12 Best Paying Jobs for Loners (Top Careers for Introverts)

by Erin Schollaert

Updated

In 2021 most people are looking for work that will accommodate their needs and fit their lifestyle, for many, that includes the need to work alone.

Many introverts and asocial people are desperate for jobs for loners since this is when they do their best work and can enjoy doing what they do.

If you’re curious about what types of jobs for people who hate people there are, you’re not alone! These careers remove the headaches of constant human contact and allow you to thrive solo.

12. Legal Transcriptionist

Legal transcriptionists listen to people talk for their entire job, but fortunately don’t have to speak to them or even be in the same room as them most of the time, it’s one of the best jobs for loners.

Your job will be to listen to dictated recordings made by attorneys, paralegals, and other legal professionals and then transcribe these recordings into clear typed text.

Although you’ll have to have a high word per minute count, you won’t have to talk to many people. A good legal transcriptionist is a part of what boosted Abraham Lincoln’s national fame as a lawyer.

Transcription work is quite flexible, so it makes the list of jobs with no deadlines.

Yearly income: $60,000 (BusinessMomCollective)

11. Video Editor

video-editing

The job of a video or film editor is completely different today than it was even twenty years ago.

With the popularity of things like YouTube and Tik Tok, there are thousands upon thousands of jobs and gigs that you can pick up that will allow you to gain a large income while not having to talk to another person face to face.

If you are just getting started in video editing, it can done as a second job without issues, and is freelance friendly.

In this role, you’ll have to review the video, edit it for length and clarity, and ensure that the finished result is high quality and what your client wants.

Trends on the Rise

More skilled freelance video editors can earn up to $150 an hour if their skills are high enough, which means if you do this full-time, you can earn far more than the average television editor who makes $52,329 a year. This has massive earning potential if you can apply yourself to find long-term clients and price yourself well.

Yearly income: $60,050 (Comparably)

10. Novelist

As a novelist, you get to write into fruition whatever career you want. This could mean anything from fiction to nonfiction, in genres spanning as wide as astrophysics to paranormal romance.

The bulk of your work is done alone, especially if you’re a self-published writer. In this job, you can use your creativity to the max and only deal with people when you’re talking to an editor, publisher, or literary agent.

Whether you’re a history major wanting to make money or a psychology major, novelists come from all kinds of backgrounds.

This role can be a lot of fun, especially if you’re creative. Unfortunately, most authors self-identify as asocial or introverts, so this is a job that loners have sought for years!

Yearly income: $67,230 (Work.Chron)

9. Network Administrator

Being a network administrator puts you in charge of the day-to-day operation of whatever networks you’re in control of.

You’ll organize, install, and support your organization’s systems, including both local and wide area networks, network segments, intranets, and any other data communication systems they may have.

This is a great role for anyone who wants it and can be a great chance to work alone while still having a powerful position in a company.

System and network admins have a national day! It’s celebrated on the last Friday of every July.

Yearly income: $70,591 (Indeed)

8. App Developer

selling-silverware-trends

Becoming an app developer means taking on detailed and focus-driven work to create either mobile applications or applications for computers.

Of course, this job offers a large range of projects you can pick from and many different types of clients that all need different levels of contact.

As long as you’re a freelancer, though, you have the freedom to decide how they can contact you and how often. This power ensures you don’t get burned out on human contact but still get to do amazing work.

Tactics for Success

  • One of the best ways to hone your skills as an app developer is to study the good apps that are out there and the bad ones. Learning about what makes an application fail and why people don’t like it can be incredibly useful for gaining insight into making a great app.
  • While developing applications for clients, consider also putting in the work in your free time to create applications you can market and use. For example, indie developers who build and make amazing websites in their own time can then sell them for much larger profits.

Yearly income: $70,930 (PayScale)

7. Accountant

Accountants are responsible for keeping and interpreting the financial records of whomever their clients may be.

This could be for individuals or large businesses and organizations, but generally, you won’t have to speak to your clients often.

Many even will agree to send questions via email primarily to ensure everything is kept in physical writing.

There are countless side jobs for accountants as well, which is a fantastic perk.

This is an awesome job for loners who don’t mind math. The Oscars hire an accounting firm to hand-count the votes and decide the winner of each award.

Yearly income: $71,550 (USNews)

6. Truck Driver

Whether you agree to be regional or national, you’ll spend most of your time alone in your vehicle on the road as a truck driver.

In this job, you may be on the road for days or weeks at a time, only talking to others when you decide to or when you have to drop off or pick up a load in your vehicle.

This can be a draining line of work, so it’s important to ensure that you’re okay sitting in the vehicle and dealing with the monotony of driving for as long as these work periods may be.

In addition, truckers spend an average of 240 nights a year away from home, so this might not be best for someone with many pets or kids.

Yearly income: $73,225 (Indeed)

5. Architect

kitchen-remodel-sketch

Being an architect is the best way to complete a job that lets you be alone as you build incredible things.

As an architect, you’ll design buildings and ensure that they’re not only safe but comfortable to use and capable of lasting for years.

On your typical day, if you’re self-employed, you’ll do everything from contacting clients, checking zoning laws, and designing buildings, all while not having to leave your home or speak to anyone aloud.

The fantastic thing is that this job doesn’t require much interaction, especially if you do amazing work.

Yearly income: $80,750 (USNews)

4. Voice Actor

Chances are you experience voice acting in your everyday life without realizing it. Voice actors have a hand in everything from your phone’s Siri to television and radio commercials, cartoons, video tutorials, and audiobooks.

This is a job where you’re given a script, some direction, and told to read it convincingly. It’s a great way to make extra money for people with jobs that involve standing all day – for example, it could be a fantastic side gig for nurses.

Regardless of what type of voice acting you go into, although there’s a lot of talking, you rarely would have to work face to face with another person, especially if you work from home.

Some actors are only hired for breathing scenes! When a character has to catch their breath or gasp, and an actor can’t get the noise right, a voice actor will step in to help.

Yearly income: $90,000 (BunnyStudio)

3. Graphic Designer

Working with clients indirectly is the dream for many who hate working with others, so becoming a graphic designer could be the career that changes everything.

In this role, you’ll create visual concepts and images, using either computer software or traditional media, to make designs that inform, inspire, and grab the attention of consumers.

Your design and layout work can be used for everything from advertisements to magazines and even television, but you don’t have to work alongside a team to succeed.

Yearly income: $97,396 (Salary.com)

2. Actuary

The average actuaries work alone to analyze the financial costs of risk and uncertainty.

Using math, statistics, and a strong understanding of financial theory, you’ll consider the risk of possible events and help your clients create policies that shrink the potential losses if that risk doesn’t work out.

As an actuary, you get to work purely with data and numbers yet help make major business decisions that may be easily led astray.

This could be a fantastic job for ex math teachers who are looking for less human interaction, but also want to put their analytical skills to good use.

Although you’ll have to work for companies and explain your findings, most of your work is done alone, depending on your skills and understanding.

Yearly income: $102,880 (Accounting.com)

1. Economist

Working as an economist means that it gets to be only you, the numbers, and whatever data you’re analyzing and forecasting.

Although you may have to explain this to a team at times, you’ll likely have to write multiple reports on what you do, you’ll generally get to work alone.

This job requires you to have a good grasp of the economy, understand anything from inflation to energy costs, and process a lot of information quickly.

All economies are different, but no economist has been able to develop a single economic theory that can encompass all of Singapore’s economy.

Yearly income: $106,820 (Indeed)

Wrapping Up

Although we’ve all been informed that the only way to make it big is to be a part of the team, that’s not the case for any of these careers for loners!

If you’re skilled, dedicated, and possibly educated with a degree or two, you can have the job of your dreams while getting to do your own thing.

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Erin is a business teacher and mother of three. When she’s not in the classroom or fulfilling her obligations as an A+ hockey and lacrosse mom, she’s working on her latest article.

About the Author

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Erin is a business teacher and mother of three. When she’s not in the classroom or fulfilling her obligations as an A+ hockey and lacrosse mom, she’s working on her latest article.