The Best Jobs for Those Living with Social Anxiety
Social anxiety can create a barrier when it comes to applying for companies. You get nervous when you are surrounded by people and in roles where you are forced to socialize with others. If you are struggling with social anxiety, you are better off trying to find jobs where you can work on your own and deal with tasks that do not involve social interaction.
One job that can be great for those with social anxiety is being a writer. It may be hard to make a living at first if you want to be an author as it will require a big portion of your time to write a book. You can start with being a freelance writer as you have the opportunity to work remotely and not have to interact with anybody to write content whether it is blog posts, copywriting, advice columnists, or technical manuals. Even if you have to work in an office, you will be in your own cubicle where you can concentrate on your writing. This will make interacting with others limited. You can even make a blog of your own where you answer to no one but your own. Even if you decide to hire other people to help contribute to your blog, you can just communicate with them through email or phone if you wanted to.
Another job would be working with animals as a zookeeper, dog trainer, veterinary assistant, etc. By working with animals, it will not involve so much interaction with humans. You may feel very comfortable with animals and feel like you can understand them better than people. It is possible that if you feel very confident in communicating with animals, you might try to use those skills with people next. You will also feel a real sense of satisfaction in being able to do what the owners of these animals struggle to do themselves.
Being an accountant is another job that requires little interaction. You would be responsible for handling bookkeeping and the financial ends of the company. This will be the perfect job for you if you are good with numbers and have always been good at math. If you become really successful, you can have your own accounting firm where you can handle independent projects. There will be some moments where you will have to interact with your boss, your clients, and attend some networking events, but this will present a great opportunity to sharpen your social skills. For the most part, you will sit in one place and be able to complete your work on your own.
You can also be a landscape designer where you can help design golf courses, gardens, or work for private businesses. You will be able to work outside instead of an in office and be able to work alone to get the job done. Just like how being an animal trainer can mean understanding animals more than people, the same can be said when working with plants if you understand how they behave more than people. People are willing to spend good money to make sure that their gardens look visually appealing and it will give you the opportunity to be at one with nature. If you want to make your own landscape design company, that will require you to interact with your employees. This will give you the opportunity to interact with other landscape professionals, customers, and employees.
Computer programming involves paying attention to detail, problem-solving, and working long hours on your own. You will most likely be hired for your analytical skills than your communication skills despite small opportunities for interaction. This is the best job to have if you are good at computers and prefer to work independently. Your confidence with communication may grow as you will gain a lot of respect from your employers when you are commended on your skills. There may be times where you have to give presentations based on the programs that you are working on. But, if you are confident about your programs and are knowledgeable about them, you should have no problem being able to explain them.
There are also behind the scenes jobs where you can work backstage without worrying about communication. For example, you can be a photographer where the pictures just speak for themselves. Your job would be to take notice of things that others would have trouble seeing which would be useful when advertising for a new venue or for a magazine. You can also be a sound or light engineer for television, theater shows, and other live events. You would just have to make sure that the sound and lights are perfect for the show. You will feel a great sense of accomplishment in that the look of the show is all because of you.
Every job you have will involve some form of interaction to make sure the job gets done. Luckily, you will not always have to deal with the big crowds and may just need to interact with your boss. Establishing a good rapport with your boss can make a big difference and give you the confidence to talk to others. By enhancing your work experience and working jobs that require focusing only on the task at hand, you will be able to find employment that will not send your anxiety on edge while having the opportunity to conquer your social fears.
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