Some people seek career paths based on potential income, prospective clients, the ability to set their own hours and freedom, or because they’re passionate about a certain field. Others pick careers based on their ability to make a change in the world. The great news is that there are limitless career opportunities available for people looking to make a difference. From the fields of medicine and law to entrepreneurship, non-profits, and advocacy work, there are no shortages of ways to help the world. If you’re hoping to make a difference or change is what you’re passionate about, read on for ideas on careers to look into.

Medicine

If the global pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that essential health care professionals make a huge difference in the world. Whether you’re considering becoming a Family Practitioner, nurse, EMT, or even working in a primary care physician’s office, careers in medicine are not only noble but important to society on the whole.

Before applying for medical, graduate, or nursing school, think about the practice area that most interests you. A simple way to do this is to come up with a specific goal. If you know your aim is to help the world through medicine, you’re already close. Think about your particular interests and skills to come up with a career path that’s the best fit for you.

Maybe you’re great with kids. An effective way to help them might be working for or becoming a pediatrician. You can be on your way to the good work of helping children and families live healthier lives with a little search engine research on how to work your way into family medicine or whatever specialty you choose.

If medical research is something that interests you, you could be someone who writes up case studies or adds credibility to medical websites. For someone who can write, becoming a medical writer and helping give visibility to important health concerns could work, too. You could even freelance for medical groups and facilities and make assignments based on community education or awareness needs as they crop up. Lastly, if you’re familiar with SEO, you could get involved with medical websites and content creation or digital marketing for medical groups as well.

Law

Law school admissions offices are seeing higher numbers of applications than ever before in the United States due to current events. Instead of letting the competition scare you off, let it inspire you. This means that you aren’t alone in your dream of making a difference. Like many millennials, concerns about environmental issues, social justice, police brutality on the news, and more are becoming reasons to apply to law school.

Before you apply, think about the types of law that interest you most. From working as a public defender to prosecuting defendants, nearly every specialty in law can add up to big changes in the world. A great way to understand your specific interest is to become familiar with legal blog posts. Do a search for law firms that produce the best results in areas that might interest you. In paying close attention to a law firm’s website, you might be able to find ideas for ways you’d like to make a difference most.

There are other ways to make a difference and become involved with the law if law school’s not right for you. Maybe you have talent in marketing or years of experience with marketing strategy for law firms. If you’ve been out of the legal market for a bit but still want to make a difference, now could be a great time to dust those skills off.

Owning a Business

As a potential business owner, you’ve already thought about how to show appreciation to your employees. Have you also considered the long way you could go in making a change in the community through your business’s platform or skill sets? Offering free consultations, supporting individual employee advocacy work in the community, and hiring a diverse group of people with unique qualifications for insight on ways to make a difference are just a few ways you could make a big impact.

The great thing about best practice business ownership is that it offers bosses the ability to help out in creative ways. From throwing a pizza party for the community during a crisis to networking with other local business owners for fundraising events, the opportunities are limitless. As a business owner, you could use your flexible schedule to send handwritten notes with gift cards to other people making a difference. Whether running a private practice or owning a traditional marketing firm, you’ll be able to apply your relevant skills, not only to public relations but making the community stronger.

Teaching

Few would argue that teaching is a field where a person can make a huge change in the world. Because the next generation is always the future, helping to shape kids’ minds is no small task. Not only will your work make an immediate difference in the lives of children, but an important thing to remember is that that work will live on for generations to come.

If you’re the type of person who enjoys kids, believes they could pull off a successful parent-teacher conference, and really wants to make a difference, a career in teaching might be the way to go. Even if you already have an undergraduate degree in another field, you can go back to school for certifications and a master’s degree in education if teaching kids sounds right for you.

At the end of the day, if you hope to make a change in the world, it can start with your career path choices. Take time to make a list of social causes, belief systems, and other things you care about. Consider areas where you see needs in your local area and the bigger community. From there, it’s up to you how you’ll make a positive impact on the world.