It’s important to be honest with yourself about what you want in a career, and for many, the top need is the ability to work alone.
Looking for jobs for misanthropes ensures that you never have to be bothered by having too many coworkers around or the noise that comes with them.
Doing your research can allow you to score your dream job. These are the top jobs for introverts, and why they would suit any asocial person!
13. Graphic Designer
As a graphic designer, you’ll work off a client’s needs to create visual concepts either by using traditional or digital means to communicate whatever they request.
This could range from layout and production design to full advertisements and posters. This role allows you to work alone, outside of simple emails or calls with your clients.
Graphic design is a fantastic way to earn money with art skills, so if you have a knack for art this could be a great fit.
Average yearly income: $50,227 (Glassdoor)
12. Long Haul Trucker
If you love the open road and don’t mind traveling a lot, this could be the perfect role for you.
Long haul truck drivers get to spend their days carrying loads to and from different companies and making paid deliveries.
Although some may assume that most careers for misanthropes are desk-bound or that you have to be a specialist in something, being a long-haul driver frees you from that restriction.
Trends on the Rise
There’s such a severe lack of CDL drivers in the USA that companies are hiring multi-thousand dollar signing bonuses and guaranteed pay raises. Companies are desperate to sign drivers and get them on the road as soon as possible. CDL training was once a service you had to pay for, but many companies are offering not only free training but also perks like pet care, 24/7 support, and thousands of dollars worth of vacation time.
Average yearly income: $64,210 (ZipRecruiter)
11. Landscape Designer
Landscape architects, also known as landscape designers, design gorgeous and functional parks, gardens, residential areas, public spaces, playgrounds, and college campuses.
Their job oversees everything from where sidewalks lay to where each plant and tree will go. If you ever want to travel to further your career, Australia is the capital of landscape design and has tons of gorgeous gardens and parks.
Average yearly income: $66,230 (Career Explorer)
10. Photographer
Though many may assume that most of what a photographer does is take pictures at events, that’s not necessarily true!
A good photographer can take pictures anywhere and turn them into a million-dollar deal.
Photography is a gorgeous art that takes a keen understanding of color, composition, and lucking into natural-looking moments.
Of course, you can still get hired to do events if you don’t mind them, but these don’t have to be your main source of income. Making money from wildlife photography is another popular route as a photographer.
Average yearly income: $66,303 (Salary.com)
9. Novelist
There are a lot of cliches about quirky or loner novelists, but don’t let these sour your opinion on the career as a whole.
Being a novelist, you can write about any subject that interests you and will sell. In fact, as a novelist, the more niche your topics are, the better. Being a competitive industry, many novelists start writing as a second job.
This could be fiction or nonfiction novels, and in fiction, you could write anything from mystery to romance, depending on your interests.
Tactics for Success
- Between 600,000 and 1,000,000 new titles are published every year, not including self-published books, which means differentiating yourself is vital.
- One way to break into the market is to pick a small niche that you can build yourself in. Once you have made enough of a name for yourself, publishing in a larger market won’t feel so competitive.
Average yearly income: $67,230 (Work.Chron)
8. Horticulturist
Though many confuse this role with a landscape designer, a horticulturist increases plants’ yield, vigor, size, and taste.
These professionals have to know about plants thoroughly, from trees to veggies, and understand the different factors that would make each of them grow or fail.
Beyond that, this is an active learning job, which means you’ll always get to be a student to the environment even as you discover and create new incredible methods of growing plants.
Average yearly income: $69,074 (CareerExplorer)
7. Library Archivist
If books have touched your life, you’re not alone!
Many misanthropes and introverts love burying themselves in books to explore the world, and in this role, you get to help ensure these books last longer.
As a library archivist, you’ll appraise, process, catalog, and document records, documents, and books that your organization takes in. This is an extremely detail-oriented role.
Average yearly income: $73,750 (Salary.com)
6. Web Developer
Web developers create and maintain their clients’ websites.
They’re responsible for the site’s technical side as well as how fast and well it runs while also possibly creating regular content for the site.
In this role, you’ll only have to talk to clients via email, and even then, it’s rare.
Trends on the Rise
The employment of web developers is expected to grow by over 13% in the next 10 years. Due to the pandemic, many companies have either added a website to their business or turned to doing all business online instead of having a physical location. As a result, there’s a huge demand for web developers to fill this need.
Average yearly income: $73,760 (USNews)
5. Medical Researcher
Working as a medical researcher, you’ll design and conduct studies that will investigate everything from human diseases to how we can prevent and treat them.
Of course, your main goal in this role will be to improve human health, but outside of clinical trials, you won’t have to be around people to do so.
Medical researchers are why polio, smallpox, and leprosy have faded almost entirely from existence; this is a very rewarding job.
Average yearly income: $91,510 (Bureau of Labor)
4. Actuary
If you’re fantastic at numbers, this could be the role for you! As an actuary, you’ll analyze the costs of risks and uncertainties.
Using math, financial theory, and statistics, your position can save businesses from some of their worst risks while furthering their business at the same time. People with a teaching background tend to do very well as an actuary, especially ex math teachers.
Communication is important in this role, but you don’t have to be around people nearly as much as many assume.
Average yearly income: $111,030 (Investopedia)
3. Software Designer
A software designer uses planning, design, and research techniques to create the foundation upon which software is built.
The awesome thing about software designers is that this is an easy job to get into if you apply yourself!
Over 8% of current software designers only learned how to code within the last four years, and numbers are still growing.
Fortunately, you don’t have to work with many people and have more freedom in this role.
Average yearly income: $115,171 (Indeed)
2. Astronomer
Many would love to spend their days staring out into space instead of dealing with coworkers, and this is the role for that!
As an astronomer, you’ll study planets, stars, galaxies, and whatever other celestial bodies you want to.
Then, using ground-based equipment, you’ll further humankind’s understanding of space and our place in it.
Although you’ll have to write papers about what you’ve discovered, you won’t have to spend a lot of time around other people.
Average yearly income: $116,370 (Salary.com)
1. Lawyer
This may surprise people, but most of a lawyer’s job is alone.
Although television and movies make it sound like lawyers spend their whole day in the courtroom, most of your time is spent researching your case, gathering information, and double-checking whatever information the opposition has that you get to review.
This means that you’ll get to spend a surprising amount of time alone, even though occasionally you’ll have to go on the stand and speak in front of people.
This is a top-paying job because it gives you the chance to make real changes in peoples’ lives without having to be in constant contact with them!
According to numerous studies, most lawyers are introverts, so this could be the perfect job for you.
Average yearly income: $120,910 (BigLawInvestor)
Wrapping Up
Although there are many fields where your career can easily get furthered by being more social, getting to take the time and be a creative or inventive person on your own is also valuable.
Seek out work that allows you to be yourself and do things without other people crowding you, and you’ll have a career that feels a lot less like work.
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.
