7 Great Career Opportunities for Empaths

Empaths are people who have a naturally high sensitivity, an urge to help, and an ability to connect with others. In some circles, they can thrive, but other environments could end up draining them. Some fields, such as where they can’t express their creativity or have to be mere cogs in the machine, are the worst for them. But careers where they can use their sensitivity and listening capabilities, are where they tend to do the best. If you see yourself as an empath or have been told you are one, here are a few fields you could consider.

A Career in Art

Empaths are usually artistically inclined and feel great in a creative setting. Empaths usually tend to be in tune with things going on around them and are highly perceptive, which allows them to tap into the trends and emotional currents in the world and society.

They feel and feel hard, sometimes to their detriment. This is the kind of trait that allows them to pour their soul into their art. Fields like abstract art, in particular, tend to attract a lot of empaths. But writing is also a field that is great for deeply emotional beings with a high sense of perception. It allows them to paint vibrant pictures and really convey emotion in their writing. 

Furthermore, artistry can be therapeutic and cathartic and allows empaths to release all that energy they absorbed and bottled up during the day.

Family Nurse Practitioner

A lot of empaths naturally gravitate towards healthcare and nursing. While nursing is a great position for people with some empath qualities, not all specialties are. 

For instance, the ER could be a bit too much for an empath. You’ll have to see people in intense pain and suffering and deal with some really heart-breaking cases, especially those dealing with small children. So, in this case, your hypersensitivity could work against you. 

Another area that many decide to go in is mental health nursing. But this is also an area that can be taxing emotionally on someone who’s too much of an empath. You often have to deal with some tragic cases and sudden deaths. Not to mention that not all patients will appreciate your help and might be downright hostile to you.

An alternative, however, is working as a family purse practitioner. In this role, you’ll play more of a preventative role and won’t have to deal with as much of the stress and drama of acute care. You’ll be trained to work with people of all ages and will be responsible for looking after their health over a long period of time. You will take tests, interpret them to patients, give recommendations, and run diagnostics.

In this field, you’ll also have a much closer relationship with the people you work with. You will sometimes literally become part of their extended family. You’ll also be able to provide counsel to these people and have the chance to see their health improve thanks to your instructions. These are all things that can be extremely rewarding to an empath.

This is also a solution for people already working as nurses. If you are an empath and are looking for a change of pace, that could be a great way to work in the field but take it down a notch and get paid handsomely doing it. Not to mention that you’ll enjoy much more autonomy, which is something a lot of empaths crave. Family nurse practitioners can operate from their own clinics and perform many of the procedures that physicians do as well.

If that’s something that would interest you, you can find an online ADN to nurse practitioner program from an accredited school that will give you all the formation needed to fill this role. The best is that you won’t even have to leave your current position to do so.

Lawyer

Most people wouldn’t expect an empath to feel at ease in a field like law, but people often don’t realize how wide the field is. For one, being a lawyer is not all about defending criminals or victims. Some fields, like family law, for instance, absolutely need people who have some measure of empathy to look after the well-being of all the people involved in the situation, be it the man, the wife, or the children.

In this case, a lawyer who also has empath qualities will be able to establish a middle ground and become the voice of reason. Having this kind of voice and energy in the room could be enough to simmer down conflict and push parties to work together for the greater good.

Studying law could also allow you to work as an advocate, and work on causes that are near and dear to you, such as prison reform, for instance. You could decide to teach later and help bring the next generation of lawyers into the field. Or you could decide to work as a public defender. These are all positions that could allow you to fulfill yourself and give your life a sense of meaning.

Social Work

Social work is another position that could be a good fit, but you have to be careful there. While the position does need a dose of empathy, you also have to be able to deal with human misery and some of the darkest traits of humankind in order to make it. And you need to have an ability to separate your work and your job and not bring home some of your cases with you.

This is also one of those fields where the love and attention you give out is not always reciprocated. Some people just don’t want help, and that can be something that is difficult to accept, especially when you’re aware of some of the possible repercussions.

However, if you feel like you’re built for it, this could be a great way to use your ability to listen and connect to provide counsel to people in need. This is also a place where you can make some real impact on someone’s life, and their family’s life. So, this is also one of the most rewarding jobs anyone can take. 

Charity Work

Doing charity work is one of the most natural career options for empaths. What’s great about this is that you get to work on causes that are really close to you and make a difference. This is a career path that could allow you to see parts of the world you never thought you’d ever see and meet people from all walks of life and cultures. This is a place where you’ll be able to satisfy the natural curiosity a lot of empaths tend to have.

This is also an example of a field where you can make a direct impact on the lives of people, families, and whole communities. The atmosphere is these kinds of jobs also tend to be much less rigid, which makes them even greater for empaths. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t any structure and discipline, and they do have to reach objectives. So, this will still be work, and sometimes can be very demanding emotionally and physically, which is something you’ll have to be prepared for.

Self-Employment

Being self-employed is another natural fit for an empath, and with the technology we have today, there are more opportunities than ever to work completely independently. One of the things you could do is turn your hobby into a business. Like working around the house or doing some DIY work? Why don’t you take a woodworking course and learn how to build hand-made furniture? Like fixing cars? Then you could learn how to be a body mechanic, restore cars, and resell them for a profit. 

Another option is running a blog on the subject of your choice. It could be anything from Reiki or remote healing. Or any passion that you may have. This will be a great opportunity to let your creativity flow and make money writing about something you love.

Massage Therapist

Massage therapist is another great field for empaths. The atmosphere is quiet, and your main goal is to make the person you’re working with feel better. Working in or opening a spa could be another great option.

Massage therapists can also work in their own time and on the clients they want. You could work specifically with seniors or people recovering from an injury, for instance. Or you could decide to work with athletes. This is a vast field with plenty of specializations and is a great place if you want to express your naturally caring nature. 

Conclusion

Empaths need to be very careful when picking jobs. They can’t just enter a field thinking that their sensitive qualities will always be a match, as some of these do come with significant baggage. So, make sure that you consider all of these options, and really assess whether you have the sensitivity and empathy necessary, plus mental fortitude to handle the job as well.