If you have a meaningful job - what do you do?

[workwithmeaning]

Meaningful = something that helps someone in the community or changes the local area / environment or lives for the better somehow.

I can't keep working in Sales Admin. It's frivolous, meaningless and pointless.

I want a career change and I want to make a difference to this shit sad little world. Happy to earn NMW.

I live in Cornwall. Charity jobs here are rare and I don't want to WFH.

Local Authority here is a toxic hell hole full of suffocating red tape. Including TA roles 🤢 I am degree educated.

I faint at the sight of vomit and blood.

Any ideas?

Foster Carer

I look after a 16 year old boy with learning disabilities. He has been with me since he was 5.

I have name changed for this. I have been an undercover police officer for over 20 years. Have infiltrated drug suppliers, terrorism cells and disrupted child abuse distribution. I'm burnt out. Don't tell a soul about my work but know I've done my best in my career. Breaks my heart that policing has a terrible reputation. Rightly so. I have worked with the best of the best.

I work in the energy sector, trying to stop global warming. It has a historically bad rap, but mining is going to be really really important for batteries, solar panels and wind farms and is coming back in Cornwall. Mining companies need sales people, admin and managers too.

I am a senior leader in a school. One of my responsibilities is safeguarding. I love it. There are times that I feel totally wrung out but it feels important.

Loving these so much - thank you for your stories and inspiration.

My current role was only ever supposed to be temporary. I am highly qualified in other areas and have had the most amazing career before relocating to Cornwall for DHs job.

Jobs here are mainly seasonal and nothingy. Our customers are very rich and they talk to us like shit.

I just wish my role involved helping someone / something rather than helping the rich get richer. If that makes sense?

Just feels hollow, shallow and its making me resentful. I've always loved working and never felt like this before but the job market is awful here.

My degree is STEM so I could easily follow a teaching pathway. I'm well known for being empathetic, happy and kind.

I'm sure the products you help sell are useful or improve someone's life.

Don't feel your job is only valid if it is public sector!

Having said that I'm a chief finance officer, now in a multi academy Trust, after 25 years in manufacturing.

Employment and Training Officer, helping our tenants (work for a housing association) to upskill, gain qualifications, find employment.

Probation Service Officer. It’s a recent career change and I love it although it’s a huuuuge responsibility for relatively little pay. I’ll be working my way up to a full Probation Officer though and then it’s OK money. I meet people from all walks of life and it’s really interesting and busy. I used to work in education for the local authority and agree that it’s toxic and doesn’t have the children’s best interests at heart which is why I left.

I work in children's mental health (not CAMHS!!)

A mixture of one on one interventions and teaching mental health stuff.

It's cool and I enjoy it but I deliberately mix up the one to one work with the taught stuff because a full time caseload of traumatised / suicidal / self harming kids is a one way ticket to burn out for me.

Educational Psychologist. I have a split role working half the week in a neuro developmental team carrying out autism assessments and intervention. The other half is working with schools/ children/parents.

my sister works for the police- she also has a STEM background.

she initially got a job in the intelligence office, utilising he research knowledge to put together stats and reports on crime pattens. She’s moved around a few times for different roles- one was tracking ANPR and analysing for patterns.

pay’s a bit shit of course but apparently they are quite encouraging re. Promotion and careers- they are so diverse they rarely lose staff, they just move dept to dept.

she found it easy to get in at that level with her background, but many of her colleagues started as a 999 call handler as recruitment is pretty constant, and people use it as a way to get in and move on after 6 months.

Secondary school librarian. I am able to offer a safe space for the most vulnerable students - whether SEN or pastoral issues. I'm not a teacher so less of an authoritative figure so students often open up to me. I've helped diagnose dyslexia and autism in students that confessed that they "didn't know what was wrong with them" by being in the right place at the right time (and obviously referring to SENCO). I usually get the same students every break and lunch as they're the ones that are often overwhelmed in a large school setting. I absolutely love my job 😊

@Lastnamedidntstick I would really enjoy a role like that! That's right up my street. I think the police are mainly based in Exeter but I'll have a look!

Paediatrician in the NHS. There are times that it is fucking crap. It's stressful, there aren't enough of us to do the job properly, outpatient delays are piling up, there's a bullying culture, it's wrecking my health... But sometimes, you make a difference to a child's life, and it feels great. And very occasionally you literally save a child's life. And nothing in the world can possibly beat how you feel after that. It makes all the crap worthwhile.

Private housing association providing homes for those aged over 55 and/or vulnerable. No two days are the same. Everyone deserves a safe place to call home. I just wish we had more properties.

Worked in lots of industries prior to this and I do feel like I'm making a real difference to someone.

I don't know if you'd count it as meaningful, but I find a lot of meaning in my job. I work in a plant nursery. I love that everything I do is aimed at making someone happy, or putting them in closer contact with nature. I love seeing people buy beautiful trees that will support whole ecosystems, or helping them choose plants that will encourage bees, or whatever it might be. It's very lowkey compared to other jobs mentioned here, but I mention it because I know Cornwall definitely has good nurseries. It's not hugely well paid, but quite a way over minimum wage. Worth a thought.

Careers Adviser. Currently work in universities but have worked witness young people in schools and colleges.
Very rewarding

Architect/Engineer. Have worked mostly in the public sector. It’s hard, but I find it very rewarding.

Education officer for environmental charity.

Was a teacher for 20 years

Thank you for everything you do.

I have a good friend who has now left policing after working in child protection and she says she has seen things that we could never imagine in our darkest darkest nightmares and will haunt her until the day she dies.

there are no words. There are many people who are not fit to be officers , but there are also many many officers who quietly get on with their job and who have literally stared evil in the eye. Thank you for everything you do

I have a price on my fictitious head. I'm sorry to say I have seen more people get away with the most abhorrent crimes than are currently sat in a cell.

I'm the team manager for the family safeguarding team in our city's substance misuse service. We offer intensive support to people with addictions to try and improve the outlook for their families whether that be together or apart. We work very closely with social care.

Adult acute speech and language therapist specialising in critical care. There is not one day goes by that I don't feel grateful for having such an amazing, challenging and rewarding job!

TA in a Secondary school for young people with special needs. Best job iv ever had, I am also degree educated. So so rewarding and well worth being skint for. I love my job.

I just want to say thank you to everyone for all you do in your careers. I'm in awe!