What Jobs Are Best For Empathetic People?

Everyone has different dispositions and characteristics that make them uniquely effective in their given occupation. Empathetic individuals have the ability to put themselves in the shoes of others and truly feel their emotions & motivations. This is undoubtedly the case for empaths, resulting in them quickly becoming key members within their workplace. This can be a gift and a curse as sometimes being so intensely perceptive of other individuals' emotions can be extremely exhausting, yet holds endless benefits professionally and personally. 

More often than not empaths flourish in fast-paced work environments that involve cooperating and communicating with other people. This type of environment can really bring out the best that empaths have to offer whilst keeping them engaged and focused on the job in front of them. Again, this is due to an empath's sociability and preference for working with others rather than working alone. So, given that empathetic people often thrive in these kinds of environments, which career paths are most likely to provide an enriching work experience for an empath? 

Doctors & Nurses 

The medical field is a common stomping ground for the empath. Becoming a doctor or a nurse specifically is ideal for empathetic individuals. Not only do these roles involve intense, fast-paced environments but they’re extremely reliant on social & communicative skills. The best doctors and nurses are always the ones that truly care and wish the best for their patients, something that empaths can do better than anyone. These jobs require the individual to be a natural caretaker that can uplift the patient whilst helping them with their given condition. A nurse or doctor that can truly understand their patient's emotions will always stand out from the ones that don’t, allowing the empaths with these jobs to thrive within their particular workplace. 

Psychologists & Therapists 

Due to an empath's innate ability to read and understand the emotions of others just by looking at them, they in turn are fantastic as psychologists, therapists and general counselling career paths. The role of a psychologist is to help and assist their patients with mental health issues just like that of a doctor when it comes to physical ailments. A good psychologist needs to be able to listen to their patient’s personal problems with understanding and affection to then give them treatments that change their disruptive pattern of thinking. Psychologists help individuals & families and are primarily talking to people every day, making it an ideal career option for an empath.

With all that in mind, the field of psychology can have some downsides for people's innate empathy as it can be extremely difficult for them to detach their emotions from their work. This often results in the psychologists themselves becoming emotionally drained and exhausted.

HR (Human Resource Manager)

Human resource managers are responsible for the employee policies and procedural processes of a business. They are often in charge of the hiring and recruitment process of new employees. HR managers make a workplace a safe space for everyone ensuring there is zero harassment of any kind which often allows them to build relationships with people within their workplace. If someone is to come to an HR manager with a complaint or grievance, they must have the empathetic capacity to understand where they’re coming from to fully understand the issue at hand and then take the correct course of action. This is why empaths frequently gravitate towards this position and excel at it also. A downside for empaths is they may find the responsibility of firing underperforming employees difficult.

Teachers 

Teaching is a fantastic option for empathetic individuals, responsible for educating others, typically younger people such as children and teenagers. Teachers impart support and direction to their students in hopes of allowing them to reach their goals professionally and personally. It is not uncommon for students to come to their teachers for all kinds of assistance including emotional support, this requires teachers to have a great empathetic aptitude to give their students advice and coping mechanisms to handle the stress of student life. In order to conduct a healthy working environment for students, teachers must be invested in their students 100% so they care about the comfortability and security of the classroom to best help the students achieve their goals. This is one of the very best jobs for any empath; fast-paced & sociable empaths often make the best teachers. 

What Jobs are Bad for Empaths?  

There isn’t one specific type of job that is bad for empaths, however, it’s safe to say there are certain roles that empaths may find harder than others. Roles that take on obligations that involve making tough decisions that impact people's lives, purely for the sake of the business’s success from a detached perspective. Such as executive positions within big companies and or sales jobs that often require the employee to manipulate the customer into making a purchase. Politics is also a role that the empath may find burdensome due to its intense uncompromising demands that typically require the individual to manipulate and lie to get to the top. 

Empaths have a natural advantage over most people because of their empathetic abilities. If you happen to be an empath yourself you can quickly exceed in your given field due to this emotional understanding of other people's emotions and motivations.