��ɫ��Ƶ

If your dream job involves minimal interaction with humans, an environment where you can focus with few interruptions, and performance reviews that are based on actual performance (rather than self-promotion or, let’s call it what it is, schmoozing), you probably already know you’re an introvert. The thing you might be wondering is: What are the best careers for introverts? Look no further. Here are the work-more-talk-less jobs that will allow the shrinking violet in you to bloom.

Whether you’re ready for a career pivot, trying to decide on the right college degree, or reentering the workforce after a gap in employment, there are plenty of careers for introverts. In fact, such careers are all around us! It just seems like they’re behind the scenes because, well, many of them are.

This isn’t to suggest that introverts cannot thrive in front-and-center jobs. It’s just that some career options line up better with introverted personality styles than others. Introverts can do sales, marketing team management or teaching, but if the very thought of these roles exhausts your social battery, maybe it’s time to consider which careers fit with your most authentic self.

Given the hallmark workplace characteristics of introverts, Laci Baker, a career advisor at ��ɫ��Ƶ, says it’s important to ask yourself lots of questions when career planning. Connecting with a career advisor like her can also help you identify exciting options that you may not have considered.

Baker tends to start with the basics, asking questions like:

• What do you do well?
• What has led to burnout in the past for you?
• What leaves you feeling exhausted?
• What do you know you don’t want?

“If your desired job goes through an uncomfortable path — for example, a behind-the-scenes job in tech that starts out as a people-intensive help desk specialist position — can you go in, eyes wide open and with a plan to recharge, in order to get to where you want to go?” she asks. “To get to the back end, sometimes you have to work on the front end.”

When she advises a student or alum, Baker reminds herself that they are the experts on themselves. “Sometimes just a little bit of coaching can help them push through obstacles and find the compromises they are willing to make,” she says.

Certain jobs do seem tailor-made for introverts. Sometimes, in fact, these jobs hide in plain sight — they are not in direct service but are in interesting fields and can become ideal careers for introverts.

“If you’re cause-minded, writing grants is a specialized form of technical writing that can be rewarding and relatively solo,” Baker says. “You might go into biostatistics or data-related roles that allow you to create reports from data. If you prefer animals, lab species or nature to humans, laboratory, conservation or fieldwork may be for you. If you like to educate, a career in curriculum and instructional design can be a way to teach without being the teacher,” Baker says.

From Baker’s own recommendations and other sources, here are several more options for careers for introverts. 

Education requirement: bachelor’s degree, such as a Bachelor of Science in Accounting

Salary range: As of May 2024, accountants earned between $52,780 and $141,420 per year, with a median salary of $81,680, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Projected job growth 2023–2033: 6%      

Salary ranges are not specific to students or graduates of ��ɫ��Ƶ. Actual outcomes vary based on multiple factors, including prior work experience, geographic location and other factors specific to the individual. ��ɫ��Ƶ does not guarantee employment, salary level or career advancement. BLS data is geographically based. Information for a specific state/city can be researched on the BLS website.

BLS Occupational Employment Projections, 2022-2032 is published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This data reflects BLS’ projections of national (not local) conditions. These data points are not specific to ��ɫ��Ƶ students or graduates.

Education requirement: master’s degree, such as a Master of Science in Data Science

Salary range: In May 2024, computer and information research scientists earned between $80,670 and $232,120, with a median salary of $140,910 per year, according to BLS

Projected job growth 2023–2033: 26%

Education requirement: bachelor’s degree, such as a Bachelor of Arts in English

Salary range: In May 2024, creative writers and authors earned between $41,080 and $133,680, with a median salary of $72,270 per year, according to BLS

Projected job growth 2023–2033: 5%

Education requirement: bachelor’s degree, such as a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science

Salary range: In May 2024, environmental scientists and specialists earned between $50,130 and $134,830, with a median salary of $80,060 per year, according to BLS

Projected job growth 2023–2033: 7%

Education requirement: bachelor’s degree, such as a Bachelor of Science in Data Science

Salary range: In May 2024, information systems managers earned between $104,450 and $239,200, with a median salary of $171,200 per year, according to BLS

Projected job growth 2023–2033: 17%

Education requirement: bachelor’s degree, such as a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Salary range: In May 2024, software developers earned between $79,850 and $211,450, with a median salary of $133,080 per year, according to BLS

Projected job growth 2023–2033: 17%

Education requirement: bachelor’s degree, such as a Bachelor of Arts in English

Salary range: In May 2024, technical writers earned between $54,400 and $130,430, with a median salary of $91,670 per year, according to BLS

Projected job growth 2023–2033: 4%

It’s OK to not limit yourself unnecessarily to “just” the obvious careers for introverts.

Baker, for example, works with people every day. She is also a self-described introvert. “Is being an introvert a deal-breaker or are you self-limiting?” she asks. For her part, she enjoys her position — and she enjoyed her prior career working as a nationally certified counselor with experience in addictions work, college counseling and counseling those in the entertainment industry.

But with the people-facing nature of what she does, she has learned to build downtime into her workday, set clear boundaries and do something to unwind after work that does not require interpersonal interaction.

All this self-management can seem like a lot. And sometimes it seems like the system is rigged toward extroverts. Flashing their quick-speaking abilities (and speaking, and speaking and speaking) during meetings, and energized by social interaction, extroverts often seem built for the work tasks that drain you. (It’s because they are.)

So, the key is finding jobs that work with your strengths, making adjustments where you can and remembering what Baker calls the 80/20 rule. “Even the best job in the world will have some elements you’re not happy about. If you have a job that you enjoy 80% of the time, while 20% of it is not ideal, that’s still a pretty good setup. You have to compromise sometimes, so the idea is to identify where you’re willing to make those compromises.”

In the end, it’s important to not count yourself out. While some careers for introverts might seem (at least on the surface) to be a better fit for extroverts, introverts may be able to thrive under the right circumstances. “It can happen that introverts enjoy that type of position if they have the margin to recharge,” Baker says.

It comes down to knowing yourself. What is most important to you? Pressing through the discomfort of a people-facing role you love (and with ample margin to recharge)? Or going around all that with a role that places you in an independent work environment to begin with?

Just think it through. Deep focus is, after all, something introverts are really good at.