Jobs for people with social anxiety

[pwarbi]

I voted for a job with as much interaction as possible. I myself have suffered in the past with social anxiety and for me the best way of trying to overcome it was to physically force myself into interacting with others. The more I did that, the less anxious I became in certain situations but it's not always that easy and everyone is obviously going to be different. My mentality was the more I did things, then the easier it got and while it was hard, especially at first, after only a few attempts I knew that that was right for me.


Depending on the social anxiety and how great it is, people are going to have to try different things in order to find out what works best for them, but unless we at least try different options, we're just going to remain stuck in that bubble that we can't get out of.

 

[misszerable]

I would choose the middle option which is to have a normal social contact in an office job, although I'm sure that I can be adventurous enough to take the first route. I've always held office jobs not only because of the social aspect but the fact that it is also less physically strenuous than jobs in retail. That will be too much of a challenge for me and I need not go through that. There are many opportunities for interaction depending on the office job or position. I'm with the Accounting Dept. but I have to deal with people from other departments as well because we are part of the support group. I can handle that because most employees are courteous. I think that a job in retail will not be that easy as you have to deal with people of different temperaments. I don't want to consider the third option because that would mean that I am conceding to my societal anxiety and allowing it to control my life. 

 

[rootle]

Yeah I agree with some others that a job with a moderate amount of social activity would be probably the best. A lot of talking would be probably irritating to you and cause you to get stressed out whereas if there's too little human contact then it's likely that you'll feel lonely. Also your anxiety could worsen due to a lack of exposure to social situations. It's better to make things slightly hard for yourself than to take the easy route, it'll help you improve.

 

[NiMil]

I work from home/the internet. I absolutely love it.


I can't say I'm a freelance writer or anything like that. I just basically sell online. Now, that does require human interaction, but not like in the real world. There's no ass kissing or pleasantries and facial expressions and body language and all that. My work is strictly business. And when it's strictly business through email or other internet means of communication, I do very well.


One thing I avoid doing is Skype calls. Even getting with someone for a Skype chat I try to steer clear of because the possibility of them wanting to call on Skype is big. I don't like talking much because I have to talk instantly. But if I'm writing an email or a message, I have a minute to think what I'm gonna say and put it together nicely. And that works well for me.


Making money online - I love!

 

[mauricioq]

I already worked at a coffee shop and it was the worse, because sometimes I had to deal with a lot of assholes... I'd love to work at house or in a office. I'm hopping to be a graphic designer or something like that because it's a job where you work alone, basically.

 

[Azelma]

It really depends on the person, but after some hesitation I voted for the middle option. The last one might suit some people fine (like me), but it sort of feels like running away from your problems. If you have a job with "normal" amounts of human interaction, it will get easier in time and also help you cope with other situations in your life. I'd love a job where I didn't have to see anyone all day, but I'm afraid it would make me even more introverted and shy away from any human contact. 


Even if you have anxiety, at least some amount of human contact is good.


EDIT: Maybe this poll needs a fourth option, "A job with some human contact". I used to have a couple of jobs like that and they were ideal for a person like me.

 

[djanx]

Most "secluded" jobs will have some human contact  I mean programmers don't program alone. Designers don't design alone. But, you get enough leeway to do your own work away from the general ramblings of the cray crays who you might run into while working in a PR job or something.

 

[Choochoo]

I think it's different for everyone, even people who have anxiety are all different in some way. Some might not be content with living their lives in their comfort zone and might want to face their fears and challenge themselves to get over their obstacles whereas some might be perfectly comfortable with just never knowing their possibilities, and I think both options are okay. I myself am a bit of both as I get into certain moods and phases sometimes but honestly when it comes to work I do feel a bit more comfortable just working alone. 

 

[DDNatureLover]

I think it depends on the individual and his or her goals. Some people prefer to be by themselves and not interact at all, at least in person. An internet or phone job might be better for them, or perhaps something dealing with things, and not people. For me, it's varied. I've taken pretty much each approach at different times in my life. I can function in any of the three situations, but I think my preference would be the second or third at this point in my life. I do like a little interaction. When I have gone without much contact with people in real life for a while, I find i'm more talkative at the store when the cashier addresses me, or when I run into the neighbors. I flat out avoid social situations with too many people these days. I get overwhelmed with too much noise and  activity going on around me. 

 

[Laneorexorcist]

I voted a work with normal human contact... because, I mean, even if you spend all the day working on your computer or with machines you are always going to face other people, and I think that a job like that is not that aggressive when it comes to social anxiety because you're facing the fear... and that can help you to be okay on inevitable regular social situations. 

 

[Padre]

I have worked in Information Technology (IT) for all of my adult life and I can tell you there are a lot of folks in the field that suffer from varying degrees of social anxiety.  It ranges from pretty mild to debilitating.  Is it a good career path for some who suffers from said?  A qualified yes in that, depending on the position, it can be more of a machine-oriented job.  That said, there are a lot of IT jobs that require a ton of interaction with end-users.

 

[Panic57]

I can deal with people when I can walk out when it turns bad.  When I worked retail, the bosses opinion on a matter is the most important  even if you logically suggest something else.  Plus, people with seniority can dump their work on you and claim the paycheck.  But as a freelancer, I have no issue meeting customers in person to discuss the contract and what they want.  If I don't like the terms or can't do what they want in the time they need it, I can politely bow out.  For me, it's more about being trapped in a toxic situation with toxic people where I can't leave or have a counter argument.  

 

[Natasha0717]

Probably a job with little-to-no human contact.  Why take on a job that will only bring more stress and anxiety into your life?


The best option, of course, would be a work-at-home job.  Because this not only takes the fear of social interaction away, but also the fear of not being able to properly work and function in front of others, insecurities about your physical appearance (nobody sees you when you work from home!), and whether you sleep well or not, it won't really matter. There would be no need to worry about feeling tired and attempting to drive to work/sit in traffic.  But finding legitimate work from home jobs isn't easy.  There are a lot of scams out there. You could always start your own blog, and if it's successful, you will do very well.  Or just simply Google "get paid to....." and you won't believe how many opportunities are out there.  I know people who take on 8 or 9 mini-computer jobs that all add up by the end of the day, money-wise.


As for jobs that involve only a small amount of human contact:


Court Reporter, Graphic Designer, Writer, Artist, Painter, Roofer, Architect, any job working with/watching children (this is surprisingly easy if you suffer from anxiety, children don't really judge adults too much, especially if you are kind to them...and it's very relaxing to play board games and draw/color again - that's all they want to do.)  Also.....you could work stock in a store, choose the night shift when the store is closed so you won't have to interact with customers.  There's Virtual Secretary, Medical Transcription, Telemarketer, General Transcription, Scopist, or you could take an online Business course, choose a talent or craft you have always enjoyed, and attempt to start your own business and give it a go. 

 

[pwarbi]

I already worked at a coffee shop and it was the worse, because sometimes I had to deal with a lot of assholes... I'd love to work at house or in a office. I'm hopping to be a graphic designer or something like that because it's a job where you work alone, basically.

Any job where you have to deal with members of the public you have to be ready for dealing with assholes I'm afraid. I've worked all my life in customer service roles and it's not the best job to take up if your experiencing social anxiety. While a lot of people say that one of the best ways to get over that is to almost make yourself deal with people on a more regular basis, dealing with all sorts of different people who you don't know every day can make the anxiety worse and not better.


At least if you have a job where you do work alone then you can deal with the anxiety the best way for you and you don't have to force yourself into doing it day in and day out and you can deal with it at your own pace.

 

[Azelma]

The Independent had an article on this recently, they listed 18 jobs for people who hate people. The list is as follows:


Foundry mould and coremakers
Watch repairers
Quarry rock splitters
Agricultural equipment operators
Mathematicians
Economists
Potters
Transportation-equipment painters
Forging-machine setters, operators, and tenders
Fallers
Hand-grinding and polishing workers
Geological sample-test technicians
Moulding, core making, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders
Garment or textile pressers
Craft artists
Poets, lyricists, and creative writers
Farmworkers and crop labourers
Hunters and trappers
 


Job descriptions and more at the source.

 

[jy76]

Computer programming is another job which possibly has little human contact.  Other simiar jobs include vending machine operator and webmaster.  Note, the webmaster and writing job can sometimes be combined as one.  Finally all sorts of internet jobs, like personal assistant, medical transcriptionist, or data-entry, could also be would be ideal for those who don't do well around others.

 

[Azelma]

Computer programming is another job which possibly has little human contact. 

Not in any bigger firm, though. You'll usually have to work in a team, attend a ton of meetings, update your superiors on the project etc. Plus there are strict deadlines that are perfect for causing more anxiety.


If you're good enough that you can work independently or from home, that should make it a little bit easier, though. Still, programming is not as solitary a profession as it might first seem. 

 

[biege]

Painting jobs are good for people with social anxiety because it helps boost their creativity and self-esteem. I believe that what most people with social anxiety lack is self-esteem, if you have it you'll be more sociable.