Living with clinical depression isn’t easy, but life can be even more difficult if you have to go to work in an environment that isn’t helping you cope with your disorder, so we decided to check out the 11 best jobs if you suffer from depression.
Being depressed doesn’t just mean you have a sad day or a bad week. It means that you have an actual disorder, one that’s unfortunately quite common and whose symptoms are affecting the way you think, act, go about your daily life, sleep, eat, work; everything. It’s a difficult thing to suffer from and it’s only made worse by those around you not understanding that you can’t just “toughen up” or “shake it off”. In fact, on quite a few occasions, help doesn’t come until you find a good doctor that can prescribe the right meds.
So what kind of job would fit a person suffering from depression? Well, on the one hand, it has to be something they like, something they enjoy doing. Then, it really wouldn’t hurt if the stress levels were low, the people were friendly and you could get a quick sense of accomplishment while doing it. For some people, working outside of large groups also does the trick. It’s difficult to tell, of course, what would suit every individual, since we’re all so different.
If you’re interested, you can also take a look at the 15 best careers if you don’t go to college.
For today’s list, we scoured the Internet for types of jobs that would best suit those suffering from depression, checked out what jobs had the lowest stress levels and looked into which jobs simply had the happiest employees on sites such as City & Guilds, The Guardian, Career Bliss and Career Cast. We put them all together and figured out which turned up the most across the lists we checked and then ranked them by the average yearly salary for said jobs.
Without further ado, here are the 11 best jobs if you suffer from depression.
11. Writer
Mentions – 2
Median pay in 2015 – $60,250
Being a writer is the dream job for so many people. Getting to sit at home or in a chic coffee shop, hogging your laptop with earphones playing your favorite music while you lose yourself in whatever story you need to put on paper. On top of being able to put your stories on paper and to (maybe) become a well-known author, you can also try your hand at writing blog posts, news articles and more, making good money in the process. You’d still have plenty of freedom to do whatever makes you feel better, or free time to deal with those days that are almost unbearable. Not to mention that this is the type of jobs that gives you as much social interaction as you can handle, allowing you to decide what’s too much.
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10. Landscapers
Mentions – 2
Median pay in 2015 – $63,810
Being a landscaper can put you out in nature, making a pretty penny and relaxing while doing your job. There are, of course, times when it can be a bit more difficult to get things done, but in general, this is a pretty stress-free job. Not only does time out in the open help you put your thoughts in order, but it can also be beneficial for your overall health. Plus, there’s little to no office time required and social interaction can be as limited as you need it to be on those difficult days. And now, let’s see what else we have on our list of best jobs if you suffer from depression.
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9. Postsecondary teacher
Mentions – 2
Median pay in 2015 – $72,470
Sure, being a teacher comes with a certain level of stress, but since this is a university we’re talking about the levels are a lot lower because the students are more mature and therefore easier to deal with. You’ll have lessons to plan, great conversations with students, and you’ll be able to teach others the things you know yourself. You’ll need to have higher education yourself, typically a Ph.D., but a master’s degree may be enough. This depends on what college you have your eyes on, of course.
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8. Geographer
Mentions – 2
Median pay in 2015 – $74,260
This is a rather quiet job to have on our list of best jobs if you suffer from depression. You study nature and the use of various areas of the Earth’s surface. Your life is spent conducting research on a series of aspects of a region, or on the implications of human activities in a given area. It’s a pleasant type of work, and you can do what you enjoy in peace and quiet, delving into theories, trying to discover new things and to put all your knowledge to work. It’s a lot more relaxing than many other types of work, and it should be of some help if you’re suffering from depression.
7. Network and Computer Systems Administrators
Mentions – 2
Median pay in 2015 – $77,810
While it’s true that having this job would make you a critical part of almost any organization, it still allows you to work in peace to fix the issues. Some days may be more difficult than others and the day to day operations may keep you on your toes, but for the most part, you should be able just to do your job without being bothered too much. As with all the other jobs, it depends if you love this type of work and if it would make you happy to hold such a position inside a corporation or even a smaller business.
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6. Computer programmer
Mentions – 2
Median pay in 2015 – $79,530
If you love stands in coding, then this is a very good option for you. Even if you don’t yet know how to code it’s something you can definitely learn and it’s something that can, in the end, earn you quite a bit of money. What would you do? Well, you’d be developing various software for computers, or you could even make online apps and so on. There’s such a broad application for being a computer programmer that you can basically do whatever you wish. There’s also the added benefit that computer programmers usually work in relative peace and quiet and even if there may sometimes be some added stress to the job, this isn’t a constant.
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5. Electrical engineer
Mentions – 2
Median pay in 2015 – $95,230
If you have a passion for electricity, then this might be the field for you. Electrical engineers rank 5th in our list of best jobs if you suffer from depression and they are known to design, develop and maintain various electrical control systems, as well as components to required specifications. It’s important that their work is high quality, reliable, safe and sustainable. It’s also quite a lucrative field, so that’s quite important too when taking possible careers into considerations. This job allows you to put your technical knowledge at work and it keeps you quite busy.
4. Advertising, promotions and marketing manager
Mentions – 2
Median pay in 2015 – $124,850
If you’re interested in advertising or marketing, then this one in our list of best jobs if you suffer from depression, is another option for you, even if you may be suffering from depression. Why? Because these are jobs that require creativity. Sure, knowing the ins and outs on how to create a successful campaign is important, but being creative is something that will really get you far in this industry. Putting your imagination to work is something that you need to do and it’s likely something that you’ll enjoy. You’ll be surrounded by like-minded people, by creative folks who will likely be quite understanding when you’re going through a rough patch.
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3. Maids and housekeeping cleaners or janitors and office cleaners
Mentions – 3
Median pay in 2015 – $20,740 / $23,440
Sure, this isn’t the job that will get you rich, but it’s one that’s quite stress-free. It will help you get by every day of the week, and in the end, that’s what matters, especially when your disorder gets the best of you. Most often than not you do your job on your own, interacting with others only when you feel like it. This job showed up on quite a few lists for this particular reason alone, but it depends on whether this is something you’d enjoy, of course.
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2. Software developer
Mentions – 4
Median pay in 2015 – $98,260
Being a software developer ranks pretty high in our list of best jobs if you suffer from depression. It is like having the dream job nowadays since so many people have focused their professional lives on this. Not only does this type of job give you the opportunity to work when you feel up to it and from wherever you want, but it pays well. You can be the creator of the next best app if you have a great idea and know how to implement it too.
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1. Dentists
Mentions – 4
Median pay in 2015 – $152,700
And there you go, a rather low-stress job that earns a lot. Being a dentist involves going to school for quite a few years, but in the end, it’s worth it. Everyone needs to see a dentist regularly, so there are plenty of customers to pick from and if you do your job well, they’ll make sure to come back. It also gives you quite a bit of satisfaction since you’ll be helping people with their health. Hopefully, this will help you quite a bit in getting through those darker days.
That being said, these are the 11 best jobs if you suffer from depression.
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