Many job advertisements are looking for people who are team players and enjoy working with others. So, what jobs are out there for people who don't like people?
Not everyone is a team player. It's just a fact that some people just don't really like people much, and would prefer to not have to struggle daily with socializing or being concerned about the feelings of others. And there is nothing wrong with that. But, hey, haters have got to earn a living too.
When you are looking for a job or thinking about switching careers, it can seem as though every ad you look at asks for people who have excellent communication skills and they are specifically looking for team players. So, what do you do if you don't have great social skills and prefer to be an “army of one”? The good news is that there are many careers that don't require working with others, however many of them require advanced degrees. If you really don't like working with others, most of the training could be completed through an online degree program.
Here are 5 growing careers that are perfect for people who aren't team players:
- Actuary- Actuaries analyze people and companies in order to find out their habits. The goal is to assess risk and they spend most of their days working with statistics. Actuaries work in the larger field of finance and accounting and have very little interaction with other people. According to the U.S Department of Labor, this career is expected in grow 21 percent over the next eight years.Average salary - $84,810
- Medical Transcription – Some transcriptionists work in medical offices and many work from home. Either way, most of the time when they are working, they are wearing headphones so engaging in office chit chat isn't easy. For the most part, they type out recorded dictation from doctors to create medical reports. Because this information is very important and will become a part of a patient's permanent record, it's crucial that the information is typed without any grammar or punctuation errors. People working in this field don't deal with patients at all and answer to a supervisor or the doctor.Average salary - $15.00/hour
- Forensic Science Technician – While detectives and crime scene investigators may have to deal with victims and other people, the people who work in Forensic Science only have to work with evidence. Some of them collect evidence from crime scenes, others work in a laboratory and run tests on the collected evidence. Although they work under pressure and their jobs require precision and an eye for detail, having people skills or working as a group isn't important in order to succeed. This field is expected to grow 20 percent over the next eight years.Average salary - $23.00/hour
- Budget Analyst – The key to job success in this career is efficiency. Budget analysts work with companies to help them find places where they can save money and increase profits. Although they have to work with clients sometimes, most analysts work for larger companies and deal primarily with numbers. This career is also expected to grown 15 percent over the next eight years.Average salary - $65,320/ year
- Writer – Most writers work from home and have very little face to face contact with their editors or publishers. They often work long hours and have to be able to stay focused for long periods of time. Online publishing has created new avenues for aspiring writers, and many copywriters are employed in the marketing industry as well.Average salary - $53,070
For people who don't enjoy working with others, there are still many careers that can be a perfect fit. Not everyone is a team player, but everyone can find a job where they can still shine.
Are you a people person? What other jobs do you think would be great for those who don't like to socialize? Let me know in the comments.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for PhillyJobsBlog, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
