Find a Job You Really Want In
Summary: Not every job needs to be done as part of a group. While, of course, there really aren’t any jobs that require no interaction with others, there are a lot of jobs where the majority of your work is done alone. Most of the jobs on this list allow you to freelance as well, giving you even more independence.
Key Takeaways:
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Independent jobs are often highly skilled, which means that you can focus on your area of expertise and only bring in others when you hit the edge of that.
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Jobs that focus on independence range from requiring specialized training or education to being something you can do with just a high school diploma.
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The benefits of independent jobs include being able to focus on your work, more autonomy, more flexibility, lower stress, and the ability to personalize your workspace.
12 Jobs That Are Independent
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Average Annual Salary: $86,500
As an architect, you, of course, won’t work completely independently. There are architectural engineers, material specialists, clients, and contractors you have to interact with. But the primary work of being an architect – working with CAD and designing buildings – is something that can be done independently.
Architects are also able to start their own firms. This is difficult, of course, and not something that can be reasonably done right away. But if you want to feel truly independent in your job, it’s something you can strive for.
Required Skills:
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Attention to detail.
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Mastery of CAD systems.
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Creativity.
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Analytical skills.
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Average Annual Salary: $34,000
Many photographers are self-employed. Even those that aren’t self-employed spend a lot of time out in the field, taking pictures and observing what’s going on around them. The most often non-freelance types of photographers are for magazines – such as nature photographers – or news photographers.
There will be circumstances where you’ll need to interact with people, such as turning in your pictures. If you’re photographing an event, you’ll need to work with people to take portraits or individual pictures – such as at a wedding – but you’ll be the one in charge of the session.
Required Skills:
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Photography training.
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Patience.
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Familiarity with Photoshop or other editing software (if using a digital camera)
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Artistic ability
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Knowledge of your field (in the case of a journalistic, scientific, or industrial photographer)
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Time management.
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Average Annual Salary: $87,500
Software developers spend a lot of time working alone on a computer. Coding is a largely solitary pursuit, meaning that while you’re working, you’ll be working alone. It also has the benefit of being mysterious to the majority of people, so you’re less likely to get unsolicited advice.
Of course, you’ll still have to work with others, as with all jobs. There will be clients, even if you freelance. If you don’t freelance, you’ll have to confer with your team to make sure you’re creating the right software and work with testers to make sure it functions properly.
Required Skills:
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Knowledge of programming languages (Java, Python, C+, etc.)
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Analytical skills.
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Problem-solving skills.
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Strong computer skills.
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Creativity.
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Average Annual Salary: $70,000
As a freelancer, you won’t be employed by any one company, allowing you to sell your writing and skills to multiple commercial organizations. This allows you to set your own hours and choose what projects to work on.
Copywriters spend their time filling in content for websites, marketing materials, and PR statements. That means that you will have to work with your clients in order to know what type of content they want you to write, but the writing process itself is inherently solitary.
Required Skills:
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Attention to detail.
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Analytical skills.
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Creativity.
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Time management.
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Knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO) techniques.
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Strong writing skills.
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Average Annual Salary: $31,000
With more and more people having pets and spending more money on them, being a dog walker has become more profitable. Most dog walkers have their own businesses, allowing them to select their clients and pick their own hours. What services you offer can vary as well, such as just walking them or taking them on excursions to dog parks.
Most of your workday will be spent with your furry charges rather than dealing with people, though many of your clients will want updates on how their dog is doing. Your day will include walking dogs, feeding them, and, potentially, some light grooming. But you’ll know that your charges will always be happy to see you.
Required Skills:
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Knowledge of dog behavior.
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Patience.
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Ability to multitask – especially if you look after multiple dogs at once.
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Familiarity with basic grooming skills, such as brushing, bathing, and drying.
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Physical ability to spend the day on your feet and on the move.
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Average Annual Salary: $88,000
If you prefer numbers to people, then the position of an actuary may be right for you. Actuaries usually work for insurance companies and work to calculate risk. That means that you’ll spend a lot of time by yourself crunching numbers and working with computer programs to help you do and interpret calculations.
Of course, there will be some interaction with other people. You’ll have to be able to draw up graphs and explain the results of your calculations. A lot of this will center on suggestions to lower risk, as well as giving layman-friendly explanations for what you’ve learned.
Required Skills:
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Excellent mathematical skills.
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Good communication skills.
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Attention to detail.
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Being organized.
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Strong analytical skills.
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Average Annual Salary: $60,000
Being a truck driver means that you spend a lot of time alone and unsupervised. This is especially true if you do longer haul routes, then you spend most of your time on the highway. It’s even possible to own your own truck and be an independent trucker, giving you even more autonomy.
Truckers need to be excellent drivers as well as willing to spend all day on the road. It isn’t the easiest profession, as you spend a lot of time by yourself and away from friends and family. But it allows you a lot of freedom.
Required Skills:
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Being able to pass the test to get a commercial driver’s license (CDL).
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Knowledge of trucks and basic truck maintenance.
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Being able to maintain focus over long periods of time.
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Good hand-eye coordination.
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Knowledge of different driving laws in the states you pass through.
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Average Annual Salary: $65,000
Ever wonder about the people who write manuals, how-tos, and technical details? Well, that’s what technical writers do. As a technical writer, you’d spend a lot of time learning about the piece of equipment you’re going to write about, then lay it out in a way that’s understandable by the public. In a sense, you’re a translator.
Good technical writers will engage with the engineers and technicians that worked on a product (depending on what it is) and do their best to distill the best way to perform certain functions. Most technical writers specialize, as it requires a certain amount of expertise if you’re taking highly technical material and explaining it to laypeople.
Required Skills:
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Excellent writing ability.
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Knowledge of your specialty.
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Time management.
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Attention to detail.
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Familiarity with technical documentation.
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Average Annual Salary: $44,000
Someone needs to record important conversations, and that’s a transcriptionist’s primary duty. There are different kinds of transcriptionists – some, like court transcriptionists, write in shorthand and record the proceedings in real time. Others will create a written copy of a recorded conversation.
While many transcriptionists spend time surrounded by people, it doesn’t require interacting with them. Instead, you just copy down what is being said – so it’s like you’re alone. Creating a written record from a recording that can be done from home if you have the right equipment gives you even more independence.
Required Skills:
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Fast and accurate typist.
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Knowledge of your field (such as familiarity with legal or medical terminology, for legal transcriptionist or medical transcriptionist, respectively.)
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Excellent listening ability.
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Attention to detail.
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Computer skills.
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Time management.
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Patience.
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Average Annual Salary: $84,500
Statistics are used to understand various phenomena, as well as make business decisions. Statisticians are able to get jobs in all sorts of industries in order to do calculations, create graphs and charts, and explain what the numbers mean to others in the organization.
As with most calculation-based careers, statisticians will spend most of their time alone, working with numbers. Many statisticians will also be involved in the creation of polls and questionnaires, though they’re rarely the ones who administer them.
Required Skills
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Analytical skills.
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Strong mathematical ability.
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Attention to detail.
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Problem-solving skills.
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Strong communication skills.
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Average Annual Salary: $90,000
As a research scientist, you’ll spend most of your time doing research and studying the results of experiments. Unlike most of the jobs on this list, research scientists do typically work with a team. However, research is a highly focused career that doesn’t require having strong people skills.
A lot of your time will be spent creating and carrying out experiments, then interpreting the results. In order to do so, you’ll need help from a team of experts. There are many types of research scientists, ranging from biology to medicine to chemistry to social science.
Required Skills:
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Analytical skills.
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Mastery of your field (research scientists almost exclusively have PhDs.)
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Knowledge of the scientific method.
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Strong communication skills.
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Computer skills.
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Average Annual Salary: $80,000
Taxidermists primarily work with dead animals. While that sounds bizarre, it’s a storied career as the idea of preserving animals is ancient. This can be done for decorative purposes, for scientific purposes (such as a model showing the muscle structure), or as a way to memorialize pets.
The field of taxidermy is complex. However, most of your time will be spent on the actual taxidermy aspect of it, whether that’s “stuffing” an animal, creating a skin rug, or even working on more unusual creations, such as a taxidermy jackalope.
Required Skills:
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Lack of squeamishness.
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Knowledge of animal anatomy.
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Artistic skill.
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Expertise in tanning, chemical treatments, and typical taxidermy mounts.
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Familiarity with local laws on licensing and legality of owning animal carcasses.
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Benefits of Jobs that Are Independent
Not everyone likes to work with others. It could be because you’re introverted and find other people tiring, or because you find it easier to focus if you work alone, or maybe group dynamics just tend not to suit you. Whatever the case may be, there are several different benefits to working independently.
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Promotes focus. Working alone makes it easier to put your full attention on what you’re doing. Jobs that are meant to be done alone are set up in ways that you can be alone to work. And your coworkers will know how important being able to focus on your job is.
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Less stress. Working by yourself is much less stressful; you don’t need to worry about what other people are doing or thinking or if there’s a breakdown in communication. You can just do your job.
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Higher flexibility. This is especially true if you’re self-employed. Most jobs that can be done alone can be done at any time, and that generally means you can set your own hours.
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More autonomy. Not needing to work with others gives you a lot more control over the final product. That means that you can make choices about what to emphasize and prioritize in a project.
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Easier to personalize your environment. If a job can be done alone, chances are it can be done from home – or a rented office. That will give you the ability to make your workspace into whatever you like. Even if you do work in an office, jobs that are done alone are focused on that aspect and will give you your own office or at least a cubicle.
Author
Di has been a writer for more than half her life. Most of her writing so far has been fiction, and she’s gotten short stories published in online magazines Kzine and Silver Blade, as well as a flash fiction piece in the Bookends review. Di graduated from Mary Baldwin College (now University) with a degree in Psychology and Sociology.
