You understand when others need help and you’re a natural at looking out for friends and family. Caring doesn’t just stop there. You instinctively care for all sorts of people, from loved ones to strangers, animals and the environment.

Employers value people like you. The smallest act of kindness can go a long way and there are many jobs that your skills. In fact, there are over 130 different types of jobs that suit the skills of the Carer cluster¹.

It’s likely that your interest in more meaningful, caring roles is driven by a strong desire to connect with people and help them through hard times, so they can make sense of the challenges of everyday life.

You want to feel good about the work you do, and you can. You’re in demand and could soon be rewarded for helping to make the world a better place.

Many career paths are both meaningful and fulfilling. For example, when considering purposeful jobs, helping people in healthcare tends to be a top choice. But, although many rewarding positions can be found in healthcare, you may not have considered other possibilities such as jobs helping children or working in a small business.

The depth and breadth of caring roles is large and can cover positions where you help to improve someone’s health, like improving their smile or increasing their self-confidence. Or you might be interested in improving a person’s physical health through diet and exercise. Roles in beauty and hairdressing could also be fun and rewarding.

You might be interesting in being a nurse, medical assistant, physical therapy assistant, dental assistant or hygienist. There are also a wide range of roles in the fitness and wellness industry.

If you’re passionate about animals and a good communicator, you might want to care for pets. Your skills may be suited to working positions like an animal groomer or veterinary assistant who are often required to work on the front line. While listening carefully to understand animal needs is key, you may also need to answer phone calls, book appointments or provide important information on animal care.

Or you might want to help people live comfortably in their senior years. Think about roles in social work or community health like a human services assistant, substance abuse helper or personal care aide.

There are over 3.6 million Australians aged over 65 years³*** and many of them need a helping hand. A job working in aged care means you’ll be interacting with different people every day, sometimes your task may be as simple as having a conversation to offer reassurance and company while others may need more support. Empathy is an important skill so that you can listen and sympathise with how a person may be feeling but employers will also be looking for patience and good organisational skills.

With a variety of job roles available there is an opportunity out there that is the perfect fit for your skills and individual needs. Where there is need for love and care in the world there is a need for a person like you.

¹*Source: Foundation for Young Australians (FYA)
²**According to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) into employment growth in the three months to February 2018
³***According to the Department of Health