If you’ve always wanted a career helping people, there are plenty of options for rewarding career pathways available to you. A lot depends on who you want to help and how you want to help them. The best way to help others is to show them the ways to help themselves – by forming positive habits. Knowing what to do is often not enough to create lasting change; it is the formation of habits themselves that can make all the difference.  

Finding a career where you can help and coach clients through making health changes and habits can be incredibly rewarding. It is an option that interests many career changers and new entries to the jobs market alike. If you hope to make a solid career out of your desire to help people, you’ll also need to be prepared for the hard work that comes with many roles.  

Life Coach 

A life coach is one of the best careers to move into if you want to help people form healthy habits in their lives. Life coaches work with clients to progress with their goals, whether in work, school or relationships. A life coach will work with individual clients for however long they require your services. This could be a set period, or it could be indefinite.  

You will help your clients by working with them to clarify their goals and determine what is holding them back from achieving them. Habit-changing with the support of a life coach can be one of the most effective ways to make lasting change.  

Dental Hygienist  

Dental hygiene is another area that is vital to get right, though many people struggle to find a good dental routine. By becoming a dental hygienist, you can help people of all ages take good care of their teeth and advise on proper technique and dental health habits. You’ll need to take an approved and accredited course to become a dental hygienist and, on completion, register with the governing body. You will usually work in a dental practice, performing treatments alone or under the supervision of a dentist or dental nurse.  

Therapist 

A therapist is someone who helps their clients work through difficult times, emotions or past experiences. There are varying levels of therapy which all require different qualifications and experience. Many practitioners begin as counsellors and go on to gain additional qualifications to help them progress and treat more complex patients and conditions. Being a therapist is one of the most rewarding career options available. You will need to be caring, compassionate and empathetic to succeed in this role, along with having a good understanding of various therapy techniques.  

Fitness Instructor 

Helping people achieve their fitness goals is another great career option. Many people have the desire to make positive changes and form good fitness habits but have trouble keeping on track or knowing how to begin. By becoming a fitness instructor, you can help people find their passion for sports or fitness and help them achieve the goals that interest them.  

Fitness instruction can cover a range of jobs, including personal training, yoga teaching and gym training. You’ll need a suitable qualification for the role so that you can provide safe and high-quality instruction. The Fitness Group has an excellent range of online courses that can help you into a career in fitness instruction.  

Health Visitor 

Health visitors are a type of nurse or midwife who visits patients in their homes. They work with young children from newborns to 5-year-olds along with their families to help ensure they get the best possible start in life. Health visitors are crucial to help identify potential health concerns in very young children as early as possible, ensuring they get the help and treatment they need. Health visitors will normally start by offering advice and guidance to the child’s family, following up with referrals if needed.  

Pharmacist 

Pharmacists make up part of the essential first line of defence for non-emergency medical concerns. As a pharmacist, you will work in a pharmacy, preparing and dispensing medications based on prescriptions received from doctors. You will also be asked for medication help and advance from people visiting the pharmacy on a broad range of medical topics such as contraception and minor illnesses. You will need to be very scientifically minded and gain a four-year undergraduate and master’s degree in pharmacy.  

Nutritionist 

A nutritionist uses their knowledge of food and nutrition to help people make healthy diet choices. You might work in a clinic or as a self-employed person, but you will need a degree or comprehensive further education in nutrition sciences or a similar subject. Eating healthily is one of the most important things we can do to maintain our fitness, and as a nutritionist, you will be able to provide support and help to people struggling to eat a healthy diet.  

Physiotherapist 

A physiotherapist is someone that helps individuals recover from injuries and improve mobility. You may work with people of all ages who have experienced injury or illness that has limited their mobility. You may also work closely with older adults whose mobility has declined naturally throughout their lives. Most physiotherapists enter the role through a university degree in physiotherapy and go on to work in health clinics or open their own private practices.  

Tutor 

Tutors help other people, children or adults, with studying. There are many different types of tutors, from teaching core school subjects to English as a second language. You will need to have an excellent understanding of your subject matter and the ability to explain complex ideas to your students.  

While there is no specific formal training to become a tutor, it is usually beneficial to have a degree level of education in the subject. Tutors are popular options for students or adults who struggle to learn in traditional learning environments and need a different type of one-on-one help to achieve their potential.  

Final Thoughts 

Careers helping others can mean different things to different people. You should work out what it means to you before making any firm choices about your future. Forming healthy habits can be much easier when you have help from someone else. Habits take time to build, so your role will be crucial in providing advice and motivation to clients to continue with their habit-forming behaviours.