In today’s world there is no shortage of kids facing uphill battles in life. Whether it’s growing up in a rough neighborhood, or facing serious difficulties like learning disabilities or abusive home-lives, kids need someone to depend on and learn from.

If this sounds like a personal call to action, and you want a career that gives you more than a paycheck, look into these top jobs where people like yourself can connect with troubled youth.

Guidance Counselor at a High School or Middle School

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All kids–troubled or not, go to school, and within this structured environment they need guidance and care. Special attention has to be paid to those kids who have troubled lives at home. It is not easy to balance the struggles between two different worlds, one very organized and predictable, the other quite frightening.

Guidance counselors can help in many ways from offering tips on how to get their homework done to how to face the problems in their own lives. A guidance counselor is one of the best ways to connect with troubled kids; when they need someone they can depend on, these kids will seek help where they can find it.

City Social Worker

A city social worker has a role with multiple facets. On one hand, they work with families to get the proper care they need from the state, whether it’s a book of food stamps or medical insurance. They often work closely with families who struggle with in-home violence, abuse, or crime.

Social workers hold many roles, all of which vary from state to state, and even within counties in the same state.

To get a better insight into what they do on a daily basis, and which roles they fill, check with your local city office. Just so you know, most social workers do need a social worker degree or at least some education in social justice.

Teachers and Educators

Teachers and others in educational roles often come in contact with troubled kids because, as stated before, all kids go to school at some point. Teachers may have the best opportunity to work with troubled kids, because they see them daily.

It doesn’t simply apply to math teachers in high schools, however. This includes all teachers, substitute teachers, administrators, provost, and coaches.

Roles exist outside of the traditional classroom setting. Tutors, teachers in after-school programs run by the city (or the local YMCA), karate and boxing trainers, and community colleges or vocational school teachers.

Many cities (and some private institutions) offer GED and literacy programs that employ teachers.

Since a high rate of drop-outs have troubled lives, becoming a teacher in a program like this is a great way to work with troubled kids.