Deciding on the right career path for you can be a daunting and taxing task. It can seem excessive expecting a teenager to decide on what job they wish to carry out for the rest of the life, which is why, when it comes to deciding on what you wish to study at college and university, you should take the time to consider your personality and what makes you tick. For instance, do you thrive in a collaborative work environment? Are you an empath? For the latter, this can greatly shape the type of work you wish to carry out. But what does it mean to be an empath? How can you decide whether you are one? And what are the best careers and/or jobs for you if you are an empath? Read on for more information to help you decide on the best job for you.
What is an Empath?
An empath is someone who has the capacity to understand another person’s emotions. Typically, an empath will absorb a person’s feelings and emotions and understand what it is that they are experiencing. An empath can also be best described as an “emotional sponge”.
While there are advantages of being an empath (you are a natural-born healer, and usually a sensitive human being who gives), there are also numerous disadvantages. For instance, you may give and give and give until you reach a point of exhaustion. You may also find yourself on the subject of being used for another person’s personal gain.
It is believed that empaths can be quite rare. Therefore, if you are an empath, this is something to be celebrated as you view the work in a unique light and have a lot of love to give. Just make sure you also learn how to look after yourself.
Are You an Empath?
The easiest way to decipher whether you are an empath is to take a moment and ask yourself whether you are more inclined to feel another person’s feelings and almost manifest their emotions yourself. However, it is believed that if you are an empath, you will exhibit the following signs:
- You show a lot of empathy
- You take comfort in nature
- You tend to care for everyone (and fail to not care about others)
- People tend to tell you their problems
- You have a good sense of intuition
You may experience many other things, such as struggling to cope with sensory and emotional overload. You may need help in finding ways to stop being overstimulated so that your quality of life isn’t negatively impacted by your empathetic nature. Being an empath isn’t easy, but it does allow you to see the world in a different light, and you will have many positives that you can harness to make your life and the lives of others much better and more comfortable.
How is this possible? Well, as you are a naturally caring person who can typically provide sound and useful advice for those in emotional pain and need, there are many careers and jobs that suit these strengths of yours.
Below are a few of the best careers for empaths and how you can go about landing them and breaking into the field.
The Best Careers/Jobs for Empaths
Because of an empath’s caring nature, a career in healthcare or a job nurturing children and ensuring that a person is healthy and happy can be the most satisfying. But how do you go about deciding which career path is best suited for you? Here are some suggestions.
1. Registered Nurse
As a nurse, you will be entrusted with the roles and responsibilities of ensuring that patients within a clinic or a hospital setting are looked after and cared for so that they can recover from whatever illness and ailments they may be experiencing. The typical duties of a nurse include:
- Taking detailed health care histories
- Listening to patients and analyzing them so that you understand their emotional and physical needs
- Conducting physical examinations
- Educating patients on healthcare
- Working with doctors, surgeons, and other healthcare staff to ensure the patient is being properly cared for.
Once you become a registered nurse and have obtained a BSN or MSN, you could consider attaining a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). By earning a DNP, you signify that you have completed what is considered one of the highest degrees of educational training within the nursing sector. For more information on DNPs, you can head to Baylor University and take a look at their online DNP programs so that you can expand your career.
2. Therapist
A therapist is a licensed medical professional that usually evaluates, diagnoses and then treats a person who has emotional and mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, and other mood-altering illnesses. You will need to listen, communicate and gain a strong understanding as to why a person may be acting a certain way and apply family systems theories as well as psychotherapeutic techniques that may help a patient cope with their mental and emotional ailments.
To become a therapist, you will need a bachelor’s degree within a related field(that takes around 4 years on average to earn), and then you will also need to obtain a master’s degree (that could take an additional two to three years). You may even want to earn a doctoral degree.
3. Teacher
A career in healthcare may not suit all empaths, especially if you do not deal well with blood. Therefore, the role of being a teacher and teaching the youth of today can be a rewarding career path. Of course, you may wish to become a teacher for a specific field (such as mathematics, English, or a foreign language). You may also want to decide the year group and ages you wish to teach. Do you wish to teach young kids, teenagers, or adults?
As an empath, you are likely to understand another person’s emotions on a much deeper level than someone who is not one. This can be quite overpowering for many empaths, but learning how to cope with these emotions and channeling them into good could help you lead a promising and rewarding career that allows you to help others.
