Community development and sustenance are two important topics that are often overlooked within the overly politicized and polarized discourse that tends to occupy the headlines. Everyone has a strong standpoint on a topic that they’d like to debate about, but very few people want to take steps to fix the smaller problems that are taking place all around them in their communities. If you’ve been wanting to pursue a career path that will allow you to help people in your community, these are four in-demand jobs that are often a low rate of employment and relatively desirable salary potential:

1. Mental Health Counseling

While the median national annual salary for a mental health counselor is about $42,000, in some areas, clinics and hospitals will pay as much as $115,000 per year or more to experienced counselors. Of course, aside from getting fairly decent pay for a job that won’t require much difficult labor, you’ll also be helping members of your community battle the ongoing scourge of mental illness in America. The exact tasks you’ll be performing will vary depending on a number of factors, so if you want to learn more about what these professionals do, check this clinical mental counseling job description.

2. Behavioral Counselor

As a behavioral counselor, you’ll be working with individuals and families who are facing problems related to bad behavior such as substance abuse, verbal abuse, or physical abuse. Generally, most positions in this field will have you counseling patients who are battling addiction. You’ll work with their friends and family to build a support system and create meaningful interventions that change their lives for the positive. Plus, you’ll earn a salary similar to the pay listed for mental health counselor above.

3. Social Worker

Social workers have access to a broad range of job opportunities in every populated area, and they’re much-needed members of the community because they help diagnose and treat a variety of widespread disorders and problems like domestic violence, neglect, abuse, and drug addiction. The pay potential for this job is similar to other counseling positions – between $50,000-$100,000 depending on your location, specialty, and experience level.

4. Family Therapist

Family therapists perform a job that is very similar to that of a social worker, assisting with behavioral issues, substance abuse, psychological disorders, and other problems related to family dynamics. You’ll also help people fix their marriages, improve their parenting skills, fight addiction, and take other steps to strengthen their family unit as a whole. The salary for this position is very comparable to the others listed above, but in these industries, it’s not only about the money you’re making but also the change you’re facilitating for the betterment of your community.

Earning Money Isn’t the Only Way to Generate Value in Your Community

While everyone wants to have a job that will get them close to or above a $100,000 annual salary, if having a job that helps people is what truly matters to you, then your career aspirations should be based around that desire instead of the motive of making money. Many times, it’s the actions that you take which leave the most meaningful impact, not the amount of money that’s made or spent.