About half of all people are introverted, in other words, they get energy from spending time alone and expend social energy talking to people. Unfortunately, much of the modern professional world seems tailor-made for extroverts and social butterflies.
But if you are an introvert, don’t give up. Some jobs can put a strain on your mental health, depending on your level of communication skills and the work environment you need to thrive. Still, there are plenty of great jobs and careers to pursue, regardless of your personality type. Today, let’s take a closer look at 12 of the best jobs for introverts.
What jobs are good for introverts?
By their nature all introvert waste personal energy when interacting with people. That’s why the best careers for introverts are often:
- Relatively isolated. Of course, this doesn’t mean that an introvert-friendly job will never have social interaction. But any social interaction will more often than not take place between a small team, with a few people instead of dozens, especially those the introverted worker already knows.
- Focused on numbers, things and mechanical tasks rather than people. The best jobs for introverts are often the opposite of social jobssuch as sales or customer service representatives.
- Manageable and defined. Many socially oriented jobs are flexible and change from moment to moment. In contrast, many of the best jobs for introverts are a bit more predictable or rely on consistent systems (although this isn’t true everywhere, as some artistic professions are great for introverts too).
Given these factors, it’s clear that there are plenty of industries with great jobs for introverts. Some examples are:
- Copywriting as a copywriter, technical writer, content creation writer or content manager
- Legal
- Computer science specialist
- Actuary
- IT manager
- Data scientist
- Programmer
- Social media manager
The text below covers other messages that are excellent for introverts. When deciding whether a job is a good choice for you or one introverted friend or family memberask yourself:
- How many people do you deal with for the job?
- Does the job focus on people or things?
- Do face-to-face interactions have a huge impact on your job performance or results?
Answering these questions will help you determine whether a particular professional career is right for your needs.
Related: 5 mega-successful entrepreneurs who are introverted
What are the best jobs for introverts?
Now that you know what exactly makes an excellent job for an introvert, let’s look at some specific career examples. Any of these jobs could be perfect for you or an introverted loved one in your family.
accountant
Accountants have very introverted jobs. After all, these professionals usually work with numbers, keeping company books, checking budget issues, and so on. If you understand math and enjoy working with numbers and helping companies maximize their profits, you can become an accountant.
Even better, accountants make good money and can become CPAs or certified public accountants after a while. Once you become a CPA, you’ll make even more money and have a solid career to last for years to come.
Software developer
If you like computers and programming, consider becoming a software developer. Every day, software developers create web pages, apps and programs that are used worldwide. After landing a few languages and sticking with the career for a few years, you could earn more than six figures and have a stable career to enjoy for decades to come.
With a master’s degree and problem-solving skills, you can earn a higher average salary and have a great career in information systems. The more detail-oriented you are, the better. You can also enjoy this as a remote job or later become a software engineer or web developer. All are in high demand.
Archivist
As an archivist you are involved in the supervision and maintenance of various collections of works of art, historical objects and research documents. Most archivists work in universities and libraries, and they earn decent salaries for just a bachelor’s degree. Archivists don’t have to deal with tons of people, making these jobs great for those with introverted personalities.
Most jobs as an archivist are in information technology, but others involve accounting, large groups of customer data, and more. Entry-level jobs usually have you working in small groups and using a variety of software programs. These are transferable skills that you can later use for other jobs in related fields if you wish.
Data architect
Data architect is another excellent job for introverts of all levels. That is because data architects are data analytics specialists responsible for managing and designing various data systems. In addition, they often need to research data acquisition opportunities.
In short, if you enjoy working with numbers and providing valuable services to businesses, this could be the job for you. In fact, you could earn an excellent salary, often more than six figures, just for completing a bachelor’s degree plus some certifications.
Editor
Or you can become an editor: a writing professional who analyzes, oversees and fixes the writing of others. You can work as an editor at a publishing house or at any other type of company; in the latter case, you edit marketing texts (email, SMS, SEO or social media marketing, to name a few) and other texts intended to convert potential customers into paying customers.
In editing, you’ll likely speak to writers and others on your team, but you won’t need to speak directly to clients often, if at all. All in all, it’s an ideal low-stress job for introverts.
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is an excellent potential career for introverts. You can use your artistic talents and create beautiful images, logos, web pages and other things. Most graphic designers work online, so this might be a job for you if you’re a fan of remote work (part-time or full-time).
Librarian
Consider working as a librarian to provide a public service and enjoy your job as a new driver. You’ll oversee collections, add to books, help people find books, and more. While you’ll need interaction with members of the audience, it’s in a quiet, calm environment, so it can still be comfortable and fun, even for an introvert.
Related: Introversion is not a weakness. So why are you treating it as one?
mechanic
If you have mechanical skills and like taking things apart or putting them back together, work as a mechanic. Mechanics fix mechanical problems and fix things so they don’t spend a lot of time talking to people. Instead, they can focus solely on solving mechanical problems with their hands and minds.
Photographer
Photographers are often introverted and creative types. They must use their artistic skills to find and counter the perfect photos for weddings, special family gatherings, magazines and newspaper publications.
As a photographer you can work in different industries and contexts. But for the most part you work alone. It’s also a good perk for introverts as you can easily do this alongside your primary career.
Pilot
Pilots undoubtedly lead relatively introverted lives. Even if you become the captain of a major airline, you will usually only interact with your copilots and flight crew. Your social network will be relatively small and manageable, so it’s a great job for introverts who don’t want to interact with dozens of different people a day.
And if you’re hired as a pilot, you’ll enjoy a very consistent, secure career path with an excellent salary.
Truck driver
Truck drivers are introverted individuals by nature. After all, they travel a lot to transport cargo from one destination to another. If you want to own your own truck, you can do so and potentially maximize your profits.
Anyway, driving a truck is a good job for introverts because it’s stable, relatively well paid because you don’t need a college degree and you don’t have to hang out with a lot of people at all. You can use all the time on the way to listen to audio books or just enjoy the peace; it is up to you.
Veterinary surgeon
Many introverts enjoy interacting with animals, even if they don’t enjoy interacting with humans very much. You can study to become a veterinarian and provide necessary medical care to all types of animals, including cats, dogs, reptiles, and birds. Not only that, you will take pride in your career knowing that you are providing an invaluable service to people and their pets.
As a veterinarian, you must be able to communicate well. It is your responsibility to ensure that your customers/clients understand what you are saying and heed your recommendations regarding medications, surgical procedures, etc.
Related: at Leadership, Introversion is underrated – and Warren Buffet and Bill Gates share how they use it to their advantage
Feed your career
If you are an introvert, you now know exactly which jobs to pursue. Consider pursuing a career in one of these fields to feel personally and professionally fulfilled.
Checking out Other guides and resources for entrepreneurs for more information on this topic.
