We dedicate the better part of our lives to work so it’s up to us to make this time as comfortable for ourselves as possible. Sticking to the work-life balance approach is 50 percent of the success, the other part is trying to find a job that would align with your personality. If we take a helicopter view, there are two main types all people are divided into, extroverts and introverts. The truth is that nobody belongs to purely one group, there is always a mixture of both. We should refer to the prevailing personality style rather than squeeze a person into rigid frameworks. Anyway, acknowledging your prevailing type of personality and taking it into account will definitely increase your chances to pursue the right career path. In this article, we’ve collected the twelve best jobs for introverts to be able to perform at their best and maintain mental health at the same time.
Table of Contents
There is a common misconception that introverted people are always shy, soft-spoken, or avoidant. Introverts just tend to have a different approach to maintaining social interactions. Extroverted people recharge through social interaction whereas introverted folks through being on their own. However, the brutal truth is that extroverted qualities tend to be celebrated more in many professions. Luckily, not all of them. There are ones that offer less stimulating and less aggressive working environments and are perfectly suited for people who are better off having meter-dosed amounts of social interaction.
Some introverts tend to induce themselves into believing that developing extroversion will bring them relief and satisfaction with their job, but, in fact, this can make things even worse affecting their mental health immensely and ending up with burnout or even depression. First and foremost, living up to your personality style needs will bring you peace and comfort. Only by fulfilling this basic need, a person can demonstrate their real talents and potential and therefore achieve their career goals and be happy with their professional life.
Social interaction implies energy exchange with other people. It’s a well-known fact that some individuals may be “energy vampires” and suck energy from others without giving any of it back. When introverted people face too much human interaction, especially if these people turn out to be “vampires”, it drains immensely. The point is that extroverted people recharge through communication, while introverted folks just spend energy on it. Recharging, in its turn, comes through being on their own, being far away from socializing. If introverts choose jobs that include lots of communication, they just don’t have enough time to replenish their resources and, therefore, it inevitably leads to a mental breakdown. That’s why picking a fulfilling career is vital for people whose prevailing personality style is introversion.
Many popular and lucrative jobs do require hours of communication with different people. However, we spent some time conducting research and managed to find the 15 best jobs for introverts that will allow them to prove their professionalism without affecting their mental health and well-being.
Tutors conduct one-on-one or small-group lessons that are tailored to the requirements and objectives of their students. They frequently provide support for students with their homework, projects, test preparation, papers, research, and other academic assignments.
One-on-one or duo classes are a wonderful alternative for those introverts who like communication but in meter-dosed amounts. You may also work remotely via video call platforms from the comfort of your home and take private clients. The best part is that you may choose who you want to work with or not. However, classes still require communication, being in a good mood, and encouraging and motivating others which can be pretty energy-consuming.
A high school diploma or a GED is the bare minimum that most private tutors possess. A degree in education or a particular academic field may be beneficial. Getting a degree will boost your credibility in your position. Private tutors who possess additional credentials like international teaching certificates are free to work independently and set their prices per class.
As a rule, virtual assistants handle administrative tasks like email writing, booking appointments, coordinating, or sorting out documents. However, depending on your expertise and interests, you may also choose to assist with managing social media platforms for businesses or organizations, work with a famous blogger, or specialize in e-commerce.
Completely remote, little verbal communication limited to the person you work for, you’re the creator of your work schedule and you don’t need a specific license or a degree to get started. However, the job does require one to be tech-savvy and be aware of all the latest trends in the industry. Due to the high popularity of the job, the competition is fierce.
No master’s degree is needed, one may enroll in an online course to obtain the necessary knowledge on social media platforms as many virtual assistants are basically social media managers. To boost your skills, one may check free educational content on YouTube or elsewhere as industry professionals oftentimes share their tips there.
The best thing is that you don’t need to deal with lots of social interactions – translators communicate ideas in a written form. So if you have an advanced level in more than one language, you may well consider this job. Translators may work with fiction, scientific literature, documentation, presentations, and speeches.
Really little communication! However, this work may sometimes be monotonous, tiring, and even boring. It may also affect one’s health as translators typically work long hours with texts in front of a computer screen and lead a quite sedentary lifestyle.
Anyone interested in working as an interpreter is advised to pursue a bachelor’s degree, though native-level proficiency in two or more languages may occasionally be required. Certification from a university or other accredited institution is necessary for positions with the federal government and the state.
Web developers use programming languages to build the architecture of a website. It does take a while to master this skill but it’s definitely a high-paying job in the long run. You may choose to be a Front-End developer and create the visual side of a site; you may become a Back-End developer and deal with databases, architecture, and servers; or you can deal with both and become a Full-Stack developer.
Communication mostly within their team or with the contractor. The average salary is pretty appealing and stands at about $63,000 per year and directly depends on how much experience and what hard skills you have. Web developers can work independently and look for their clients on online freelance platforms. On the flip side, the job is pretty demanding in terms of precision and concentration and may be pretty monotonous and irritating when dealing with bugs.
Some companies ask for an associate’s degree in web design or a related field. However, you may take an online course and get a certificate at the end. Practical experience in coding is still a decisive factor, so you may consider doing apprenticeships in well-known companies that very often offer employment to the best students.
Among the regular duties of a librarian, there are:
Firstly, you communicate with books, not people. Secondly, you work in a peaceful and fulfilling environment. This job provides great opportunities for your work-life balance. On the other hand, it may really be lonely sometimes. One needs a college degree and the employment options are not that abundant.
To work as a librarian, one typically needs a master’s degree in library science. A higher level of education and training like a doctoral degree may be necessary for librarians who work in specialized environments like law schools or medical research facilities.
A social media manager is bound to be a multitasker. Their daily routine includes a huge array of responsibilities, including these:
Unfortunately, it’s not an option where you are free to work at your own pace. It requires loads of problem-solving, analyzing data, and maybe even taking financial risks. Moreover, social media managers have to work and communicate closely with various departments and teams. Still, it may become a good career choice for those introverts who don’t mind working in a demanding environment.
Social media managers are usually expected to have degrees in such fields as marketing, media and communications, and business management. Furthermore, various post-graduate courses are available in the field. It will definitely be an advantage if you have on-the-job knowledge and experience in social media marketing.
Digital marketers assist you in conducting research on advertising trends, competitors’ pricing and products, choosing the appropriate placement of ads, managing digital marketing content online, monitoring digital traffic, social media, and Google Analytics, taking care of the budget, brainstorming and implementing experiments and conversion tests and many more.
Even though the majority of their responsibilities are connected with content and data analysis, this job implies interaction and cooperation within a team as well.
A bachelor’s degree is a must for those who are interested in building their career in this field. Research experience acquired in the course during college education will definitely play into your hands while looking for employment.
A data analyst is in charge of gathering and analyzing volumes of data to come up with better business strategies. They deal with sales figures, market research, logistics and linguistics, reorganize this information and present it to management so they make business decisions faster and more efficiently, therefore, improving their business performance.
This profession is in high demand as a skillful data analyst can become a real game changer for a business. That’s why the cross-market average salary stands at about $74k annually but may reach $140k. However, it may be tough at the beginning as one has to master Python (a programming language) and also tools like Excel and Tableau.
Typically, it’s a bachelor’s degree in science, mathematics, or related fields and a postgraduate degree in data analytics or a related field. One may consider completing a course and getting certified in programming languages such as Python and R and boosting their analytical skills by learning data science or business analytics.
For those who are passionate about working with words and texts, becoming a copywriter may be a perfect option. They deal with different types of content, including technical writing and creative writing. The main aim is to create content that promotes products or services and also communicates the brand’s essence.
It’s a really creative job, helps to broaden one’s outlook, and may be completely remote giving an opportunity to work from any location on the planet with high-quality internet. The average salary is about $65k per year and may reach over $100k for real masters of their craft. On the flip side, one may feel lonely at times, experience health issues due to a sedentary lifestyle, and get stressed out because they lack creativity or ideas.
Having a bachelor’s degree in English, communications, or journalism will typically facilitate the job search and enhance the process of landing a full-time position. Certificates are not that necessary but they will never harm you. What really matters is a portfolio that may consist of the works you created during your internship.
A truly creative job that will help you leave a mark on the history of animation. Using different digital tools and software programs, animators breathe life into a series of connected images and make them move like real. These specialists can seek employment at film-production studios or video game studios creating 2D, 3D, or stop-frame films.
It’s unbelievably creative and rewarding – you can make millions of people happy by creating an animated film or cartoon for kids, or a new chapter of an eagerly-awaited video game. Secondly, you can work independently as a freelancer and set your own price for your work. On the other hand, the job is extremely demanding and requires you to always be on your toes following all the latest trends to make your animation as realistic as possible.
Applicants are supposed to have a bachelor’s degree in such disciplines as computer graphics, graphic design, animation, or any other related field. Getting certified in computer science, art, and digital media would definitely improve your chances and make you more noticeable for employers.
If you’re keen on creating visual content such as advertisements, logos, packaging, illustrations, or posters to help businesses represent their brand image, becoming a graphic designer can become a perfect job for you. Usually, they deal with turning clients’ ideas into designs. However, it’s not only about creativity but also about knowing and adhering to all the principles of effective visuals.
The fact that you need only a device with the proper software to create your designs, a video call platform to contact a client, and a powerful internet connection makes this profession one of the most popular among young people nowadays. However, the job requires sitting long hours in front of the screen and dealing with specific clients who might sometimes have “their own vision”.
In the majority of cases, companies prefer applicants with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design, web design, or art. However, a person can guide themselves into the profession with the help of numerous online tutorials, free or prepaid video courses, or boot camps. Not only will it bring their skills to a new level but also allow them to create an eye-catching portfolio.
Video editors create storylines and concepts for videos, select, cut, or edit raw footage, sequence music or other audio elements, apply visual effects to create a unique style of the video, and many many more. They are also in charge of maintaining technical specifications, such as file format, resolution, and frame rate of a video. An integral part of the job would be keeping constant contact with the videographer, director, or producer to create a product that meets all their requirements.
This field opens bright perspectives as video and motion design content are at the peak of popularity right now and will definitely be in the future. However, it does take time to acquire the necessary skills and reach the level of top specialists to be able to survive the competition.
Employers usually appreciate a bachelor’s degree in film, video production, or any other related field. A big advantage will be proficiency with special motion graphics software like Adobe Creative Suite, including Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Photoshop.
It is vital for introverts to tailor their career paths in a way that honors their personality type. By carefully selecting jobs with minimal interpersonal requirements, they can avoid the damaging effects of burnout, depression, anxiety and emotional breakdowns. Fortunately, there are plenty of high-paying positions available which don’t require extended periods of communication – each one so diverse that everyone should be able to find something that appeals to them! If you’re here, it implies that something is stirring inside of you. Now is the time to accept who you are and chase your true wishes and aspirations without succumbing to what other people think should be right for you.