The average person will spend 3,750 days or 90,000 hours working in their lifetime.

With that in mind, making the right choice when it comes to a satisfying career is even more critical.

It’s incredibly difficult to predict how satisfied you might be in a career of interest without actually experiencing it properly.

But the fact that you are here looking for answers is a great start.

To help you out, we’ve done our research and found the top five careers with the highest job satisfaction for you to look into.

Firstly, let’s take a look at the influencing factors in job satisfaction.

How is job satisfaction measured?

A lot of people tend to measure their job satisfaction based on factors that satisfy them.

Factors like these include:

1. Creativity and autonomy
2. Trust in the employer 
3. Job security
4. Personal interest in the role
5. Constructive feedback
6. Recognition of performance
7. The physical work environment
8. Sense of belonging
9. Good relationships with coworkers
10. Pay
11. Age
12. Position rank

Each of these factors won’t be weighted equally.

In fact, it all depends on the person and their values to determine job satisfaction.

More on this later. 

Let’s get down to the top five professions with the highest job satisfaction

Careers with the highest job satisfaction

According to SEEK (2020), jobs with the highest satisfaction rates in Australia are:

1. Firefighter

Firefighters are looked at very favourably across Australia. They are our everyday heroes and likely a lot of their job satisfaction stems from this community perception.

The pay rate is also relatively generous and the job itself can be exhilarating.

2. Nutritionist

Nutritionists often find a lot of satisfaction in their jobs because they are helping people day in and day out.

A Nutritionist’s salary is normally above average and they likely live a very healthy lifestyle – maybe that’s the secret!

3. Teacher’s Aide

Teacher’s Aides don’t make a large sum of money, however, they seem to find a lot of job satisfaction in their work-life balance.

They also get to play a key part in supporting children to become productive adults.

4. Counsellor

Counsellors are the determined and courageous problem-solvers that often get a lot of satisfaction out of helping others overcome challenges.

They are incredibly empathetic and thoughtful and also receive a very generous salary.

5. Managing Director

Managing Directors are responsible for a company’s performance and more often than not are on very high salaries.

Although they are paid very well, it normally takes a very hardworking and determined individual to excel as a Managing Director.

Make the right career choice

This list of top five careers with the highest job satisfaction is just scratching the surface.

Just because a job has highly rated job satisfaction doesn’t mean you will be completely fulfilled for your entire working life. 

To better understand what makes a fulfilling career, check out our guide on how to choose a fulfilling career.

You’ll soon enough be on your way to finding the perfect job that makes you happy!