The 7 most rewarding jobs to help you start a career you’ll love

The 7 most rewarding jobs to help you start a career you'll love

Before you decide which career path is best for you, it’s a good idea to learn more about the jobs people usually find most rewarding. Choosing a rewarding job can help you avoid burnout and feel more motivated to do your best at work and advance your career. Learn more about what can make a job rewarding and explore a list of some of the most rewarding jobs available.

What makes a job rewarding?

For many individuals, the most rewarding jobs allow them to help others, improve their skills, meet new people, and participate in fun tasks. What makes a career rewarding varies among individuals, but many people look for careers that:

Match their skills: People often feel more satisfied when they’re confident about their ability to do their job.
Offer some challenges: While having the right skills for a job is essential, occasionally, an occupation that doesn’t feel challenging could eventually seem boring and routine. In jobs like these, many people become tempted to do the minimum amount required for a regular paycheck instead of attempting to excel at their work.
Provide learning opportunities: Having ways to learn and improve your skills, like continuing education classes or having a supervisor who acts as a mentor, can help you advance your career. The most rewarding jobs help people expand their skills and learn from experience.
Let them take care of other people or animals: For most people, offering help to others and seeing the positive feelings and satisfaction you create can also lead to similar feelings in their minds.
Give them plenty of flexibility: Choosing a career where you can pick your schedule and make your own decisions on the job can help you feel more relaxed and in control. You can also spend more time with family members and friends and avoid stress.
Offer opportunities for advancement: Knowing that they could get a promotion or a bonus can help motivate people, and receiving rewards for work can make a job more fulfilling.
Pay well: Jobs that pay well and those with good benefits allow people to enjoy their lives when they’re not at work, increasing their happiness at work and at home.
Let them build good relationships with others: Jobs that let you build strong relationships with supervisors, co-workers, customers, and clients are often more satisfying. People often meet good friends or even future spouses at work, and networking with others and finding a mentor can help you advance in your career.

“For many individuals, the most rewarding jobs allow them to help others, improve their skills, meet new people, and participate in fun tasks. What makes a career rewarding varies among individuals.”

The most rewarding jobs

Consider some of the most rewarding jobs that you may want to pursue your career development goals below. Then upload a resume to CareerBuilder and start searching for jobs.

Attorney

Attorneys, also called lawyers, provide legal advice and representation in civil and criminal cases. Some lawyers specialize in certain aspects of law, like real estate or contract law, and others have more generalized experience. All attorneys spend plenty of time preparing legal documents and making court appearances. They can also form very close relationships with clients and competitors. Many lawyers keep the same clients for years or even decades. They may also participate in cases and negotiate with other attorneys they’ve known for a long time.

Real estate agent

Real estate agents help people buy and sell their homes and businesses and often assist buyers with finding their dream homes. These professionals can negotiate with individuals and other agents, suggest home improvements, and stage homes for open houses by adding attractive decor. A real estate license is usually required, and people must take continuing education classes to maintain it.

These professionals can work full or part-time for a real estate broker or company or become independent contractors. They usually spend some of their time in an office and some showing homes to interested people. According to a statistic from Redfin, a real estate resources source for homebuyers, many real estate agents receive about 3% of the value of a home in commissions after a sale, meaning that income can fluctuate due to home values and the number of sales they complete.

Psychologist

Psychologists diagnose and treat a variety of mental health conditions. They can also help couples and families get along better and give people advice to improve their emotional and behavioral health and lives. These professionals usually need a master’s degree, a doctorate, and a license to practice psychology in their state. They often have private practices and work flexible schedules. Some psychologists participate in scientific research, expanding our understanding of human behavior and brain function. Many psychologists write books and research studies as well.

Medical doctor

A medical doctor, also called a physician, diagnoses and treats many different injuries and diseases in patients. These professionals can work in clinics, offices, or hospitals. Some doctors also use telemedicine and video calls to see patients from home. A physician can become a general practitioner or choose a specialty like anesthesiology, neurology, or orthopedics. According to the data-tracking resource Statista, more than a million doctors practice medicine in the United States.

Nurse practitioner

Nurse practitioners complete many of the same tasks as doctors, like diagnosing illnesses, prescribing medication, and ordering diagnostic tests. In some states, nurse practitioners can have private practices. They need at least a master’s degree but don’t have to get a doctorate or complete a residency program like physicians. This job is ideal if you want to care for others in a leadership position without spending the time and money needed for a doctorate.

Chiropractor

Chiropractors help patients with neck, back, or shoulder and back pain by adjusting the spine or various joints. Realigning these body parts can increase patients’ range of motion, relieve pain, and improve their quality of life. Chiropractors can work in pediatrics, sports medicine, and many other specialties. They often have private practices with flexible hours.

Veterinarian

A veterinarian is a doctor for animals. Most veterinarians work in clinics and care for people’s pets. They can also specialize in caring for farm animals like horses and cows or exotic animals such as snakes, lions, and elephants. Vets can complete various tasks, from vaccinating pets to performing complex surgeries. This job can be gratifying for people who love animals, but it can often be challenging. You could occasionally need to euthanize animals with severe illnesses or injuries.

Veterinarians need a bachelor’s degree and four years of veterinary school education. After receiving a doctorate in veterinary medicine, they take an exam to obtain a license to practice. For some specialties, vets also participate in a one- to three-year internship or residency.

The jobs represented above are only some of the most rewarding jobs available. Finding a career path you love can make your life more fulfilling, increase your happiness, and help you obtain the compensation and benefits you seek to shape a rewarding career.