not guarantee employment, salary level or career advancement. BLS data is not geographically based. Information for a specific state/city can be researched on the BLS website.

Health information specialist

Health information specialists help manage an organization’s health information: collecting, analyzing and securing health information to identify trends in data that can contribute to improved patient outcomes.

A bachelor’s degree in health administration can help you learn skills to become a health information specialist. To further strengthen their candidacy in the field, aspiring health information specialists may obtain a master’s degree in health administration with a concentration in informatics.

Healthcare manager or administrator

Managers and administrators oversee many day-to-day operations in a healthcare environment, from scheduling personnel to patient care.

Jobs in education and behavioral science

Educational careers provide the opportunity to teach students in a variety of fields. Behavioral science, meanwhile, offers opportunities for both research and hands-on careers.

Some potential career paths include:

Social worker

Social workers help connect individuals, families and communities with a variety of assistive resources and services.

With a social work degree, professionals can contribute to implementing real change across a community. They might help keep children in school, for example, or assist parents in coping with mental health challenges.

• Salary: As of May 2021, social workers earned an estimated wage between $36,780 and $93,540, according to BLS.
• Education: A bachelor’s degree in social work can help you learn how to work productively with families and individuals as well as understand social welfare policies
• UOPX: If you’re eager to expand your skills in social work, consider an online  Bachelor of Science in Social Work.

Teacher

Teachers provide direct academic assistance for students in pre-k–12 schools. They instruct students in foundational fields like science, math and language.

• Salary: As of May 2021, teachers earned an estimated wage between $43,950 and $99,420 per year, according to BLS.
  
• Education: A degree in education can help you prepare for licensure or certification while also imparting skills related to educational theory, classroom management techniques and more. 
• UOPX: If you’re eager to learn education skills that may help you as a teacher, consider online education degrees.

Accountants

Accountants assist with financial record preparation and review, note potential risks and opportunities and suggest advice and solutions for business and individuals.

• Salary: As of May 2021, accountants earned an estimated wage between $47,970 and $128,970, according to BLS.
• Education: A bachelor’s degree in accounting helps students learn skills to be considered for hire. In addition, accountants need to obtain licensure that qualifies them for practice in a specific state.
• UOPX: Bachelor of Science in Accounting

Human resources (HR) manager

Human resources managers play a pivotal role in human resource management. HR managers serve as advocates for an organization’s workforce. They help employees negotiate benefits, understand updates to medical plans and mitigate disputes with other employees. They might also organize social functions or informal gatherings where employees can socialize and network.

• Salary: As of May 2021, HR managers earned an estimated annual wage between $75,000 and $163,360, according to BLS.
• Education: A bachelor’s degree in business with a human resource management certificate can help aspiring HR managers fortify basic personnel management skills. Such a certificate also demonstrates your commitment to the HR field.
• UOPX: Bachelor of Science in Business with a Human Resource Management Certificate

Jobs in information technology

Altruistic careers are also available in the technology sector. Opportunities in cybersecurity and IT allow you to help employees protect their devices and information while working for an organization. The right role in technology will allow you to combine your technological capabilities with a passion for helping people.

Cybersecurity analyst

Cybersecurity analysts work to keep organizations and employees safe from cybercrime. They deploy strategies that help fortify organizational devices, networks, servers and databases from hackers.

Cybersecurity analysts monitor an organization’s IT infrastructure and are responsible for any response to an attempted cybersecurity attack. They also help to educate employees on the best ways to keep their devices and data secure.

• Salary: As of May 2021, cybersecurity analysts earned an estimated wage between $61,520 and $165,920, according to BLS.
• Education: If you’re looking to get into cybersecurity, a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity can help. Depending on the size and complexity of your organization’s IT department, you might also benefit from earning a master’s degree in cybersecurity.
• UOPX: Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity​

When it comes to helping others, opportunities exist a variety of fields. Let University of Phoenix help you find the path that’s right for you!