Most Introverts are happiest in work environments that don’t overwhelm or overstimulate them. These are easier to find now than they used to be, because of the expanding number of jobs that can be done wholly or partly from home. As an Introvert, you can now minimize your exposure to highly stressful workplaces and follow career paths that might have been challenging for you in the past.

With that in mind, here’s a list of career options where Introverts can find satisfying work. Some of these career possibilities may be new to you – which shows how the workplace is evolving more and more in the direction of the Introvert!

What are the best jobs for Introverts?

#1: Engineer

Engineers need to have an excellent grasp of science and mathematics but rarely need to have advanced socializing skills to thrive. Your focus will be on data analysis and problem-solving, and you’ll generally work on your own in quiet environments where you can concentrate on your duties and avoid energy-draining distractions.

Engineering is a diverse field that includes chemical, electrical, mechanical and civil engineering. As a minimum, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in engineering, although pursuing a master’s degree may enhance your career chances. As a trained engineer, your skills will remain universally useful, letting you dictate your terms of employment for as long as you continue to work in this field.

#2: Software Quality Assurance Analyst

As a software quality assurance analyst working independently, you’ll put your hard-earned knowledge of computer technology to work checking software programs for bugs, errors, inefficiencies, bottlenecks and other flaws that prevent them from functioning as they should. Introverts feel secure when they possess advanced skills they know will be useful to employers, and software quality assurance analysts have the type of skill package that will keep them in demand forever.  

To become a software quality assurance analyst, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer programming or information technology. You should supplement this with online courses in software analysis, plus gain experience working as a computer programmer or in some other area of IT.

#3: Actuary

If you train as an actuary, you’ll be qualified to work in just about any area of the insurance industry. Your job will be to use statistical formulas to calculate risks and assess probable outcomes in relation to insurance risks and disasters. Actuaries usually have plenty of power to determine their own working conditions, either inside or outside the office. How, when and where you do your job largely will be left up to you.

In addition to having a bachelor’s degree in mathematics or actuarial science, you may have to study for and pass as many as 10 different exams to become a certified actuary. While your path won’t be easy, once you’ve succeeded you’ll remain a valuable and trusted employee wherever you go.

#4: Graphic Designer

Graphic designers use digital tools to create compelling visuals for marketing, public relations campaigns, magazine layouts, covers, brochures, advertisements, posters and other products. Creative Introverts will love having the ability to process ideas creatively while working in a way that suits them. Work conditions are ideal for Introverts since the job only requires a suitable computer with the right software and a private, quiet environment where the graphic designer can think, plan and create.

A bachelor’s degree in graphic design, plus additional self-directed study, should be enough to qualify you for work as a graphic designer.

#5: Counselor or Therapist

If you’re a people-oriented Introvert who enjoys the company of others most of the time, becoming a therapist or counselor might be just what the doctor ordered. Therapists must be active and careful listeners who enjoy the challenge of helping others gain deeper self-understanding – a skill that checks a lot of Introvert boxes. In counseling sessions, you’ll lead the conversation without having to reveal anything about yourself, focusing your social energies on people who need your expert assistance.

Therapists generally require a master’s degree to pursue their chosen career. But once you’ve achieved this goal, you’ll be fully qualified to set up a private practice or work for an institution that offers therapeutic services.

#6: Medical Laboratory Technician

Has the idea of being involved in medicine always thrilled you? If so, you may want to consider a career as a medical laboratory technician. In this role you’ll be asked to perform a variety of medical tests, which you’ll then analyze before passing the results along to patient care professionals (doctors and nurses).

As a medical technician, you’ll be around medicine but your work will be in the laboratory, rather than directly with patients. You won’t need to develop a bedside manner, just a thorough and professional attitude. It’s a position that rewards knowledge, diligence and dedication. The entry point is an associate’s degree in clinical laboratory science.

#7: Video and Film Editor

As a video and film editor, you’ll be able to indulge your creative instincts and work in an exciting industry while staying safely behind the scenes. You’ll need to be a stickler about meeting deadlines. But as long as you can do that, you’ll be given extraordinary leeway to work according to your own schedule. The hours can get quite long at times, but if you enjoy becoming deeply immersed in your projects, you likely won’t mind.

You may want to study video production in college to prepare for this career. However, you can certainly learn a lot about this topic through your own initiative.

#8: Paralegal

A huge number of Introverts are attracted to careers in the law due to the intellectual challenge it offers. If you may find the social demands of becoming a lawyer unappealing, another possibility is to become a paralegal.

Paralegals spend their days researching legal issues, preparing documents and performing other tasks to help lawyers carry out their duties. You may sometimes work closely with lawyers as they get ready for cases, but the social interactions in paralegal work are usually focused on professional matters exclusively. Standard preparation to enter the field is a bachelor’s degree in legal studies. But some paralegals start out with a specialized associate degree and work their way up from there.

#9: YouTuber 

The number of people surviving on revenues from YouTube content creation videos has grown by leaps and bounds in just the past few years. People have discovered that you can monetize just about any hobby, and that if you create good and interesting content people with similar interests will find you.

If you’ve ever dreamed of making money as an independent entrepreneur, doing or talking about what you love, the time could be right to make the jump into YouTube content creation. Whether you like camping, rock climbing, collecting rare objects, antiquing, talking politics, traveling, living in your van full-time, or a thousand other fascinating activities, monetizing your passions on YouTube could be your ideal Introvert’s career choice.

Finding Your True Workplace Fit 

Hundreds of career choices can be suitable for Introverts, and you have more opportunities to follow your inspiration now than you ever had before. This is thanks to the shift in labor patterns that will allow you to work from home or another peaceful environment if that is your preference. Career choices can also be customized to a far greater extent than they could a decade ago. It seems that the world of work is meeting Introverts where they are instead of forcing them to step outside their comfort zone to fit in – how will you take advantage?

Nathan Falde
Nathan Falde has been working as a freelance writer for the past six years. His ghostwritten work and bylined articles have appeared in numerous online outlets, and in 2014-2015 he acted as co-creator for a series of eBooks on the personality types. An INFJ and a native of Wisconsin, Nathan currently lives in Bogota, Colombia with his wife Martha and their son Nicholas.