There’s no career nobler than helping humanity and serving one’s community. Many people today want to discover which degrees are helpful not just to themselves but to society as well. In 2018, a survey was conducted by WeForum in which 25% of respondents claimed they wanted social change. So, this article takes you through public services degrees. If one of these society-driven vocations feels like your calling, grab the opportunity to improve society and make some tangible changes in your community.
Many people today are disengaged at work because they don’t find their jobs meaningful. However, any career involving social welfare and helping mankind is bound to be emotionally fulfilling. So, the below-mentioned degrees prepare you for a job that gives your life meaning and lets you make a difference in the world. You can work with the diseased and the disabled while working toward their rehabilitation. A list of the most suitable degrees to help society is presented below. So, choose a career wisely:
Disaster Management
Among many subgroups of public health, disaster or emergency management deals with preparing a community for upcoming natural calamities. If you wish to become familiar with the skills needed to help disaster-prone areas, an MPH disaster management degree seems like the way to go for you. A person with this qualification can make society resilient against any future natural catastrophe.
A degree in disaster management makes you well-versed in the art of disaster response & recovery. You can create effective policies to establish disaster-resilient communities. So, learn to work on the front with this specialization in public health.
FNP
Nursing is the most trusted profession in the United States and one of the most influential jobs in the world. However, there’s a degree that can take a nurse’s medical expertise to the next level, i.e., the family nurse practitioner (FNP) degree. These NPs make over $118,000 on average annually.
Since Americans are facing a shortage of licensed physicians, FNPs serve as alternatives to doctors. They can perform medical examinations, diagnose their patients, and even prescribe medications in some states.
Social Work
A bachelor’s degree in social work seems like the perfect academic qualification for someone willing to participate in societal welfare. You can contribute to the betterment of society by earning a social work degree. While social work-related occupations make $50,000 yearly on average, social workers work in a variety of settings. They help the victims of abuse, rehabilitate neglected children, and give emotional support to the unhappy.
Education
Teachers are some of the most helpful members of society, and a degree in education can help you become one. A graduate degree in education lets you become a school administrator. So, you may engage in policymaking and ensure the optimal wellness of children. Moreover, some students get a degree in counseling to ascertain the well-being of children via emotional counseling.
Nutritional Sciences
Surveys show that most people think they’re eating healthy meals. However, research indicates that 90% of Americans have a poor diet. This poor diet leads to different medical issues, such as obesity. So, dietitians help the members of society change their eating habits and learn the benefits of fruits and veggies over fast food. As a dietitian, you can make over $61,000 annually helping people.
You can graduate with a degree in nutritional studies to become a dietitian, and this job mostly deals with making diet plans for your clients. You help your clients manage their weight successfully.
Occupational Therapy
Many people suffer from mental problems that affect their daily tasks. You may help them manage their day-to-day activities as an occupational therapist (OT). This degree lets you help mental health patients by reducing their stress, overcoming their trauma, and optimizing their wellness too.
This vocation has two branches, i.e., gerontology (treating adults) and pediatrics (treating children). A person can decide to specialize in one of them while graduating in occupational therapy (OT).
Psychology
With almost one-fifth of Americans suffering from different mental health problems, a degree in the illustrious field of psychology can be exactly what society needs from you right now. You can serve a small community as a clinical psychologist and help clients deal with their phobias. Also, a degree in addiction psychology lets you cure addicts and show them how to overcome their harmful behavior.
Criminal Justice
Sadly, the crime rate in America isn’t ideal, and society needs professionals to deal with criminals and make citizens feel safer. So, students can pursue a degree in criminal justice to learn about subjects such as criminology and victimology. After graduating, students can become police officers or join an agency as illustrious as the FBI or the DEA. These criminal justice experts track down criminals to rid society of violence and rehabilitate the criminals to turn them into model citizens of tomorrow.
Legal Studies
However, one can’t deny that the criminal justice system malfunctions and charges innocent people with crimes they haven’t committed. Statistics show that 4% to 6% of incarcerated Americans today are actually innocent! So, there’s another degree that lets you defend innocent people to help them win back their freedom, i.e., legal studies. A lawyer makes $127,000 yearly on average and can serve society in many other ways too.
Theology
Don’t overlook the importance of helping society spiritually by letting them cleanse their souls. You can graduate with a degree in theology to serve a community’s religious needs. Your duties won’t be limited to overseeing a chapter, but you will also help people find peace in their hearts and meaning in their lives.
Conclusion
In conclusion, you’ve learned of a few degrees that let you help society. These courses make a job more meaningful and make some difference in the world. You may pursue nursing, psychology, or education as some of the most decent careers, as per public opinion. Some oft-neglected but helpful degrees right now involve theology, in which you strengthen people’s spirits. Social work lets you directly interact with the victims of abuse or neglect. You may pursue a degree in disaster management to help a miserable population. All these degrees are beneficial for society and your community.
