12 Careers That Are Great For Empaths
Empaths are people who are highly attuned to those around them. They create powerful emotional connections with other people, naturally and without effort. They take the feelings of their companions to heart, experiencing them as if they were their own.
As a consequence of this tendency, empaths are at their happiest in jobs that let them translate their compassion into direct and meaningful action. The most beneficial and enjoyable careers for empaths allow them to indulge the best parts of themselves, helping others solve their problems or reach their full potential.
If you´re an empath, you should realize that you possess a unique and special gift, one that will be appreciated everywhere you go. You can read other people's thoughts and emotions like a book, and that means you’ll know just what to do when you have the chance to act on their behalf.
With this in mind, here are 12 careers for empaths that will let you convert your empathic skills into life-transforming results, for yourself as much as for those you’re helping.
#1 Counselor or Therapist
This might be the quintessential career for empaths. You´ll literally be leveraging your greatest strength if you pursue a career as a counselor, therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist, regardless of the specialty or area of concentration you choose.
As a trained professional therapist, you’ll be able to put your empathic senses to good use. After reading the thoughts, feelings and emotions of your patients, you’ll be able to offer insightful and carefully targeted advice, based on your deep understanding of their most fundamental needs.
#2 Veterinarian
Most empaths feel a deep and intimate connection with animals. If your passion for their welfare is strong enough, a career as a veterinarian could bring you immense gratification.
Veterinarians are forced to cope with the setbacks and tragic outcomes that are inevitable in their profession, and that is a reality that you’ll have to be ready to accept. But this will be countered by the extreme joy you’ll experience every time you’re able to save an animal’s life or relieve their suffering.
#3 Travel Blogger or Vlogger
These days, many people are making a living from blogging or producing and uploading YouTube videos, and that includes creators who love to travel and share their experiences with fans who live vicariously through their adventures.
The most successful trailblazers in this niche relish the chance to introduce their followers to new and interesting people and cultures, while also telling their own fascinating stories through words and pictures. As an empath, all of this would come naturally to you, since you are genuinely curious about how other people live and enthusiastic about sharing your knowledge with anyone who wants to listen.
#4 Grant Writer
Empaths often dream of becoming writers, and grant writing is one excellent way to gain entry into this profession.
Grant writing is a fine option for empaths because it will allow you to use your writing skills for a good cause. You´ll also be using your empathic understanding of the human condition to craft funding proposals that are both compelling and persuasive. As an added bonus, grant writers can earn a more than a decent living while pursuing their passion.
#5 Nonprofit Administrator
Any type of charitable or nonprofit work can be a fulfilling job for an empath. But an administrative role can be especially rewarding, since administrators help shape the overall approach of the nonprofit organizations that employ them, playing the lead role in setting goals and developing strategies.
As a nonprofit administrator you would be empowered to steer your organization in the most constructive and compassionate direction you could imagine. You would have enormous influence, which you would undoubtedly put to a good and noble use.
#6 Musician
Music is arguably the most naturally empathic art form, which makes the musician category a mandatory entrant on any list of the best careers for empaths.
The top musicians are creative, imaginative and totally attuned to the full spectrum of human emotions. Successful musicians pour their hearts and souls into their music, whether they’re writing, producing, or playing, taking pleasure in the pleasure they’re able to generate in other people. Making it in music does require talent and dedication, but if you’re the typical empath you likely have more than enough of both.
#7 Life Coach
As a life coach you’ll form close relationships with people who need your advice and will benefit tremendously from your expertise. The emotional connections you create with your clients will make you a passionate and inspirational advocate for their personal and career development, and the sincerity of your approach will help you earn their trust, which is so essential in the life coaching profession.
As a life coach, you’ll use your empathetic abilities to make a positive impact in the lives of people you’ve gotten to know quite intimately. You’ll grow to love your work, and your clients will love it as well.
#8 Human Resources Specialist
A human resources specialist helps companies find the right people for the right positions. In this job, you would rely on your empathic instincts to pick out the most dedicated and talented people to hire, and those instincts would prevent you from making mistakes or misjudgments that could turn out to be disasters.
Your natural capacity to read people and understand their perspectives would also be beneficial in managing employee relations, as you would know how to bring people back together when disputes or disagreements threaten to destroy workplace harmony.
#9 Customer Service Representative
This option may seem a little out there for empaths who can get overwhelmed by too much human interaction. But when members of the public interact with customer service representatives who really care, it makes a deep impression and changes the way they view the representative’s employer. That’s why empaths make ideal customer service representatives, and the companies that are wise enough to hire them will benefit from an increase in customer loyalty as a result of that decision.
The best careers for empaths like yourself are those that allow you to leverage your ability to earn people’s trust. Your sincere concern for everyone’s welfare will always shine through, and that will serve you well should you pursue a career as a customer service representative.
#10 Teacher
While teachers must be subject matter experts, they must also have an equally advanced understanding of people. Whether you’re teaching children, adolescents or adults, you’ll need to know how to inspire your students, which your empathic abilities will help you do.
Great teachers will relate to their students as human beings, showing them that they understand and truly care about everything they’re feeling and experiencing. This type of sensitivity can help remove barriers to learning, and it is something that comes naturally and easily to you as an empath.
#11 Nurse
Uniquely among healthcare professionals, nurses are called on to relate to patients on a human level. Most people can tell when nurses are authentically compassionate and sincerely concerned about their health and welfare, and they are deeply appreciative of their interactions with these kind and caring professionals.
If you want to make a dramatic impact in the lives of people who desperately need compassion and understanding during times of crisis, nursing has a lot to recommend it. Empaths make terrific nurses, and most who choose this career never regret their decision.
#12 Virtual Assistants
Many online entrepreneurs rely on virtual assistants to help them with a wide variety of tasks. Individuals who thrive in this role intuitively understand what their bosses want and need and can offer just the right advice or take the right action without having to be asked.
Empathic virtual assistants create smooth and seamless links between themselves and their employers, both personally and professionally. If you’re interested in working from home while still providing vital services to an employer who truly needs them (and you), a career as a virtual assistant could be exactly what the doctor ordered, as the old saying goes.
For Empaths, just about anything is possible
This list of careers for empaths is not intended to be exhaustive. It is mostly meant to illustrate how empathic abilities can be an asset on the job, in a wide variety of fields and contexts.
In reality, empaths are capable of performing at a high level in just about any profession. While some careers might seem like a better fit than others, empaths possess a powerful and potent capacity for relating to and getting along with other people. That is a characteristic which you, as an empath, can lean on to help you survive and thrive in any workplace environment.
