Jude Paler
Hear me out.
There’s nothing wrong being an introvert.
Just imagine if we’re all extroverts.
The world needs more quiet people, right? (No offense to extroverts, the world loves you!)
Thing is, some professions are better done by an extrovert like being a salesperson. That’s called being a “people person”.
An introvert would get stressed talking to a lot of people every day.
However, there are also some careers where introverts excel. You can’t put an extrovert inside a room without a companion, or else he’ll leave the job.
The main point is that both personalities have different marketable qualities.
Now, if you’re an introvert and dislike talking too often to people here are the best jobs for people who hate people:
1. The legal profession
On the contrary, the legal profession does not need strong-voiced extroverts who are always up for public debate. The television shows you’ve watched screwed up their whole image.
According to research, 64 percent of lawyers are introverts and 36 percent are extroverts.
Thinking about it, it really does make sense. Lawyers and paralegals spend most of their time researching, writing, and preparing for cases — all of which are areas where introverts excel.
Another profession related to the legal industry is being a paralegal. The paralegal is a detail-oriented profession that’s big on research and writing, which keeps you out of the spotlight.
2. Business-to-business sales
B2B selling is different from selling to consumers. On the contrary, business-to-business sales don’t need hooking people with charisma.
Business-to-business (B2B) sales is a very different profession. It’s all about listening to the client’s needs and working towards a solution that fits.
That said, introverts can be amazing in these positions because they’re great listeners and give meaningful discussions.
3. Creative professions
People today crave content, whether it’s video, photo, or written.
Just look at how many million views the top videos on YouTube get. And do you see how many likes/shares/comments a viral content has when shared in social media?
All of these means that there are more jobs than ever before for full-time/freelance professional creatives.
Introverts thrive in these positions because most of the creative work involves solo work.
However, look carefully at the company culture when applying. Some companies value collaboration while others respect the need for focused work time.
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4. Researcher
Being a researcher requires two things that are considered as introvert strengths – written communication and extensive solo work.
An introvert can be a researcher in just about any industry that suits his interests.
But you have to realize that some research positions, like marketing research, involves big-picture thinking, spotting trends, and public speaking sometimes.
However, other fields like medical researcher involve doing the same procedures every day.
5. Self-employed / Freelancers
Introverts thrive as freelancers because they love working alone and getting to use their own insights.
Being a self-employed individual also means you can set your own schedule, control your environment, and lower your stimulation level.
There’s no need to worry about those required team building celebrations anymore.
6. Working outdoors
Introverts love long quiet periods. Working outdoors requires concentration so it’s natural for introverts to thrive in these positions.
Although some outdoor jobs involve working with teams, the unconfined nature of the job can give introverts the much needed time for peace and quiet.
Whether it’s a landscaper, park ranger, forester, or botanist, outdoor work tends to involve a lot of long quiet periods.
In many of these jobs, you’ll also be surrounded by nature, which is good for relaxation.
7. IT
This field requires great concentration and huge quiet time. For example, you should not disturb a programmer because he’s busy with the coding.
Systems administrator, software engineer, data analyst, or web developer also need a lot of peace and focused individual work.
8. Social media marketing (SMM) or Social media management
You would think that the word “social” in social media marketing/management involves personally being in the spotlight.
On the contrary, it’s the opposite. In fact, it’s a highly valued skill that creative introverts excel at.
SMM combines business sense, creativity with words and pictures, and the ability to pay attention to an audience and their needs – without talking to them face to face.
The good news is that there are a lot of online courses offering how to learn this skill. As a bonus, you can also apply social media skills to your own projects.
If you’re interested in social media marketing, then learning about sales funnels is essential. Check out our One Funnel Away Challenge review for all you need to know about sales funnels).
9. Counselor
Being a counselor means caring for the people who come to you for help.
And out of all the caring professions, working as a counselor might be one of the most perfectly suited to introverts.
Although it requires talking to people face to face, much of it is one-on-one or small-group, where introverts are at their best.
Likewise, a counselor’s work is practically just listening to other people. Then put those deep-thinking introvert skills to work by helping someone come to their own realizations.
10. Animal care and service worker
As you know, animal care and service workers provide care for animals. One can find them in kennels, zoos, animal shelters, pet stores, veterinary clinics, or even their own homes.
The duties of animal care and service worker vary depending on where they work. However, their jobs include grooming, feeding, exercising, and training animals.
Introverts get drained when talking to a lot of people so this is a perfect position for them.
Because animal care and service workers interact more with animals than humans, introverts can thrive in this career.
11. Archivist
Archivists’ job involves appraising, cataloging, and preserving permanent records and other valuable works. This means they do not need many people to work with.
They can work in a library, a museum, or even within a corporation’s archives. That being said, they spend so much time either with physical archives or on the computer so interaction with people is limited.
If you want to be an archivist, you need a master’s degree in archival science, history, library science, or a related field.
12. Astronomer
Astronomers study celestial bodies like planets, stars, moons, and galaxies. Because they spend a lot of time analyzing astronomical data, people interaction is limited.
Although there’s a probability of working with other people, they only work on a small team with engineers and scientists. Most of the work can be done on their own.
If you want to be an astronomer, you need a Ph.D. in physics or astronomy but don’t worry, it pays well with an average of $114,870 annually.
13. Court reporter
Court reporters transcribe legal proceedings word-for-word. Sometimes, they also playback or read back a portion of the proceedings if a judge requests it.
Although this job requires being surrounded by people during court sessions, the court reporter rarely has to interact with those people. This job only needs good listening and transcribing skills.
14. Video Editor
Video editors do not interact with people all the time. They only talk during the first phase of the project, that is listening to what the client wants.
For film editors at work in making movies, they have to interact with a small collection of other people only and that includes the director, other editors, and editing assistants.
Naturally, most of their work involves facing the computer and playing around with video editing software so it’s a perfect job for an introvert too.
15. Financial Clerk
A financial clerk’s job is providing administrative work for companies like insurance agencies, healthcare organizations, and credit services companies.
What they do is keep and maintain financial records for the company as well as carry out financial transactions.
Actually, there are different types of financial clerks. There are payroll clerks, billing clerks, credit clerks, and more.
A lot of their duties involve working alone on a computer with little to no interaction with customers and clients.
In Conclusion:
I’m not saying that as an introvert, you limit yourself to the professions mentioned above.
These are great jobs for anti-social people and introverts, but you need to decide for yourself.
Even in the right field, your job happiness will always depend on a lot of factors – the culture, your boss, and your coworkers.
One of the best ways to know which career suits you best is to think about what energizes and drains you, and narrow career options down from there.
