When you choose a career, it should be a job you love. While having a good salary is essential, picking a profession you feel proud of is more important. When you invest your time and effort in something, it should make the most of your intellect and your talent. Here are some jobs that might be right for you:
1. Powersports Dealer – Radical Racing
If you love adventure and enjoy being a part of the racing world, consider the opportunities offered to managers at powersports dealerships. You can limit your business to only motorcycles or ATVs, if that’s what you prefer. You could also sell PWCs (personal watercraft) in the summer and then switch to snowmobiles in the winter. A company like that could offer motorcycles and ATVs all year long.
There are many enjoyable things to do on power sports vehicles. Some of your clients may enjoy blazing through the countryside with off-road vehicles. If you’re in an area with many different terrain types, selling ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) may be a perfect choice for your clients. If you live in an area famous for water sports, a PWC dealership may work better for you.
One type of power sports vehicle that’s been gaining popularity is the UTV (utility terrain vehicle). Some people call UTVs side-by-sides because they’re designed to transport two seated people. UTVs are great for transporting people or equipment to places where bringing a truck is difficult. If you’re a powersports vehicle enthusiast, selling those vehicles could be one of the rewarding jobs where your favorite hobby can become your career.
2. Teacher – Classroom Creativity
If you love working with children and enjoy using your creativity to help kids build an educational foundation, you should consider becoming a kindergarten teacher. Some think kindergartners listen to stories or finger-paint all day, but that’s not true. Those activities may typically be included in a kindergarten classroom. But a close look at today’s classes would find that the teacher uses those activities to teach beginning reading and math, as well as writing, art, science, and social skills.
To help teachers prepare for this age group, many future kindergarten teachers choose to study early childhood education as their college major. Children of kindergarten age typically have short attention spans. Therefore, their teachers learn to alternate types of activities. For example, the students may do a dance activity (to learn counting and rhythm), followed by listening to a story, and then the teacher might ask them to draw a picture to illustrate the story.
Within each formal lesson and each physical activity, the kindergartners learn the basics of social skills. They will learn to take turns, perform as part of a team, and follow rules. They may find it challenging to share their belongings, and that’s another skill they’ll need to learn. As the year passes and these youngsters learn to take responsibility for their assignments, you’ll be able to see why this is listed as one of the most rewarding jobs you may truly enjoy.
3. Crane Operator – Lifting the Loads
If you enjoy being part of the construction of buildings and are fascinated by the ability to lift and lower equipment, you may enjoy working for a company that offers crane service. When working as a crane operator, you’ll be part of a construction crew, and participate in many of their rewarding jobs. According to Heavy Equipment Training, a construction training school, a crane operator can earn $10 -$20 more than a general construction worker.
If you enjoy being part of a group creating safe structures for people to live and work in, being a crane operator is a good job to take. Seeing the equipment rise and fall and knowing your skill is causing that action can be exhilarating. It may feel like being part of a team assigned to put a puzzle together- and you are the one who gets to place the pieces on the edges. There is a consistent demand for trained crane operators, so you will likely have your choice of jobs.
As you work with your team, you will learn a lot about the crane you operate and how it works. If you want variety in your daily routine, you can attend classes at a local crane repair instruction course. You can find a course at a trade school or vocational school. According to the career education website Learn, a heavy equipment mechanic, such as a crane repair mechanic, would earn over $55,000 annually.
4. Vet – Assistance to Animals
Caring for and keeping animals healthy can be one of the most rewarding jobs an animal lover can imagine. A veterinarian is an animal doctor who examines and treats animals at clinics, kennels, zoos, and other places where animals live. Many vets choose to limit their practices to one type of animals. For example, they may work with large zoo animals or pets like dogs and cats.
Veterinarians need to get a bachelor’s degree in biology or zoology and then to complete a 4-year degree in veterinary college. After that, you may choose to invest more years of study if you decide to pursue veterinary research. These scientists study how diseases affect animals and better ways to treat them – including developing better pet medicine. Some veterinarians work in companies that make pet food or pet supplies.
For every veterinary practice, there are inherent risks that are associated with the job. To identify these risks, a risk assessment must be completed by the management of each practice. After the risks are found, it’s the responsibility of the management to take whatever actions are necessary to prevent these identified risks from occurring. If a veterinary risk assessment isn’t completed, it may lead to fines and possible imprisonment.
5. Home Builder – Be a Builder
A home builder might be involved in many activities as part of a construction crew (along with the crane operator). Depending on your experience and training, you may be tasked with carpentry, masonry, or materials preparation. All these rewarding jobs are essential in the home-building process. Everyone works under the direction of the construction crew boss.
You can receive training for construction trades at a vocational school or trade school. As a home builder, you may discover that your assigned task is different every day. You may find yourself assigned to a team of design build contractors. This type of project involves the designer of the building as part of the overall team- and the designer works with the team to ensure the building follows the design.
You might be part of a team making specific kinds of buildings. For example, your team may work with a company that makes storage buildings. You may be part of a team of pole barn builders. Although pole barns are often made by their owners using a kit, some companies sell pole barns ready-made.
6. Social Worker – Speak for Society
Social workers are responsible for assisting people who need help from a government or legal agency. A social worker might have many different roles – depending on what sort of agency they work with. They help people of all ages but may instead be responsible for supporting a family or community. Being a social worker is one of the rewarding jobs that can directly help people get the necessities for their lives.
Some social workers specialize in adoption – at adoption agencies or at lawyers’ offices where adoptions are arranged. Other social workers can work with people on welfare or those in homeless shelters. Most healthcare institutions have one or more social workers to help their clients with various issues. State and federal agencies also hire social workers to research and intervene in problems found in their areas.
Becoming a social worker requires at least a bachelor’s degree. During their studies, the students must do some supervised social work with clients. After their graduation, they can go on to get a master’s degree. Some prefer to take courses in psychology so they can work as personal counselors.
7. Forensic Lab Workers – Examine the Evidence.
You may have seen TV programs about forensic examiners, and you might think forensics is a fascinating field. Forensic science involves collecting and analyzing evidence from a crime scene. The evidence is gathered and tested in a forensic lab, and then a trained detective evaluates the evidence to determine its significance. All the forensic team members have rewarding jobs because they work together to further the cause of justice.
Forensic testing is done on all types of evidence, including blood and other body fluids. In addition, forensic technicians might examine paper (for its watermark), handwriting, clothing, and other residue from the crime scene. They will also learn how to analyze fingerprints, which can be a complicated process. DNA analysis has become a central part of suspect identification, and the forensic technician learns how to detect if the suspect could be the person who committed a crime.
To become a forensic lab technician, you need a bachelor’s degree in biology or chemistry. Because of the specialized knowledge required by those in the forensic field, you’ll need to gain experience working with an experienced forensic lab technician. They must learn many types of tests and their significance, like ballistics tests.
8. Pharmacy Technician – Pharmacy Partners
If you’re interested in a profession that helps people get the medicine they need, you might want to become a pharmacy technician. A pharmacy technician is responsible for counting, packaging, and labeling medications for clients. If the pharmacy ‘tech’ works in a local drug store, they may also answer the phone and work as a cashier. Pharmacy techs can also work in hospitals, nursing homes, pharmaceutical companies, and veterinary offices.
To become a pharmacy tech, you can enroll in a pharmacy technician certification program and qualify to apply for a pharmacy technician’s certificate. There are also programs where you can study and earn an associate degree in pharmacy technology. Some people who want to become a pharmacist may decide to work as a pharmacy tech while in training for their degree in pharmacy. They may do this to familiarize themselves with the atmosphere of working in a pharmacy.
A pharmacy tech’s duties will vary according to which setting they work in. People who are pharmacy techs may feel they have rewarding jobs because they play a part in helping people feel better. No matter where a pharmacy tech works, they are supervised by pharmacists. Each state has different laws and regulations about what a pharmacy tech can do.
9. Recreation Assistant – Lighting Up Lives
Recreation assistants work in nursing homes and hospitals to help patients do enjoyable activities during their stay in those facilities. With nursing home residents, the recreation assistant helps to increase their quality of life. All these settings can provide the recreation assistant with many opportunities for rewarding jobs. These positions need a high school diploma and experience working with the age group at the facility that hires them.
Activities at nursing homes may include reading and discussing the news, word games, showing movies, playing cards, and bingo. At some nursing homes, the recreation department will collaborate with the dietary department for an “international cruise.” This week would feature a daily program about one country the group is “visiting.” Each food would be from the “visited” country, on each day of the week.
The recreation assistants’ role is to help children use playful activities to work out their feelings about their illnesses. For example, if a child is scheduled to have surgery, the recreation assistant may give them a doll where they can pretend to “do surgery.” They can play typical childhood games with other children and feel relief from being poked and prodded. Children can often use art or dancing to express their feelings about their hospitalization.
Choosing your career involves a series of decisions, and you should choose a career that makes sense to you. If these jobs aren’t right for you, don’t stop searching until you find the job that resonates with your soul. Start with a course at a community college that interests you – and see where that leads you. Best wishes for your future!