5 Jobs For People Committed to Social Justice And Helping Others

If you are someone who really cares about other people and wants to promote the good that you see in the world, you should look at a job that allows you to help people every day. And although it can be difficult to find a job that allows you to really help make a difference in other people’s lives, there are jobs out there that allow you to do that.

1. Social Worker

If you want to make a difference in people’s lives by helping them through adversity that they may face, you should consider becoming a social worker. Social workers are focused on improving the wellbeing of their client’s lives, which can mean helping with health and mental health problems, acting as an advocate, interacting with relevant people in the community and helping those at a significant disadvantage in any way they can. It can be very tiring to be a social worker as you often have a lot to do when you are dealing with a variety of different cases. However, it can also be very rewarding because you get to interact with the people who’s lives you get to touch and form relationships with them through the care that you provide.

2. Victim Advocate

For those who have never heard of a victim advocate, they are the people who are there to support victims involved in a crime by offering them emotional and physical support. They may help families of victims or the victims themselves, depending on the issue. Some victim advocates help with things like filling out forms and writing statements, whereas others support the families by being there in court cases and when they venture out in public. These people will usually have a background in social work or criminal justice, so they can share their experiences with the victims that they assist and help them navigate any proceedings as they move forward.

3. Lawyer

If you want to help people with social justice issues and argue for the rights of those who have been wronged by society, you should consider becoming a lawyer. There are a lot of different lawyers out there, but a human rights lawyer is the type of lawyer that primarily deals with social justice issues and the laws involved in this. They advocate for anyone who has been wronged or discriminated against because of things like their age, gender, race, creed or sexual orientation. But if you want to get involved in the legal profession and you don’t have any qualifications, you might want to start small and secure a legal services job. These sorts of jobs do not involve a lot of training, and you can complete an online course from websites like Courses.com.au, so that you can start your legal career and then work your way up to becoming a lawyer for those who need representation.

4. Counsellor

A counsellor’s principal job is to listen to people and give them advice about any troubles that they may have in their lives. People who have experienced adversity or been a victim in some way are often referred to a counsellor so that they can talk to someone who can sympathise with what they are going through. You can also speak freely with your counsellor and not feel judge for expressing how you are feeling, which is something that a lot of people do not realise that they need when they have experienced something bad. Counsellors can also give their clients strategies so that they can grow and deal with their problems on their own without having to rely on others. So if you are great at giving advice and want to affect people’s lives in a positive way, this may be a good job for you.

5. Translator/Interpreter

Everyone has the right to being understood, so an interpreter or a translator can be a job that can really help people. Interpreters are needed all over the world to help people communicate with each other, so it can be a very interesting job for those who want to travel and interact with people from different cultures. But an interpreter can also be involved in the social justice sphere as well because there are people in all parts of society that deserve the right to communicate with other people, especially if they feel as though they are being exploited or not being treated justly. In most first-world countries, there are people from many different cultures who speak different languages, so there is always a need for people to translate what someone else is saying. So whether you are helping someone translate what they are saying in front of a court, helping them to write an important letter in their second language or helping them through their education journey, you can make a big difference through translation or interpretation. 

There are many jobs out there for people who are interested in social justice and helping others. But in every field, there are ways that people can make a difference and help others, so before you make any big changes to your job or your career, think about the ways that you help people at work every day. There is no right way to be socially just and help others and every little bit can count, so you should try to do what you can every day to help others around you.