Smited, slighted, stomped on by the corporate world. The word loner has become a blasphemous word amongst the circles of the socially elect. True, at times loners can be socially inept, but sometimes we aren’t. Sometimes our only wish is to be left alone. Is that too much to ask?
We all know that working is a necessity of life. The greatest strife comes when the socially sensitive find themselves in repugnant, straining, socially draining jobs. If you found this article because you’re currently going through such a stressful experience, read on. If you haven’t experienced the horrors of an ill-fitted job yet, this guide may help you. At the end of this article you will find a list of possible jobs for introverts.
Forget “Respectable”
Janitor, garbage collector, truckie…
What is a respectable job and what is not, is a fallacy. All jobs serve a purpose. Don’t base your career choice on what you think others will think about you. Choose an employment path you think would suit you best, not based on people’s opinions of what is and isn’t “respectable”. Remember: your worth is not gained from a title, a job, or from others. Your worth is intrinsic. You are in intrinsically worthy. Don’t fall for the respectability ploy. Unfortunately, many parents pressure their children to pursue law and medical degrees. Failing to get into college or university is seen as a crime against humanity. In the end, children end up submitting to their parents to please them, but often times, parents are submitting to their own preconceived ideas of what is and isn’t respectable. Essentially, they are molding their children into what they think will please and impress others. This common dilemma creates endless unhappiness. No one is being genuinely themselves, instead, they are being what they feel others want them to be.
Look for the Yin and Yang
Arty, earthy, mathematically inclined….you must focus on your interests and skills when you consider a career. Are you good with your hands? Do you prefer intellectual, theory-based work? Sites such as this can assist you. Don’t forget to consider what you would least like in a job, what you couldn’t live with and commit to in a career, and the weaknesses you have. Above all, don’t create expectations. It is unlikely that you will find the perfect 
job, as much as you don’t want to hear that. There is always bad in the good and good in the bad, but each provide a contrast to help strengthen their opposing forces. Too much good and you will grow complacent, and take your work for granted. The challenges, the trials and the negativity you experience helps you to appreciate the good and fully experience any joy that comes. The key is to find a balance of good and bad. You can begin doing this by researching. Start with forums like this to discover both the positives and negatives of your desired career.
Know Thyself … and Take a Personality Test
How well do you know yourself? It is important to introspect and examine yourself in order to make intelligent decisions about your career. Take a home-made personality test by asking those few who know you what they think you would be good at. If you would prefer to remain silent and unperturbed, take an online test. Even if you can’t be bothered to finish them, they will provide you with useful questions to consider about the best jobs for introverts that will suit you. They may also help you consider other dimensions of job seeking such as your level of commitment – whether long term or short term and whether you prefer one single job or multiple jobs. These following tests may help:
- Open Colleges’ Career Quiz
- iPERSONIC
- HumanMetrics
- SimilarMinds
- Careerone.com.au
- PersonalityType.com
- Alternatively, visit the LonerWolf Test Page
Think, How Much is Too Much?
Money. It’s the main reason why people bother getting jobs. But how many things do you actually need? The old truism says that money is the root of all kinds of evil. You don’t have to look very far to see the thefts, man slaughters, adulteries, perjuries and other atrocities that stem from the desire to obtain money. Your life is limited – don’t waste your time in a job that demands too much from you. It may pay well, but what for? Ask yourself what is important: fancy houses and cars, flat screen T.V’s, iPods, iPads,iPhones, and every other possible gadget in existence. Or something else that doesn’t consist in physical possessions? Financial security perhaps, freedom, happiness. Think about the future and how much money you will need to adequately support you, and any others who rely on you, without the excess. Check out minimalist living for inspiration. Finally, once you have found, and before you apply for a job, make sure that you check the job description closely. I work in the lowest level of my job in the library and it’s wonderful. Little expectations = little pressure. Little pressure = greater peace of mind. Greater peace of mind = happiness.
Toss a Coin, Literally
If you are having trouble making a decision about your job seeking, toss a coin. This usually works for me. Tossing a coin helps to reveal what you really want unconsciously. If you find yourself hesitating over the side the coin landed on after you flipped it, this is a good indication that you either need to 1) rethink both options, or 2) you actually think the opposite side of the coin is the better option. Before you flip a coin, make sure you give a thorough think about both of your options. You don’t want to make hasty, impatient decisions and use the coin as an excuse to get it over and done with.
Context, Content and Cash
The three C’s of job searching. We already know that exploring the contents of the job is important, and how much money it pays, but what about the context? The context of the job is the most overlooked part of job seeking. Us loners want peace and serenity away from the crowds and groups and clans of people. Customer service is the bane of our existence. So think about the context. Being a librarian for instance, is stereotypically a Loner job. I have worked in 4
different libraries and let me tell you now… working in a library is not a Loner job! At least in public libraries. You deal with people all day long. It’s just like working in a shop, except you loan books. If you truly want a Loner job, you must firstly think about the context of the job – is it situated in the city or some obscure back street? Is it a huge multi-complex corporation, or is it a small family-owned business? What are the socio-economics of the place your possible job is situated? i.e. is it a town where the majority of people earn a low income, a medium income, or a hefty salary? Depending on the context of the job, it is possible to determine how many or how few people you will meet, how many staff there are, and how anonymous the work is. Finally, don’t forget to explore, yourself. If you are serious about finding the perfectly fitted job, you must try to gain some insight into what the job is like before you are locked in. The best way to do this is by purposely travelling to places that hold similar jobs to the job you want. For instance, if you are wanting to apply for a job as a security guard, find a place where you can observe the security guards and how social the job is.
Jobs for Introverts
The following list was compiled after some investigation. Please note that in reality there is no guarantee that these will be suited to you. They are merely suggestions. If you have any other ideas about jobs for introverts, please comment to help make this list more comprehensive.
Actuary
Archivist
Artist
Astronomer
Auditor
Biochemist
Blogger
Boat/ferry operator
Bus Driver
Cleaner
Data Entry Officer
Editor
Factory worker
Farmhand
Freelance writer
Gardener
Geological Engineer
Geneticist
Government Librarian/library assistant
Greenhouse tender
Landscaper
Mail Poster (Postie/Mailman)
Mathmetician
Medical Laboratory Technician
Mortician
Musician
Pilot
Records manager/officer
Software Developer
Statistician
Truck driver
Web Programmer
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Zoologist
Remember to keep in mind the three C’s of context, content and cash your desired job possesses, as well as how suited it will be to your skills and strengths. Forget the fallacy of “respectability” and drop your expectations of finding the perfect job free of faults, and you will find that job seeking isn’t as tricky as first thought.
I lost my favorite job in a greenhouse due to the bad economy in 2009, and the job I accepted was supposed to be away from the front desk, secondary phone and out of sight, but the person doing the extrovert’s job walked out and I’ve had that job ever since my first day! I’d already done front desk and the constant interruptions from phone and visitors and the open workplace setting is chaos for me. The boss is clueless as to why I’m so uncomfortable. I know there are others but introverts don’t talk much, lol.
I have gone on job interviews and completely explained to them that I am there to work, not talk with my neighbor, I can’t stand having to say “good morning” 50 times every morning, and that I need to work alone in my own little area with no one else around. What do they do? Stick me at a table with 5 people surrounding me all talking about anything and everything that does not have to do with the work at hand!!
Please stop listing any software development type jobs as good for introverts. With the ascendance of Agile and pair programming and open plan offices, it has become one of the noisiest and most stressful environments to work in, plus you get treated like a child. We do not even have dividers between desks anymore, meeting rooms don’t have walls anymore so you can hear every.little.thing. We are not even allowed desks with drawers but must put our stuff in lockers so we don’t get distracted while working (but the noise is not regarded as a distraction). If you want a job where you can work in peace and are treated with respect, don’t go into software development. No other professional would ever be treated like this.
I didn’t see translator on the list. Wouldn’t that be a good choice for an introvert who is compatible with languages? And does a library assistant job require a degree in a specific field of study?
Being a translator is not a loner’s job. I took my college courses of French – Chinese translation for fours years and i did some small translation jobs at the meantime. You need to deal with people ALL DAY LONG, if not translating, then building personal rapport with them and their clients, and explaining to them whatever they want to know about your culture. Besides, employers often hate introverts. If they see signs of being an introvert in the interview, they will not consider hiring you. You’ll have to fake your personality just to get a job. I did just that several times before I completely burnt out. people will soon realize you are not you said to be and you’ll not feel comfortable faking someone you’re clearly not.
Are you talking about being a translator or an interpreter. When I said translator, I meant dealing with the written language not the spoken language just to clarify. Also, interviews are not the problem. At least for me. The problem is having a job in customer service where you have to split your attention between seven people at a time with no break all day long.
Oh then I have misunderstood you, my mistake. I don’t think you can deal with seven people at the same time even if you were an extrovert. It sounds to require experience more than people skills, if the contact with customers only occurs via telephone or internet. After all, You don’t have to build real relationships with them. You clearly don’t have a problem dealing with people at a regular basis, why not considering a position which demands less interaction with customers? There should be such positions in every profession, there seems to be no need to start a completely new career. It’s just my opinion, though. What I find exhausting about working with people is the relationships I have to build and maintain with them, but that may be different for you.
Yes I would prefer a job with little interaction with people face to face, but that has proven to be a difficulty to obtain. If it was easy, I wouldn’t be here. I am an extreme introvert, but I have the skill set of mirroring an extrovert’s personality and charm. I wanted out of customer service so bad that I tried to get a job in housekeeping for months. Other jobs compatible for an introvert require higher education and expertise or extreme creativity. Customer service jobs are the easiest to get and the worse to have. I deal with psychos all day long or people trying to use me as their psychologist for the day.
That’s true! Customer service is a shitty job for sure. Every time I call them I wonder how on earth they hold their breath while people vent their frustration over something that’s not their fault whatsoever. However, I don’t think it’s just us introverts who find it difficult to deal with. What you’ve got is more impressive than you think – You can successfully mirror an extrovert’s personality, which I have been failing to do for many years, you should be more assertive and confident about your capabilities. It’s not the problem itself which frustrates us, it’s the feeling of being inadequate to solve it. If you’re stuck on this job then you have to make this a less stressful experience by desensitizing yourself. More experience would also help as the human brain is constantly learning to cope with new tasks and situations and it takes time. In the meantime try to get a better job or better education, but let me remind you that there’s no job in the world where you can escape human stupidity all together. As I’ve read in the comments, even a mortician has to serve as an occasional therapist. Imagine that. It’s just one thing in life we all have to deal with, introvert or not.
Thank you for your words. They were very comforting. And your are right about what you said. I’ll keep this job until I can get something more compatible with me, where I don’t have to act on such a high level. It is really exhausting. I’ll have less anxiety and stress dealing with people if it’s not in droves. Or customers asking ridiculous things of me like watching their new born while they go to the bathroom. Oo
It’s my pleasure. It never costs to much to be compassionate. If you can try some of that on your customers, it may work wonders! Another trick I used to do was viewing annoying people as little twigs in the river, as you travel upstream, they’d bump into you but you know they don’t mean to, as they are heading their way and you’re heading yours. I’d just let them go without dwelling on the uneasiness of the encounter. If you can’t do this either, then treat it as an opportunity to learn. Hold or comfort the baby despite it, and next time you’re left with a crying baby you’d be more calm. Of course it takes time. And however stressful you feel right now, you’re not alone. Just like you did with your extrovert’s charm, you’ll get better and better and everything will get easier, given enough time. Best wishes!
I am a loner in many many ways. I spend most of my time alone. I am happy when I’m home with my music, books and a cup of coffee in my hands. I am most happy in rainy days where everything is serene and peaceful. To me it’s heaven here on earth.After I went to med school, everything changed. I need to talk to people, engage to small talks more frequently, attend to parties and be part of a very big organization full of people. My world revolves on meeting new faces and be part of their lives.Thus, my world revolves on people and crowds. Outside my home is a very busy life, an exhausting one. But whenever I close my door, my home welcomed me with its comforting silence and I am happy once again. I usually grab my blanket and meditate while waiting for my coffee or sometimes place my feet onto a basin of warm water with magnesium salts. I then realized, this is my life now, wearing heels and talk to people.Too bad my alone life has narrowed down to couple of hours.
I took the test on SimilarMinds. The results were very negative. If anyone had been through what I’ve been through he/she would probably score similarly.
Thanks for this site though. And this article. :)
One trade that might be of interest to some, who are mechanically inclined is that of tool and die/machinist. the trade has taken a beating, but the demand is returning as old tradesman are retiring. Generally over interaction is discouraged. A guy that plugs his earbuds in and talks very little is considered a good worker.
The big draw back is in entering the field, which often requires doing very tedious jobs for a few years until you earn some respect. Additionally work is often in smaller shops where the owner may be a bigot, misogynist, and or super religious. You are expected to agree.
Tool and die repair conversations with co workers are technical. Managers generally just want to know how long and how much. Fabrication machinists/tool makers are left alone except for modifications and dimensions. Maybe some jockeying for machine access. Production machining is entry level and very boring, can be fast paced, but may lead to set up and programming jobs. Polishers are considered the odd balls of the whole lot. They are expected to be eccentrics. It takes a a certain kind of personality that can rub on one spot for two days.
Can someone suggest something. My son is 25 years old. He has a degree in history but has been unable to get a job since leaving university 5 years ago with a 2:2. He is very quiet and introverted. He was bullied and around the same time his dad left home (he was 12 years old). We eventually moved and I met my partner who he gets on with. He hasn’t had a friend since he was 12 – he shuts people out. He works voluntarily doing ebay sales at a charity shop. He lives with us and his brother who is a sou chef and his complete opposite (but he has had his own problems – mild bipolar disorder in the past and ongoing). A typical day when not working at the charity shop: he gets up and walks the dog then he job hunts, reads, watches tv, plays computer games and helps with the chores. On odd days he will go out shopping or to the cinema. He is interested in World War 1, sci fi, fantasy type thrillers. He is academic rather than practical. He is kind and considerate and caring but finds it hard to socialise – although he is much better than he used to be. He is also unlucky in that he has an eye condition which means his vision is very reliant on one eye (he has had 2 operations to stop it worsening). We have all encouraged him every way we can think possible. He has very low self esteem. The one thing that would improve his life is a full or part time job that is paid. At this moment he is living on dwindling savings so not even recognised as unemployed or receiving any benefits/help to get a job. I am very worried about him. At this moment he doesn’t feel he has a future. Any ideas anyone please?
He sounds very similar to me. I have a very hard time socializing with people, and am terrible at making friends. I’ve worked as a cashier, and though the customers were stressful I had nice coworkers who were easy to talk to. I currently work as a intern for a electric utility company, and it has been a very stressful job. But one thing I have been able to take from it is a perspective of what these things are like. The unknown of what a job is like is very scary and I remember I couldn’t even imagine working or even getting that far. Now, seeing what job interviews are like I don’t put myself down anymore thinking I can never get though them. And I used to be really intimated by the idea of working with “professionals” who know what they are doing, to realizing that most people are just full of it and there’s nothing to be intimated about no matter what. It’s hard to be the quiet person, and go into a extroverted world because you always feel left out and like you don’t belong, and I have low self esteem because of this. I think once he works a few different places, and gets a new perspective of what the working world is like, he will see that that most people are actually quite ridiculous lol and there is nothing to be intimidated about by them. I know someone who works as a night stocker at Walmart, and she really likes her job because she says its easy and not stressful. I think it would be a good job for someone who doesn’t want to deal with a lot of customers/interactions and to get some working experience.
Another job to add to the list: Pool Maintenance. Drive a bit, add chemicals to peoples pools, skim the leaves, talk to almost no one.
The extroverts have really ^&%$ up this world, haven’t they?
Sometimes you have to look at more than the job/career and look at the environments of different companies. There are places that are socially focused, but are quiet. I went to vocational rehab once in Newark, NJ and was pleased, not by my counselor (she was an ijit), but by how quiet the office was. High-walled cubicles, no endless gossiping, no loud music or gum popping, but they deal with people 9-4.
I am I work as a preschool special education itinerant teacher in New York City. I can’t possibly tell you all the ways I HATE that job, but I cannot seem to get a job outside of teaching to save my life. I’d really like to be a full time blogger, photographer/videographer, but I can’t for the life of me think of how to make that work without a lot of dinero. Seems like everyone online willing to teach you is running a scam. I am an artistic but REALISTIC and autistic introverted highly sensitive person, so right now and for the past 20 years I’ve been trying, mostly on my own because people are usually no help, to get something I’d like to do every day. It’s not so much about being alone as much as it is about controlling the noise and space in my environment. It would be great to have a day job that pays me enough to live on and gives me enough time to actually invest time in building my own thing. I’ve started, but it’s going to be a while. I’m 44. I’ve got plenty of t-i-m-e. (sarcasm)
I’d like to add some gigs to your list. You have some pretty good jobs and I’ve looked at them all on my own. I can tell you med lab tech, bus driver, programmer and editor are not as solitary as you might think (I’ve done med tech and worked with both editors and programmers and know bus drivers need to deal with a lot of the public) but here are some jobs that may surprise you. You won’t be completely alone but you will at least work one to one and have more control over your environment. And for those who like to move around, some of these jobs may allow for travel. If you can get to work without having to go back to school, so much the better:
1. linguist
2. translator (translate writing from one language to another), because Google translate is crap
3. speech language pathologist/speech therapist
4. occupational therapist
5. doula
6. ESL/TESOL teacher (you don’t have to teach a class, you can do a one-to-one)
7. tutor (adults are better than children in my opinion, but only in this area)
8. voice over actor (you can set up your own studio). Relatedly, radio disc jockey for a small non profit station can be okay but the pay is low if there is any.
9. carpenter/electrician (even in theater this may be a good gig if you can get it; apprenticeships are possible). Plumber, too, but then, there’s people.
10. phone sex operator (set up your own studio and work your own hours)
11. community organization or community college instructor (no tenure related drama and your classes can be small). For example, Brokelyn offers people with an expertise the opportunity to teach a class on it in Brooklyn, NY or surrounding areas.
12. logo designer (fiverr.com has a lot of these gigs and you can post gigs starting at $5 a gig and up). You can also design t-shirts and signs, but the competition is high
in fact, being a hobbyist and selling online, like on ebay, may be a good idea, but…then there’s people.
13. Special FX designer/make up designer (if you like robots and ghoulish sort of stuff)
14. Puppeteer
15. animal lab worker (I worked in a lab with rats, mice, etc.).
16. horticulture lab assistant (not a florist or a greenhouse attendant, but someone who works with people who study flowers and trees; your city’s parks department or a non profit may have some part time jobs available)
17. Work at a printing press (Yes, they still exist. I’d love to do that, but you’ll probably need a car to get to and from work)
18. inspector
19. repair person
20. online or on-video advisor. there’s a zillion people on youtube offering advice for free, they just monetize their sites.
21. hospital orderly (transporting patients one by one)
22. radiology tech/ultrasound tech
23. house sitter
24. personal organizer (house or office)
25. food services (not a chef or short-order cook, but a maybe a confectioner, delivery or inspector or even operate your own food truck and hire someone else to handle to public while you cook)
26. exterminator
27. Dog walker, if you like dogs. Dog training if you think you’re tough. Vet assistant if you can get back to school. I’d like to work on a farm someday; farms seem to be quiet places.
28. traveling nurse
29. work at a small special needs hospital for babies or hospice. Believe it or not, it’s very quiet there.
30. Search companies that do not have a lot of press attached to them or . Low level jobs, such as mail clerk in small publishing companies or may be a good way to get something quiet.
Although I agree with you about what extroverts did the world (which I resent them for), I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t use sarcasm at all because my kinds of introverts don’t do that.
I am currently unemployed and I’ve focused my job search into ones that require less socializing. I really just want to get things done and small talk irritates me. Recently, I’ve been interviewed for an Inventory Control Admin job and I realized that the position only required talking to team members occasionally. Shy away from ads that say customer or service-oriented. Maybe look into ads that require you to specialise in a certain function – like, inventory, records keeping or even basic bookkeeping. Some of these skills don’t need extra schooling although if you wish to really develop yourself professionally, investing on education (even if it’s just an online course on Coursera where verified certificates cost around $50) will be necessary.
I have to disagree with you about a bus driver being a loner job. As someone who rides the bus a few times a week, I notice that a bus driver is constantly interacting with people. He/she answers customers’ questions, secure wheelchairs, and even administers first aid if needed. Yes, the driver is the only employee in the vehicle, but that doesn’t mean he/she is a loner.
@ skye teague, I’ve experienced a very similar thing as a brand ambassador (motivator) whereby I spent majority of day roping people in off the street rather than rotating like the rest of the team because of my looks. I appear to be a very extroverted person according to one personality test that I’ve done twice 5 years apart however I have a hard time believing that the results are conclusive enough to change my path. Btw, great article and breakdown! Many people are confused and unhappy because of opting to follow a path their peers chose at the time(ending highschool) and some never right the course but I now know how to justify my change. Merci!