Do you have one of those bosses who think you should be available at all hours, making you miss your daughter's soccer game? Having a career and life can be a challenge. Maybe it's more money you're after, or maybe you're aching to work from home and avoid the cubicle nine-to-five.
Chances are that when you started your career, you weren't thinking much about your lifestyle goals, but it's never too late to make your work fit your life, instead of the other way around. Here are five careers to fit specific lifestyle goals, plus ways you might be able to make your existing job work better for you.
Working parents know there's nothing worse than missing an important game or another of their kid’s milestones because of work. Maybe you just want more time to do simple things with the kids, as more time with the family is on many people's list of lifestyle goals.
If you're looking for a career change, consider healthcare support, a sector expected to increase by 14% from 2018 to 2028, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.1 With increased demand comes increased flexibility. Many of these hourly-paid positions contain shift hours that allow you to work around your kids' or spouse's schedule.
Other family-friendly occupations include work-at-home positions like freelance writing, customer service support, or IT positions. If a career change, and possible pay cut, isn't in the cards for you, consider talking to your boss about changing your hours—a 10-hour, four-day workweek may suit—or working from home part-time.
Let's face it, work is stressful, no matter what you do for a living. Maybe your job is just too much. Consider a career as an education consultant if your blood pressure rises just a little too high in your current position.
CareerCast listed the ten least stressful jobs in 2019. Jobs on the list included diagnostic medical sonographer, compliance officer, hair stylist, and audiologist.4Your job's okay, but maybe there's something missing. You feel like you're just another rat in the race when really, you'd like to help others and make a difference. The healthcare field is an obvious choice—try the low-stress physical therapist job, for instance. But you can also look at any other public service job, like firefighter, policeman, or teacher—all offer high job-satisfaction when it comes to feeling you're making a difference.
If a complete change of career path is not in the cards for you, look at starting a volunteer event like Habitat for Humanity, or another way to get involved in the community, either through work or during your off time. Those volunteer positions often turn into paid ones, so don't dismiss working for free as a career advancement move.
Imagine your workday: you get up, pour yourself a cup of coffee, and go to work in your sweatpants. With your office right at home, there are no office politics, no traffic jams and no endless meetings that seem to go nowhere.
If working from home is your dream, think consultancy: the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects this sector to grow at 14% from 2018 to 2028.5 Managerial, financial, and professional consultants will see the earnings, so if you're already working in this field, you may want to start planning your exit from the rat race.
Matching your lifestyle goals is the quickest path to job satisfaction, something we all strive for. Look to these career suggestions if you're ready to change your life for the better, and go to work with a smile on your face.