If you like to work independently in your work environment, it might be because you're more introverted in nature. Being an introvert means a lot of things to different types of people. Some believe they're introverted because they get their energy drained by others, others like to spend time with certain types of people. In a workplace, you'll be interacting with all sorts of people. On this list, we compiled a mix of jobs where you won't need to interact with any people at all or jobs where you'll mostly spend your time working alone with minimal team meetings or light collaboration.
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Best Jobs for Introverts Who Prefer Working Alone
1. Content Writer
A content writer spends most of their workday writing. With a focus on heads-down work, you'll likely have your favorite Hans Zimmer song playing on repeat for hours instead of having to talk to other people. Introverts who enjoy some social interaction will be able to join team meetings to discuss content calendars, editing feedback, and maybe a few 1:1s with coworkers. But for the most part, you'll be living in a Google Doc all day where you'll write content, edit content, and get suggestions to implement in document format. In this type of role, you can find many introverted jobs that allow you to work remotely from home or freelance, so you never have to go into an office to get stuff done. If you wanted to make being a writer, people-free you could start your own blog. You can modify how you approach a content writer gig to get the time alone you need when you need it.
2. Software Developer
If you're looking for a remote job for introverts, you can likely find one easily as a software developer. Most of the collaborative work you'll do with others is done virtually. A software developer can be an extrovert as on many tech teams, they're highly sought after for collaborative projects for Hack Days, new feature requests, and so forth. So, product managers, product marketers, customer support teams might ask you to jump on a call to talk ideas through or to scope things out. However, you can spend most of your time doing independent work. Many introverts and developers both love no-meeting days at work because it allows them to ship more work in peace and quiet, allowing them to be more productive and effective at work.
3. Graphic Designer
If you want the freedom to work from home, you can choose to become a freelance graphic designer or work remotely as a graphic designer for a company. In your role, you'll enjoy working on graphics, animations, or similar type of work alone. You'll likely get asked about revisions, but most requests will be made on Slack or via email depending on whether or not you work at a company or are self-employed. When it comes to finding clients, you might have to do some outreach but again, it can all be text-based with a few video calls. At some point, you might find referrals come directly to you with allowing you time to recharge more frequently. While this job has some human interaction, you can spend most of your time working on designs.
4. Anastheosiologist
If you're looking for a high-paying job for introverts, you're going to need to complete a Bachelor's Degree, medical school, and a residency to land this role. A good career for an introvert is an anastheosiologist. It's a high stakes job with a lot of responsibility so it's not for the faint of heart. However, you'll often be working in the same room as a surgeon and nurses where high level of focus is required. Your patient will be put to sleep by you allowing you to not have to interact with patients very much. You'll likely be working with the same team multiple times in an operating room and form a close-knit culture.
5. Data Scientist
If you prefer an occupation that leans more towards introversion, you could try a job as a data scientist. Introverts often prefer data science roles as they spend most of their time mining big data to discover trends, issues, and findings they can report to team members, such as C-suite, marketers, sales teams, and more to help a company thrive. In your role, you'll create reports that allow people to measure their performance in terms of key performance indicators (KPIs). You may be asked to join meetings to help get context about company or team problems to understand how to approach your data mining. However, most of your work will be autonomous.
6. Custodian
If you're looking for introverted career options, you might choose a career path as a custodian. There are minimal skills and experience you'd need to dive into this career path. You can choose to start working as a custodian as soon as you graduate from high school. If you work in a school, you might cross path with many people. Friendly smiles, waves hello, and how are you's might be common place. Yet, you might find most of your time you're off doing tasks away from others. Alternatively, custodian jobs are sometimes geared for night-owls who prefer after 5pm work shifts to clean offices or buildings, so you'll get to spend a lot of time alone, which could also be a good fit for introverts who prefer limited social interaction.
7. Mechanic
A mechanic, whether automotive, elevator, or something else entirely will often spend their time with physical mechanical products instead of interacting with people. There may be times when you need to socialize with others, particularly when giving status updates. However, most of your time won't involve talking to customers. You'll often spend your time doing repairs, ordering parts, do safety checks, and more. If you have more introverted tendencies, you might enjoy your time as a mechanic, especially if you prefer manual labor or hands-on work.
8. Lawyer
Most of the time, lawyers spend their time reading, like many introverts do. You'll be reading contracts and legal documentation carefully to catch any inconsistencies or red flags that could potentially harm your client. Depending on the type of lawyer you are, you might have to work with some interesting personalities. If you're a divorce lawyer, you may be surrounded by heated debates. If you're a mortgage lawyer, it's probably a more low-key and exciting time for people who are buying homes. If you need to go to court, you'll likely have to have some social skills to successfully persuade a judge or a jury to take your client's side. However, in a law firm office, there is solitary work that leans on the more introverted side of things allowing you to thrive in this environment.
9. Pilot
If you're an introvert, you might choose a career as a pilot. Often, pilots fly in a locked cockpit with a co-pilot. Your interactions with flight attendants will be minimal as they'll often be serving the passengers of the plane. You might need to talk to passengers via an intercom during turbulence or emergency landing. Beyond this, most of the work you'll be doing will be with minimal social interaction at a big scale. With time, you might be able to request specific co-pilots that you tend to enjoy working with or talking to so you can have an enjoyable and peaceful job in the sky.
10. Postal Service Worker
If you're looking for a job with a lot of solitary time, you might enjoy work as a postal service worker. You'll likely be alone while driving your routes during the work day to deliver mail and packages around your city. When delivering to businesses, you might have some human interaction with front desk staff, but can still maintain a distance without them noticing much. In this introvert-friendly job, you'll get to spend most of your time alone in your car. You can even listen to music or a podcast while you drive. Unlike long distance drivers, you'll be able to go home to your family each night and enjoy a pretty stress-free job.
11. Delivery or Truck Driver
If you want an introvert job where you'll spend most of your time alone instead of interacting with others, you might enjoy a job as a delivery or truck driver. In these roles, you'll either deliver packages or goods to a house or company. In this job, you'll spend most of your time on the road. You might have some people to interact with when doing drop-offs of goods. But it's not always the case. Delivery drivers often leave packages on porches without contacting anyone, so this definitely can be a great job if you like a lot of alone time.
12. Tailor
Just because you're an introvert doesn't mean you have to spend time alone all the time. Some social interaction might be necessary. Fortunately, if you're looking for minimal social interaction and a lot of alone time, you might choose to be a tailor. A tailor will interact with someone to acquire their measurements to ensure they tailor suits or clothing accurately. However, most of a tailor's work is done independently. You usually don't have that much human interaction, even if you own a shop. You'll spend a lot of time waiting for people to come in to bring their clothing.
13. Artist
One of the jobs for introverts to feel like they're creating net good in the world is artist. As an artist, you'll have the freedom to create your art on your own terms. Whether you're painting, sculpting, taking photographs, designing buildings, drawing, performing, or writing, you can create something magical from nothing. What a gift. As an artist, you'll likely be self-employed. You might get hired to create art for clients. Or you might choose to sell your art to local boutique businesses. Having your own website where you display your art or find new clients can help you create a lasting job. Introverts without a degree can become artists, though many artists do either go to college or university to hone in their craft.
14. Scientist
While there are some highly extroverted scientists out there, a majority of scientists are introverted. Depending on what field you go into, you may be able to get away with locking yourself in a room and conducting research. Or if you prefer to challenge yourself, you might choose to do presentations at conferences to share your findings and research. If you want to look for jobs where you work independently it is possible. However, collaboration with other scientists, even if it's a small group is typically inevitable. You'll be requesting feedback from other scientists in your line of work. However, as a scientist you can choose to work with smaller groups or conduct some work alone.
15. Therapist
Finding the right role well-suited for introverts doesn't have to be difficult. You can look for roles with one-on-one interactions like a therapist with their patient. Most introverts engage best in small groups. In most cases, you'll be either working with one patient at a time, unless working with children or couples. Introverts tend to be great listeners and because of this their advice can help so many people because it comes from a place where they've heard everything that needs to be said. These are jobs that require high empathy, active listening skills, and the ability to connect with people. An introverts can be great at all of those things when dealing with one-on-one interactions.
16. Career Coach
If you have good communication skills and prefer one-on-one interactions you might enjoy being a career coach. In this role, you'll provide advice on how someone can grow in their careers, give feedback on people's resumes, provide guidance on how to manage work conflicts or challenges, and how to negotiate salary during interviews. A career coach can showcase their problem-solving skills while helping people grow in their careers. You'll be able to do meaningful work as a coach, however, there can be an emotional tax on the job as people will often come to you when things aren't going well in their careers. However, if you have a positive attitude and enjoy active listening, you might find this type of job will align with your values.
Conclusion
A great career for introverts doesn't need to mean isolating yourself from the world. There are plenty of meaningful, fun, or easy jobs an introvert can embark on where they can work independently, avoid public speaking, and have interactions with small groups of people so they can feel the most fulfilled. If you want high job satisfaction and need time alone now and then, finding a job that's suited to you is possible. Introverts often thrive when they can just hunker down and do the work they're paid to. Whether that's graphic design, data analysis, or one of the many engineering jobs, you can discover the power of introverts by finding the right job for you. To start building a resume for an introverted job, you can sign up for Huntr today.