6 Jobs That Make a Difference and Pay Well

If you’re going to spend the next few years of your life working on something, it might as well be on jobs that are meaningful and pay well.

Meaningful jobs that pay well often result in better life satisfaction and lower burnout cases. If you can choose between a job that provides you with a sense of fulfillment over one that you have to struggle to stay awake for, the choice would become pretty obvious.

If these kinds of jobs speak to you, here is a list of 6 jobs that make a difference and pay well.

1. Network Engineer

Network engineers are the people you go to for help with keeping your computer networks running. As a network engineer, you are essentially responsible for the technological infrastructure of an entire company.

Does that sound like a lot of responsibility? That’s only because the work that you do will be crucial for companies to run well. You are there to work on higher-level tasks such as designing and updating current networks, which involves a lot of knowledge.

Network engineering pays an average of $54 an hour, which is suitable compensation for the important work you will be doing. It is also considered a fast-growing occupational field, meaning you are likely to experience job security within the industry.

2. Radiation Therapist

A radiation therapist is a professional that a lot of cancer patients will meet quite regularly. They perform ionizing radiation to treat diseases and collect relevant patient information regarding the treatment of their illness in general.

As a radiation therapist, you will be working in a team and with a radiation oncologist. You will also be responsible for acting as part of the patient’s support system throughout their treatment. This means that you will have to be a good communicator and be able to understand and emphasize with your patients.

In this sense, the job is highly meaningful, as you are not simply helping patients get better, but you are also providing emotional support during a turbulent moment of their lives.

The average pay for a radiation therapist is $34 per hour.

3. Veterinarian

As a veterinarian, you will be taking care of one of the most important aspects of people’s lives: their pets. You are the go-to person for every health concern over the beloved pets of people.

Your job description includes assessing for different health concerns, performing animal surgery, testing and vaccinating, and even euthanizing certain animals. As a veterinarian, no two days will look the same. The pets you encounter will be different and will color your days with some excitement.

If you are looking for a meaningful job and love pets, becoming a veterinarian can be the best choice for you.

The average pay for a veterinarian is $50 per hour.

4. Pharmacist

Being a pharmacist is one of the meaningful jobs that pay well. You make sure that people medicate safely and according to the right prescriptions. If you work in hospital pharmacies, you will prepare the drugs and double-check if the doctor’s notes are accurate.

Part of medical malpractice is misdiagnosis or prescribing the wrong medication, so your job is highly important both for the wellbeing of your patients and for ensuring healthcare professionals and hospitals don’t get sued.

As a pharmacist, you will have to undergo a lot of research to keep up with newer medication. If you are into the research segment of the job, there are also other HBCU research roles that you can explore that are meaningful and pay well.

You will also receive a relatively high salary for your role as a pharmacist. This ensures that your day-to-day occupation is something that provides meaning and leaves you well taken care of. The average pay for a pharmacist is $56 per hour.

5. Psychiatrist

As a psychiatrist, you see people at the worst points of their life, and you have the opportunity to help them rise from that position. Not only are you equipped with providing emotional support and suggesting techniques for a mentally distressed person to heal, but you can also prescribe medication in cases where this is necessary.

As a psychiatrist, you will assess the different symptoms (both physical and mental) that your patient is facing, and you will come up with a diagnosis before prescribing further treatment.

If you are a good communicator and are good at empathizing with others, this job may be the right one for you.

The average pay for a psychiatrist is $111 per hour.

6. Data Scientist

As a data scientist, you deal with analyzing trends and statistics, finding patterns in the data that can be useful for different companies or governments, depending on where you work.

If you derive a lot of satisfaction from solving problems, becoming a data scientist will be especially rewarding. You will be employed by organizations to find out why certain issues keep cropping up, and you will go through their data to answer the question.

The average pay for a data scientist is $36 per hour.

Working Meaningful Jobs That Pay Well

Spending most of your days working meaningful jobs that pay well will likely boost your sense of fulfillment and contentment. The days of scraping by with a dead-end job are over. In this day and age, more people than ever before are looking to make a difference in their society or organization, and this list of jobs provides you with a good starting point.

Going through this list and embarking on your own research is a good way to find out just what will suit you the most, and bring you the most happiness.

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