People with social anxiety tend to struggle at their workplace. Those with a chronic social anxiety disorder can find it difficult to hold down a permanent job, especially when it involves a huge amount of human interaction. Besides dealing with their internal phobia of social interaction, socially anxious people are often unfairly labeled as rude and disrespectful.

If you’ve struggled throughout of your career, or incapable of landing a permanent employment, you may wish for a perfect job that does not require any face to face human interaction at all. Jobs that don’t require social interaction may seem ideal for social anxiety, but seeking comfort in isolation shouldn’t be your sole criteria. If anything, totally cutting off yourself from other people only aggravate your social anxiety.

Instead, seek for jobs that enable to let you shine and grow to your full potential. Perfectionism may cause social anxiety but you can also turn that to your advantage in jobs that require great accuracy. You will want to be rewarded not only monetarily but also through acknowledgment and appreciation from your employer. In the end, boosting your self-esteem is a critical factor in overcoming social anxiety.

If you’re clueless about what you should pursuit amidst your social anxiety, here are some of my personal recommendations.

1. Programmer

If you have a knack for logical problem solving and the ability to spot tiny mistakes, then being a programmer may be a good fit for you. Learning the syntax of the different programming languages is academical, but what separates the best from the average is the ability navigate through complicated source codes to fix hidden bugs.

2. Graphic Designer

If you’re blessed with creativity and can turn imagination into brilliant visuals, you could find great satisfaction being a graphic designer. If anything, graphic designers are highly in demand in growing industries. Whether it’s designing the next brand concept for a multinational company or brainstorming a new startup’s logo, you’ll have the free reign to express your creativity.

3. Writer

Just because people with social anxiety are painfully shy and reserved, it doesn’t mean they have nothing worthwhile to express. If you can word your thoughts out in an engaging manner and enjoy churning out thousands of words a day, being a writer can be a good career choice. You can be an all-rounder writer or one who specializes in a single niche.

4. Accountants

Working with numbers can be an ordeal to some, but if you find joy trying to balance the dollars and cents, you can try pursuing professional qualifications to be an accountant. Your perfectionism will be reflected in a career that can be both stable and lucrative.

5. Animal Care

When talking to people causes extreme phobia, caring for animals can be a welcomed change. Besides providing stable income, cuddling and petting furry pets can actually be good for your anxiety. You may just find your social anxiety gets better as you shower your love and care for these animals.

6. Small Business Owner

Now, you may think I’m absolutely out of my mind for suggesting this, but I’m not. If anything, quitting my job and starting a small business has actually helped with my social anxiety. Check out my story on The Mighty. If you have a knack for spotting opportunities and taking calculated risks, starting a small business may turn out to be a fulfilling vocation.

7. Mechanics

Are you good at fixing things your hand? If so, being a mechanic can be a great choice of career. You’ll spend more time working on machines or fixing cars with limited socializing, other than getting clear and precise instructions that help you in fixing stuff. You’ll need to be detailed and sharp to establish your career.

8. Chef

Cooking can be personally rewarding if you take pride in preparing and serving the best delicacies. Turning your passion for cooking into a professional career can lead to a lucrative career. Besides, it doesn’t require heavy social interaction like waiters do.

9. A Social Anxiety Coach

If you have managed to overcome social anxiety through a systematic process, you can help others to do so as well. You can tap into your experience to help others through daily challenges either through consulting, online coaching, writing e-books or through a blog. Helping others can also be emotionally rewarding.

10. Gardener

Do you take pride in growing plants and flower and dream of having a beautiful garden? If you can do wonder with nature, being a gardener can be a natural career. You will find great joy tending to plants and grooming them to absolute beauty.

11. Anything That You’re Passionate Of

And of course, pays reasonably well. You shouldn’t let social anxiety stop you from pursuing your childhood dream. You’ll find that overwhelming passion can help you to face your greatest fear, and that includes social interaction itself.

If You Insist On Working From Home…

If it’s been a while since you’ve done a day job, or your social phobia is preventing you from landing one, you can start by working from home as a freelancer. Some of the jobs that I’ve mentioned such as programmer or writer does not require you to leave your house.

All you need is to sign up for some of these freelancing sites and start applying for jobs. The only thing is that you need the patience to land your first contract and get a favorable review. Once you’ve built up your reputation, you’ll find getting jobs online become easier.

Here are a few sites that I’ve tried.

1. Upwork

This is probably the largest freelance job site on the internet. It’s easy to use and there are hundreds of thousands of jobs available. You’ll get 50 connects for free each month and that lets you bid for 25 jobs.

2. Guru.com

If you’re a programming wizard or graphic designer, Guru will be a good fit for you. This freelance job site has clients looking for technical experts for their projects. You do not need to pay to sign up and you’ll get 10 bids per month.

3. PeoplePerHour

This is a job site that has a large base of clients and freelancers from the UK. The payment is generally higher here but you need to successfully complete two jobs with positive reviews within a couple of months to continue to enjoy a free membership.

4. Outsourcely

If you prefer a steady job with a monthly salary, this is where companies hire remote employees for their team. It’s free to signup and you can browse from the available openings for various positions.

What do you think are the best jobs for someone with social anxiety? Feel free to share your opinion in the comment below.

Related Posts:
How To Use Hypnosis To Supercharge Your Self-Esteem
How To Survive A Job Interview And Ace It When You’re Feeling Anxious
5 Daily Habits That Secretly Damage Your Self-Esteem
How To Help Someone With Social Anxiety Without Causing More Harm
How To Build Self Esteem And Confidence To Defeat Social Anxiety