About half of all people are introverts — in other words, they get energy from spending time by themselves and use up social energy when talking to people. Unfortunately, a lot of the modern professional world seems tailor-made for extroverts and social butterflies.
But if you’re an introvert, don’t give up. Some jobs may tax 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 look at 12 of the best jobs for introverts in detail.
What jobs are good for introverts?
By their nature, all introverts expend personal energy when they interact with people. Because of that, the best careers for introverts are often:
- Relatively isolated. This doesn’t mean that an introvert-friendly job will never have social interaction, of course. But any social interaction will more often than not take place between a small team, with a few people instead of dozens, especially those whom the introverted worker already knows.
- Focused on numbers, things, and mechanical tasks instead of people. The best jobs for introverts are often the opposite of social jobs, like sales reps or customer service representatives.
- Controllable and defined. Many social-focused jobs are agile and change from moment to moment. In contrast, a lot of the best jobs for introverts are a little more predictable or rely on consistent systems (though this is not universally true, as some artistic professions are also great for introverts).
Given these factors, it’s clear that there are plenty of industries with stellar jobs for introverts. Some examples include:
- Copywriting as a copywriter, technical writer, content creation writer or content manager
- Paralegal
- Computer science specialist
- Actuary
- IT manager
- Data scientist
- Programmer
- Social media manager
The text below will cover other posts that are excellent for introverts. When deciding whether a job is a good choice for you or an introverted friend or family member, ask yourself:
- How many people will the job require you to interact with?
- Does the job focus on people or things?
- Do personal interactions have a massive impact on your job performance or results?
Answering these questions, you’ll determine whether any given professional career is right for your needs.
Related: 5 Mega-Successful Entrepreneurs Who Are Introverts
What are the best jobs for introverts?
Now that you know what exactly makes up an excellent job for an introvert, let’s take a 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 hold very introvert-friendly jobs. After all, these professionals mostly work with numbers, maintaining company books, checking for budget issues and so on. If you have a mind for math and like working with numbers and helping businesses maximize their profits, you can become an accountant.
Even better, accountants make good money and can become CPAs or certified public accountants over time. Once you become a CPA, you’ll earn even more money and have a solid career to progress through for years.
Software developer
If you like computers and programming, consider becoming a software developer. Software developers make webpages, apps and programs used worldwide every day. After landing a few languages and sticking with the career for a few years, you could make well over six figures and have career stability 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 become a software engineer or web developer later on. All are in high demand.
Archivist
As an archivist, you’ll be involved in overseeing and maintaining different collections of artwork, historical items and research papers. Most archivists work at universities and libraries, and they earn decent salaries for only needing a bachelor’s degree. Archivists don’t have to interact with tons of people, making these jobs fantastic for those with introverted personalities.
Most archivist jobs are in information technology, but others involve financial records, large groups of customer data and more. Entry-level jobs typically will have you work in small groups and use different software programs. These are transferable skills you can use for other jobs in related fields later if you like.
Data architect
Data architect is another excellent job for introverts of all stripes. That’s because data architects are data analysis specialists responsible for managing and designing various data systems. On top of that, they often are required to research opportunities for data acquisition.
In a nutshell, if you love working with numbers and providing invaluable services to companies, this could be the job for you. Even better, you could make an excellent salary, often over six figures, just for having a bachelor’s degree plus some certifications.
Editor
Or you could become an editor: a writing professional who analyzes, oversees and fixes the writing of others. You can work as an editor at a publishing agency or at any other type of business; in the latter case, you’ll edit marketing copy (email, SMS, SEO or social media marketing, to name a few) and other writing meant to persuade prospective customers into paying customers.
With editing, you will likely speak to writers and others on your team, but you won’t have to speak directly to customers very often, if at all. It’s an ideal low-stress job for introverts, all in all.
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is an excellent potential career for introverts. You get to flex your artistic talents, plus create beautiful graphics, logos, webpages and other things. Most graphic designers work online, so this is potentially a job you can pursue if you are a fan of remote work (either part-time or full-time).
Librarian
To provide a public service and enjoy your job as a new driver, consider working as a librarian. You’ll oversee collections, restock books, help people find books and more. Though you do need to interact with members of the public, it’s in a quiet, calm setting, so it could still be comfortable and fun, even for an introvert.
Related: Introversion is Not a Weakness. So Why Are You Treating It Like One?
Mechanic
If you have mechanical skills and love taking things apart or putting them back together, work as a mechanic. Mechanics solve mechanical problems and fix things, so they don’t spend a lot of time talking to people. Instead, they get to focus exclusively on resolving mechanical issues with their hands and minds.
Photographer
Photographers are oftentimes introverts and creative types. They need to exercise their artistic ability to find and counter the perfect pictures for weddings, special family get-togethers, magazines and newspaper publications.
You can work as a photographer in a variety of different industries and contexts. But for the most part, you’ll be working by yourself. It’s also a good side hustle for introverts, as you can easily work this alongside your primary career.
Pilot
Pilots undoubtedly lead relatively introverted lives. Even if you become the captain of a big airline company, you’ll mostly only interact with your copilots and flight staff. Your social network will be relatively small and manageable, so it’s a fantastic job for introverts who don’t want to have to interact with dozens of different people per day.
Plus, if you become hired as a pilot, you’ll enjoy a very consistent, safe career path with excellent pay.
Truck driver
Truck drivers are introverted individuals by nature. After all, they have to spend a lot of time on the road bringing cargo from one destination to the other. If you wish to own your own truck, you can do that and potentially maximize your profits.
Regardless, truck driving is a good job for introverts since it’s stable, relatively well-paid for not needing a college degree and doesn’t require you to interact with very many people at all. You can use all the time on the road to listen to audiobooks or simply enjoy the peace and quiet; it’s up to you.
Veterinarian
Many introverts love socializing with animals even if they don’t love socializing with people nearly as much. You can study to become a veterinarian and provide necessary medical care to animals of all types, including cats, dogs, reptiles and birds. Not only that, you’ll take pride in your career, knowing that you are providing an invaluable service to people and their pets.
However, you do have to be a good communicator as a veterinarian. It’s your responsibility to ensure that your customers/clients understand what you say and take your recommendations to heart regarding medicine, surgical procedures, etc.
Fuel your career
If you’re an introvert, now you know exactly what jobs you should pursue. Consider aiming for a career in any of these fields to feel fulfilled personally and professionally.
Check out Entrepreneur’s other guides and resources for more information on this topic.
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