People who identify as introverts can be more measured in risk taking, be creative and be strong problem solvers, Susan Cain, a bestselling author and one of TED’s most popular speakers, previously told CNBC Make It.
Considering those skills, combined with other traits associated with the personality type, like being introspective and enjoying time alone, there are some jobs that might suit introverts better than others.
Jobseeker resource site Resume Genius recently compiled a list of their best jobs for introverts. They used data from sites like the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Glassdoor and focused “on two factors,” says Resume Genius career expert Nathan Soto, “autonomy, which we want to be high, and social interaction, which we want to be low.” They then ranked the jobs by pay.
Here are their top five best jobs for introverts, including median annual pay according to BLS and the industry they’re in.
Radiologist
Natural sciences manager
Physicist and astronomer
Computer and information research scientist
Computer hardware engineer
Pay: $138,080
Industry: Tech
All of the jobs on the list are well-suited to those who value independent work.
For a number of these jobs, especially the tech jobs, “we’re talking about people who spend a lot of time on the computer,” says Soto. “They may be working in teams but interaction will not be face to face.”
Many of the jobs on Resume Genius’ full list can be done completely remotely, like software developer, which came in at No. 6 and pays a median of $130,160 per year, and actuary, which came in at No. 8 and pays a median of $120,000 per year.
And even when it comes to jobs that require in-person work like radiologists, you’re “studying images on your own and having brief interactions with patients and doctors,” he says.
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