# Jobs that are suitable for introverts?



## Schizoid (Jan 31, 2015)

It seems like in almost every job I've worked in, I'll frequently hear this sentence, "You're too quiet. You need to communicate more."

In fact, I just heard this sentence coming from an INFJ boss of mine today.

So I was sitting next to my other ENTP boss at work today. We were sitting next to each other for hours, but my ENTP boss keep playing with his phone and he doesn't speak a single word to me. There were twice when I tried to strike up a conversation with him about work (because I don't know what else to talk to him about, and also because I had some questions that I really needed to ask regarding work), and my ENTP boss only answers me when I try to strike up a conversation with him but he doesn't really initiate conversations with me back, so I stopped talking to him after initiating conversations with him twice and that is when we started sitting next to each other in silence. I went silent because I've ran out of things to talk to the ENTP boss, and it isn't helping much that the conversation is very one-way street and I'm the only one attempting to make a conversation there.

And then the INFJ boss saw me sitting together with the ENTP boss in silence for hours, and he started asking me if I've spoken a single word to the ENTP boss.

And I replied back the INFJ boss and said that I've spoken to the ENTP boss about some work-related stuffs, and the INFJ started laughing and telling me that I need to communicate more.

I've worked in office jobs, retail jobs, and receptionist jobs, and in all these jobs, I've received these comments from my superiors, that I'm too quiet.

And I'm fed-up of hearing that sentence. If I have to change my entire personality just to fit in with a job, it makes me wonder if I'm in the wrong job.

Moreover, I'm terrible with small talks anyway. I usually only talk when I have something to say. When I have nothing to say, my entire mind starts to go blank and I remained silent, but it seems like people are taking my silence personally.

I just want to do my job and go home, but it seems like lots of jobs these days requires people to socialise.

What are some jobs that are suitable for introverts and doesn't require too much socializing?


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## OrchidSugar (5 mo ago)

Hmm well consider what happens when you are quiet. It will make some extroverted types wonder why. They will ask you directly, which is annoying for you. Or they will introspect and wonder, which is annoying for them. So yeah, just as you dont want to be expected to be needlessly external, they don’t want to be needlessly internal. Assume that it is an equally uncomfortable position for them.

Are there any other problems at the job besides this? Because it’s not easy to find independent work in companies because most of them are looking for ppl to do a mix of collaboration and autonomous work, not usually just one or the other.

If that’s the only issue, and the work is manageable, I would try to develop a skill. Ask the INFJ (in front of the ENTP), whether he worries that your quietness will affect your work performance. Tell him that you just want to make sure that your work performance is judged in its own light. Assure them it’s not personal and you’re just still trying to get used to the systems and how things work.

Later, go to the INFJs office or get him alone. Ask him if he can help you with developing your sociable skills. And ask him to give you specific advice about this. And ask him to keep helping you with this occasionally.


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## Necrofantasia (Feb 26, 2014)

Any career with a WFH option will suit you fine.
The office is kinda like a different incarnation of high school


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## Schizoid (Jan 31, 2015)

OrchidSugar said:


> Hmm well consider what happens when you are quiet. It will make some extroverted types wonder why. They will ask you directly, which is annoying for you. Or they will introspect and wonder, which is annoying for them. So yeah, just as you dont want to be expected to be needlessly external, they don’t want to be needlessly internal. Assume that it is an equally uncomfortable position for them.
> 
> Are there any other problems at the job besides this? Because it’s not easy to find independent work in companies because most of them are looking for ppl to do a mix of collaboration and autonomous work, not usually just one or the other.
> 
> ...


There are definitely other issues with this job, it's a very toxic work environment that consists of a blame culture and all the long-timers including the manager had been leaving one-by-one, and even the new hires would quit after a few days/weeks, so there are many people leaving here and them not getting replaced.

I'm planning to leave this place next year too, after I've saved up a bit more money. But in the meanwhile, I just want to try my best to co-exist with those people.

And thanks, great idea about asking the INFJ boss to help me develop my social skills.

I mean, if they wanted me to talk more, they should at least help me start a topic?




Necrofantasia said:


> Any career with a WFH option will suit you fine.
> The office is kinda like a different incarnation of high school


Oh this would be my dream job. But I wonder where to find a legitimate WFH job, because the last time I attempted to find a WFH job I almost got scammed.


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## SgtPepper (Nov 22, 2016)

Try remote or order fulfillment jobs.


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## Necrofantasia (Feb 26, 2014)

Schizoid said:


> Oh this would be my dream job. But I wonder where to find a legitimate WFH job, because the last time I attempted to find a WFH job I almost got scammed.


Coding, any kind of computer graphics work, data entry, customer support.... They are there but we just....live in interesting times and thus cannot have nice things...


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## OrchidSugar (5 mo ago)

Oh! If you have an issue with a toxic culture you gotta run. Hope you can find a better job to replace your current income as soon as possible. My biggest regret with every toxic job I ever had is staying too long trying to save money and appear resilient.

There are lots of remote jobs, but the competition is much higher for them because most people are sick of their toxic jobs and burnt out of dealing with adult high schoolers. You can try similar work like personal/virtual assistant jobs from home.


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## Squirt (Jun 2, 2017)

Schizoid said:


> It seems like in almost every job I've worked in, I'll frequently hear this sentence, "You're too quiet. You need to communicate more."
> 
> In fact, I just heard this sentence coming from an INFJ boss of mine today.
> 
> ...


If you are able to sit next to your boss and silently work, that sounds fine for an introvert. Seems like it was the other person having the issue, not your boss and not you… so maybe it isn’t actually a problem and they should butt out. 🤷‍♀️

Any job that allows for a good deal of independent work, or quieter one-on-one work is nice for introversion. It depends on your skills and interests. Ones with a lot of driving/travel involved can provide alone time, too. I enjoyed laboratories because it was primarily indepedent tasks, working alongside others but usually listening to a radio or whatever. Folks who were talkers or liked socializing usually hated the work and would be a bother to everyone else, lol.


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## Fleaswtracenpac (5 mo ago)

Long-haul trucker. Kept me going for awhile. Pay is much higher now than when I was driving 138,000 miles yearly.


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## UpClosePersonal (Apr 18, 2014)

Engineering drafting/design department is full of quiet people. Nobody finds it strange. They're doing important work and what they're doing requires long hours of quiet concentration.


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## thedazzlingdexter (12 mo ago)

Schizoid said:


> It seems like in almost every job I've worked in, I'll frequently hear this sentence, "You're too quiet. You need to communicate more." In fact, I just heard this sentence coming from an INFJ boss of mine today. So I was sitting next to my other ENTP boss at work today. We were sitting next to each other for hours, but my ENTP boss keep playing with his phone and he doesn't speak a single word to me. There were twice when I tried to strike up a conversation with him about work (because I don't know what else to talk to him about, and also because I had some questions that I really needed to ask regarding work), and my ENTP boss only answers me when I try to strike up a conversation with him but he doesn't really initiate conversations with me back, so I stopped talking to him after initiating conversations with him twice and that is when we started sitting next to each other in silence. I went silent because I've ran out of things to talk to the ENTP boss, and it isn't helping much that the conversation is very one-way street and I'm the only one attempting to make a conversation there. And then the INFJ boss saw me sitting together with the ENTP boss in silence for hours, and he started asking me if I've spoken a single word to the ENTP boss. And I replied back the INFJ boss and said that I've spoken to the ENTP boss about some work-related stuffs, and the INFJ started laughing and telling me that I need to communicate more. I've worked in office jobs, retail jobs, and receptionist jobs, and in all these jobs, I've received these comments from my superiors, that I'm too quiet. And I'm fed-up of hearing that sentence. If I have to change my entire personality just to fit in with a job, it makes me wonder if I'm in the wrong job. Moreover, I'm terrible with small talks anyway. I usually only talk when I have something to say. When I have nothing to say, my entire mind starts to go blank and I remained silent, but it seems like people are taking my silence personally. I just want to do my job and go home, but it seems like lots of jobs these days requires people to socialise. What are some jobs that are suitable for introverts and doesn't require too much socializing?


 First off this is going to happen no matter what. I am not a morning person and had to get to work at 8 at my old city, never ate regularly cause my pay and poor housing conditions and was chronically sick because the house had no light, no water heat and wouldn't turn on the heating. I was told every morning that I was too quiet even when I was always very kind with customers and pushing sales. It got to a point where I vomited one morning and got sent home. My employer knew of my housing conditions and still kept asking why I looked tired.


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## ENFPathetic (Apr 3, 2018)

And if you talked more, they'd say you talk too much. Just remember that some people are naturally focused on finding problems. Sometimes it's what makes them good at their job. Don't mind them. Just do your work well and go home. My older brother is one of the most introverted people I know. Every job he has ever had, he was the most valuable and highest paid member of his team, because while everyone else was busy talking about unimportant shit around the water cooler, he would be at his desk getting shit done. He got shit like this all the time.

Just say "Ok." and get back to doing your work. You don't get paid to socialise, so why should you have to do it when you don't want to? It makes no sense right? Just treat them like you would a crazy person and keep it moving.


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## FaeSoleil (9 mo ago)

Yeah... honestly, to me, it sounds like the person who complained was looking for an excuse to make a problem out of something that bothered _them_ as a third party. "You need to communicate more" in this context is a manipulative way to try and turn something that isn't a problem into a practical problem pretty much. It sounds more justifiable than "you need to talk more", which is what they actually mean. :/

I hate being around people like that.


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## Pashka147 (3 mo ago)

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## impulsenine (Oct 18, 2020)

You live in a society. You have to socialize so you don't die.
In addition, it is healthy for the mind and soul. 

The question is not "which jobs are suitable for introverts" but "which jobs are suitable for introverts who don't want to socialize". 

I guess there are many. For example jobs like electrician, plumber, you don't talk to anyone, people just tell you where the problem is and then it's just you and the problem. Or a sanitation worker, all you have to do is collect the garbage and sweep, you don't talk to anyone.


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## FaeSoleil (9 mo ago)

impulsenine said:


> In addition, it is healthy for the mind and soul.


Well, that sure is how you say "I'm an extrovert who doesn't understand introverts" without saying so. As hard as I'm sure it is for you to imagine, there are people who don't need to socialize and are perfectly healthy doing so.


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## Schizoid (Jan 31, 2015)

impulsenine said:


> You live in a society. You have to socialize so you don't die.
> In addition, it is healthy for the mind and soul.
> 
> The question is not "which jobs are suitable for introverts" but "which jobs are suitable for introverts who don't want to socialize".
> ...


I'm not into socialising because small talks and superficial connections bores me out and it zapped out all my energy, and I also have too much social anxiety to endure through all the awkward interactions with casual acquaintances. 

I'll socialise though if it's a deep connection. If someone managed to make it into my inner circle, that is when I start coming out of my shell and start socialising.

I only have limited energy, and I want to use my energy on people I care about. 

But anyway, socialising isn't as important as food and shelter, according to the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.


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## Aarya (Mar 29, 2016)

FaeSoleil said:


> As hard as I'm sure it is for you to imagine, there are people who don't need to socialize and are perfectly healthy doing so.


Who are these people you are talking about? "Source: my ass"? And how did you establish how healthy they are?

On a different note, user sounds like they are in the middle of people who don't share their views or interests. You need to find circles that do similar things as you, to fuel your desire to interact and be happy.

For example, it has happened to me to want to chat to someone I liked so much it "circumvented" my social awkwardness (the perspective of them liking me was attractive enough for that to happen).

Living a life among people who never quite stir a desire or two to interact is incredibly draining, to say at least. So the user is right in identifying a drained feeling, but NOT in identifying the cause. It's as much to do with you as it is with them being different from you.

Is there nothing or no one you can latch onto at that workplace?



Schizoid said:


> But anyway, socialising isn't as important as food and shelter, according to the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.


You are the most competent in this thread ti judge your work experience, knowledge, expertise, etc. If you've already made your mind that the only realistic food and shelter provider is your current workplace, then you better find a way to cope with or command them before you start to introduce other or more chemicals to up your lack of dopamine.


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## Schizoid (Jan 31, 2015)

Aarya said:


> You are the most competent in this thread ti judge your work experience, knowledge, expertise, etc. If you've already made your mind that the only realistic food and shelter provider is your current workplace, then you better find a way to cope with or command them before you start to introduce other or more chemicals to up your lack of dopamine.


I liked your choice of words "lack of dopamine" ahaha. I feel like the only way to get back my dopamine is to leave this job, but I'm waiting for the right time to leave this place, maybe at least another year of working here, because it's only my 6th month here and I've only passed my probation awhile back and it's too early for me to leave this place yet.

And speaking of dopamine, there were two people who gave me dopamine in the past. One of them is an ESTP manager of mine (who had left a few weeks ago), and the other one is an INFJ colleague of mine (she left few months ago). The both of them, I enjoyed working together with them, because they had taught me so much things, and they were incredibly patient with me too.

So the people who had given me dopamine had all left.

And the workplace now had become so boring. There is nobody that I'm able to relate to over here anymore. And there is nobody whom I can latch onto here anymore.

The remaining people over here are all too impatient with me to be able to teach me anything over here, they wanted me to know everything over here yet they were too impatient with me when it comes to teaching me stuffs and would constantly go harsh on me and tell me that I'm giving them double work to do and the only thing I seemed to be good at doing in my receptionist job is sweeping the floor and doing the towels (It's my 6th month over here so far, and I only know about 50% of the work, but there is still another 50% of the work that I don't know).

The 50% of knowledge I had was taught by the ESTP ex-manager and the INFJ ex-colleague. But both of them had already left. And now I no longer had any "mentors" over here anymore who is patient enough with me to guide me in my work, and I can only learn the remaining 50% by myself now.

And no I won't be staying in this job for the long-term, maybe just long enough to put inside my resume, but I won't be retiring in this job. Moreover, this job is entry-level so I don't really see this job as my "career", but it's just a stepping stone to my dream job, so that I'll have the money to pursue my dream job.


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## FaeSoleil (9 mo ago)

Aarya said:


> Who are these people you are talking about? "Source: my ass"? And how did you establish how healthy they are?


Source: I listen to people when they tell me how they feel.


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