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?

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’m a teacher. I couldn’t do what you do ^. Such a shame that the police have such a bad reputation at the moment when there are officers like you risking everything to help the most vulnerable.

I think there can be meaning in every job, there are very few jobs that actively make people's lives worse - scammer? Unsolicited telesales? Debt collector? Traffic warden sorry if any traffic wardens reading! I suppose even traffic wardens help make pavements safe and accessible.

But even if you feel like the layers bury the utility deep - if you're an admin person, then you're doing meaningful work by making other people's jobs easier. If you're a cleaner then you're doing meaningful work by allowing people to have a nice environment which contributes to mental health. If you're in sales perhaps you help people to solve problems or find what they are looking for.

Not saying a change is right but maybe in response to @GudiBrallan 's post! It doesn't need to be teacher/charity worker/mental health nurse to make a difference to people's lives. Lots of people make difference in small but meaningful ways.

(Sorry no actual job advice as I'm somewhat seeking the same answers myself!)

I make new cancer drugs (immuno-therapies). I do the part from design to prototype, then other teams do the development and clinical trials.
It's well paid as well as providing new treatments for patients who are out of options. And interesting and rewarding.

Healthcare scientist- direct patient care but have never had a patient vomit and send patients to phlebotomy so don't see any blood!

Fostering.

It's amazing.

Great idea for a thread OP. I too would love to retrain into something more fulfilling.

Speech and Language Therapist has come up on this thread a few times - I would really like to do something like this. My father went to a SLT in the earlier stages of his Frontotemporal Dementia when he had issues with his speech, and she really helped him build up confidence in talking. I thought she was brilliant.

Unfortunately, the only way to retrain as a SLT in Ireland as a graduate is an expensive 2 year masters which would cost me upwards of €20k, not to mention having to relocate to another city 😟maybe someday....

This sounds perfect - can you say anymore without outing yourself? Maybe a range of places that do this sort of thing?

I'm a spy.

I am an NHS Clinical Psychologist working with people with learning disabilities / intellectual disability. Love my job 💕

I work for UNICEF which I find both interesting and rewarding

I work for our local police force, doing DBS checks. It's admin based, blended working, although I can work full time in the office if I prefer. Obviously this is force dependent. It can vary between boring and interesting and everything in between. It's basically safeguarding the young and vulnerable

Are you sure meaningful is the absolute top criteria for you? are you sure you don't mean a well-paid challenging easy job rather than one that grinds you to the bone and you're completely stressed all the time.

Name changed for this - I work in a women's refuge supporting families fleeing domestic abuse
Can be really challenging for a myriad of reasons but really rewarding too

I am a community and events fundraiser for a hospice. I love every element of my job. It can be stressful especially the events side. It can be sad when working with families that are fundraising in memory of a loved one but the job satisfaction by far our ways any of it. the work is amazingly varied and I meet every sector of the community and know that the organisation makes a real difference to people at the darkest times
I came from a sales background and gained fundraising experience via my work with the PTA and a few small fundraising events outside of the PTA. The drive and motivation required in a target driven sales role has stood me in good stead as a fundraiser.

Do you have time to volunteer outside of work? You could be a school governor at a school that really needs people from the community to take an interest?

Work for the nhs as a cancer support worker. No blood or vomit just helping people who have a cancer diagnosis

Occupational therapist. Not working at moment but worked in CAMHS for 3 years before I had my 2 girls. Very hard but very meaningful work

I work in a Legal Aid law firm specialising in immigration and asylum (not a qualified lawyer). It's hard work but every day is different.
There will be volunteering opportunities in this area in most parts of the country, to dip your toe in the waters!

Back atcha @Fifipop185

Parish Clerk - do lots of things like managing a few nature reserves, running community projects like allotments, community garden and community fridge. Parish councils have more autonomy than local councils in my experience!

Policy officer - climate change

NHS, admin for a screening service. We often get lovely letters, cards etc from people thanking us for saving their life as their cancer was caught early through screening.

It's a bit niche, for me, I think, as I have two jobs and also two skill sets - I'm a trained child and adolescent psychotherapist and also a qualified teacher.

I work for two organisations - two days as a psychotherapist doing one to one the other 3 days working elsewhere teaching mental health stuff in education.

I'm very lucky, I know!

Occupational therapist within SEN school and also independent work. Love it. Today I attended a meeting for a child where the decision not to assess for an EHCP was overtuned and they said it was because of my report. Yes we still have a way to go but it was Incredibly emotional to think I've made a small difference in that child and families life.