💡 Finding Jobs for Introverts (Issue 594)
💡 Finding Jobs for Introverts (Issue 594)
Maybe you don’t need to change
“The winters here are nice because I can focus on projects that don’t have the same sense of urgency. There aren’t all these people around using and breaking everything.”
This comment was made tongue-in-cheek, but the full-time staff members at this remote Alaskan research station all seem to enjoy the quiet isolation of this location. I’ve been volunteering here for over a week now and—as an introvert—I can appreciate the solitude of being tucked away near the tip of this island surrounded by dense forests with no other human beings or dwellings in sight.
Extroverts would suffer here, for sure. But working here during the off-season is an introvert’s dream. They focus on work, have time for hobbies and personal interests, read books, watch movies, hike, fish, etc.
No one is trying to change these people to be more extroverted, which is quite refreshing and different from what most of us experience in other jobs. It’s sad, but introversion is often treated as some personal failing, a weakness, or a disease that must be cured.
“Stop being so shy”
“You should speak up more”
“Why don’t you have more friends?”
“Why do you retreat to your room after dinner?”
“Why don’t you want to hang out with everyone?”
I spent most of my corporate career forcing myself to behave more like an extrovert. Pushing down my introverted tendencies, even though it filled me with so much stress and anxiety that it took hours to recover from the workday, and I had to disappear for days after intense group events (e.g., conferences, speaking events, team retreats).
Little did I know that jobs existed where introversion could be a powerful asset, not treated as some weakness to overcome. The kind of jobs where being alone day after day, week after week, and month after month would drive an extrovert crazy.
Obviously, people's levels of extroversion and introversion vary. But for extreme introverts, working alone is wonderful, especially when the typical external time pressures and distractions are removed.
So, instead of trying to force your square peg into a round hole (i.e., working in an extroverted corporate environment), you could intentionally seek jobs that give you lots of time to work solo.
Of course, finding these jobs will take more effort than settling for the usual roles that require more daily interaction with managers and coworkers. But, as I’ve seen with the folks here, that extra effort is worth it if you end up loving what you do. They seem pretty darn happy in an environment that would make extroverts pretty darn sad!
Maybe it’s time people stopped trying to force us to change. Maybe it’s time more employers enabled opportunities for deep work in solo roles instead of forcing endless, unnecessary, and intense collaboration. Not every job or task requires being joined at the hip with your coworkers!
Plenty of work can be performed on your own with minimal communication and check-ins. I’ve been observing that for weeks here.
Below are some resources for exploring career ideas that might appeal to you if you’re an introvert. I question some jobs they put on this list, given that I worked in these industries (i.e., designers sure do have to communicate and collaborate with many people daily!). But there are some solid introvert-friendly professions on these lists, too.
I’m Larry Cornett, a Freedom Coach who works with you to optimize your career, business, and life. My mission is to help you become a more "Invincible You" so you can live your life on your terms instead of being controlled by someone else's rules. I live in Northern California near Lake Tahoe with my wife and our Great Dane.