The most satisfying jobs in the world and how to get them

There are all kinds of different jobs out there in the world. Some jobs might offer you a great salary, others might be really stable, some may offer flexibility in the role. But do these things truly make a satisfying job? It goes without saying, of course, that a lot of what makes a job satisfying varies from person to person. However, there are a few things that will make a job fulfilling and enjoyable.

One of the key things that many people often don’t consider with their job is the enjoyment factor. When the average person spends more than 40 hours a week at work, being satisfied and happy in your job is a really important factor to consider. 

Being satisfied and happy in your job can be really essential in how you take care of your mental health, make you more productive and creative, of course, much happier in general. So if you’re wondering how to choose a career and are looking for a satisfying job, look no further – we’ll go through some of the most satisfying jobs in the world.

What makes a job satisfying?

For a job to be truly satisfying and fulfilling, a few requirements need to be met. Even though everyone has a different, personal take on what makes a job satisfying, there are a few criteria that are generally agreed upon that make a job satisfying. 

For instance, a job that earns you lots of money won’t necessarily be that satisfying. Similarly, a career that has long hours or that causes unnecessary stress can be incredibly unsatisfying. Finding work that will make you feel fulfilled, and like you have done something that matters, is one of the keys to a satisfying job. Let’s have a look at some of the other criteria that make a job enjoyable. 

Work that is engaging and fulfilling

An enjoyable job will hold your attention, and will never have you feeling bored by the day-to-day. Having a diverse set of tasks to complete in a day will keep you interested in your role. Upon completion, you’ll end up feeling more fulfilled – especially if you have the opportunity to have some say in how those tasks are completed.

A good work-life balance

While you certainly want your job to be satisfying, you don’t want it to be the only source of satisfaction in your life. Having a balance between how much time you spend at work and out of work is really important. Whether you prefer set working hours, or prefer something more flexible, people become less satisfied with their jobs if they have to work extra hours. 

Company culture

Everyone will want something different from the culture their company creates. Whether this is a more open and casual environment, or something that is a little bit more structured, the culture that the company creates and defines itself by is integral for a satisfying job. 

Meaningful collaborations

The most satisfying and fulfilling jobs will pivot around creative collaboration with the other people in the company. While you don’t have to be best friends with everyone in the office, knowing that you can get help from your colleagues whenever you might need it is one of the keys to job satisfaction.

Lack of major downsides

Many things could negatively impact how satisfied you are with your role. These could include a long commute, unfair pay, lack of job security, and extremely long hours. Another factor to consider is how stressful the environment is – while there are ways to manage stress at work, you’ll want to try and avoid any unnecessary stress at the end of the day.

The most satisfying jobs in the world

So what are the most satisfying jobs in the world? We’ve searched far and wide to gather all the necessary information regarding which roles are considered the most rewarding. The roles we’ve listed here take into account all the criteria that make a job satisfying as well. Take a look at the following list that we’ve compiled and see whether you can find your dream job.  

(The sources we’ve used to gather this information include surveys and articles taken from The Balance Careers, The Guardian, and Indeed.)

Teacher

Teaching is potentially one of the broader industries out there, as the crux of being a teacher is to educate. This can cover everything from nursery teachers to university professors, so as you can imagine, the levels and styles of teaching vary dramatically. 

Teachers of some sort show up on nearly every list of the most satisfying jobs in the world, though, as you have a good work-life balance (with epic holidays), there’s plenty of diversity in the role, and you end up doing work that significantly benefits others. 

The day-to-day duties of a teacher vary depending on what level you’re teaching at. As a nursery teacher, your primary role would be keeping order in the classroom and educating about soft skills, whereas as a university professor, you’d lead lectures, host seminars, and conduct your own research. 

How to get started in teaching

The first thing you need to decide before diving into the world of teaching is what kind of teacher you should be. Whether it’s working in a nursery or assisting adult learners, you’ll find an area of teaching that will suit you. You’ll then need to consider your teacher training, or PGCE. This will help you find the right path, and prepare you for a career in teaching.

Psychologist

Helping people overcome mental health issues and stress, amongst a myriad of other psychological problems, is the crux of psychology. It’s another industry that is quite broad – varying from psychologists who treat and diagnose mental health issues to those who conduct experiments and carry out research.

Psychology is an industry with a high satisfaction rate as you can end up really helping others by improving their emotional and behavioural well-being. There are reports that psychologists benefit from stronger relationships with their coworkers than you can find in other industries as well. There is also a lot of flexibility in where and when you work as a psychologist.

How to get started in psychology

It can take some time to become a psychologist – you’ll often require a doctoral degree to qualify, in addition to completing at least one year as an intern. However, it’s well worth your while exploring the different careers in psychology and what they could offer you. Psychology can be really gratifying for your own personal development, as well as offering significant monetary rewards.

Engineer 

Coming up with new designs and ideas that offer new solutions to various different problems is the crux of an engineer’s day-to-day. However,as with the other industries already mentioned, it is a really broad field. It’s an industry that offers you a lot of freedom to test your ideas before implementing them, meaning that the process of engineering the future can be hugely rewarding. 

Engineering can offer you unprecedented access to state-of-the-art technology, as well as giving you the chance to learn new skills as you work, owing to the ever-changing nature of being an engineer. Teamwork and communication are integral parts of being an engineer, which makes it a really satisfying and fulfilling career to get involved with.

There are many types of engineering work you can try – including structural engineering, systems engineering, and aeronautical engineering. Becoming a successful engineer requires you to have effective communication skills, as well as be prepared for a huge amount of diversity in your daily routine.

How to get started in engineering

Having a background in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is essential for any engineering career, as they lay out the principles of engineering. Make sure you go about strengthening your mathematical foundations as well, in order to start on your journey to becoming an engineer. 

Nurse

Nursing is one of the most important careers in the healthcare industry, and certainly one of the most rewarding ones. Nurses provide direct patient care in hospitals, clinics, or at home and are integral to the overall recovery of the patients under their care. Being a nurse involves being really hands-on with patients, and results in strong, personal bonds being formed with them.

Being a nurse is a great way to really see a positive impact from the hard work you put in, as you’re directly helping the patient and, as a result, their family. The impact of nursing is felt by everyone, which makes it an incredibly fulfilling career to choose. It also gives you the opportunity to learn on the job and apply your expertise to other areas of healthcare. 

The roles of nurses cover many different areas, from personal care through to infection control via public health nursing, so you’ll be sure to find an area of nursing that will keep you satisfied and fulfilled.

How to get started in nursing

Becoming a registered nurse is the main step for anyone wanting to become a nurse, but there are many courses you can take and articles where you can find out all about the nursing roles of the past and the present. So whether you’re looking for a hands-on role or you’re wanting to push towards more of an advocacy role, there will be a course that will suit you.

Construction worker

If you’re looking for a career that will have you out working in the fresh air, surrounded by a wide variety of people with a whole range of different skills, then construction is a great industry to explore. You may ask ‘why does construction matter’ – well, for starters, the building you’re in right now is a direct result of the construction industry. 

Construction combines a really wide range of different skills and talents, which vary from the very planning phase through to the final product being created. While it may not be as well-paid as some other industries, the satisfaction of creating something from scratch and then handing over the keys at the final hurdle is incomparable. 

There’s also currently a construction boom happening. As such, there are more employment opportunities in construction than there have ever been – so there’s no better time to plunge into the world of construction. 

How to get started in construction

As with engineering, getting started in construction is a multi-faceted process, but there area myriad of different courses you can enroll in to give you the best start you could hope for. 

As the world becomes more sustainability-focused, you could get your foot in the door with our course in sustainable construction, or look at another area of construction – the world of construction management. 

Ready to boost your construction knowledge? Kickstart your career with our range of online construction courses from top universities.

Software developer

Software development is one of the fastest-growing industries at the moment, so there’s never been a better time to get involved in this exciting and satisfying industry. Again, there are many different areas of software development that you can consider – from a pure developer role to cyber security.

As many software developer roles are quite flexible, you’ll end up with a really great work-life balance, plus many roles have really competitive salaries attached too. There’s great scope for creativity in the world of software development as well, and the diversity of programming languages also opens up many different possibilities. 

How to get started in software development

Software development will require you to have coding experience, and knowledge of how the different programming languages work, especially languages like Python and Java – this will furnish you with the fundamentals of software development. 

If you want to consider a different area of software development such as cyber security, then you can take our course in cyber security in the software development lifecycle.

Final thoughts

While these careers and jobs are often deemed as the most satisfying jobs in the world, employment is really objective. You may find yourself in a role not listed here that keeps you really satisfied and fulfilled.

To find an occupation that will make you happy will require you to look at your skills and interests and how you can apply these to a career -. Whether it’s turning your hobby into your career or considering the careers listed in this article and how you can use your current expertise to find a satisfying career.