14 Best Jobs For Empaths (And 8 To Avoid)

The best jobs for empaths allow you to use your talent for strong emotional connections without burning you out on emotionally draining situations. Highly sensitive empaths might find jobs that lack creativity, passion, and human connection are not suited to their personality type.

If you’re sensitive and looking to learn more about great careers for empaths and the worst jobs for empaths, this article will help you decide on a career path.

Key Takeaways:

• Empaths are highly sensitive to others’ emotions, often feeling them themselves in force. That’s why some of the best jobs for empaths and introverts often overlap.

• If you’re an empath, you’ll likely do well in a low-stress position that allows for solitary work. However, some empaths excel in care-taking positions, such as healthcare, due to their strong abilities to read to and relate to others.

• High-paying careers for empaths include web developer, psychologist, and nurse.

14 best jobs for empaths

Some empaths enjoy working one-on-one with people to build strong personal bonds. Other empaths prefer fast-paced work environments where they’ll meet and interact with a lot of new people. And highly sensitive empaths might find that a career with people is not a good fit at all, preferring to work alone and save their emotional energy for their personal lives.

This list of the best jobs for empaths covers each of these possibilities so that you can find the perfect job for an empathic person, regardless of how you express your empathy.

1. Writer
   Average Annual Salary: $57,000
   Work from home option: Yes

   As an empath, you read people better, feel things more strongly, and notice things others may not. Those are all qualities of a great writer.

   If you’re a creative person and you have a way with words, writing is an excellent career choice for empaths. And if you’re collaborating with others, you’ll also build strong social connections with your team.

   Find Writer jobs near me

2. Editor
   Average Annual Salary: $51,000
   Work from home option: Yes

   If you’re looking for the best jobs for empathic introverts, being an editor is right up near the top.

   While this work can be stressful thanks to tight deadlines, it is a job that is mostly solitary. If you have a mastery of the English language and are a grammar expert, this is an excellent career choice.

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3. Artist
   Average Annual Salary: $72,000
   Work from home option: Yes

   Artists are often driven by emotion, passion, and their ability to see things differently than those around them, which is why so many artists are empaths.

   Most artists work alone in their own space and on their own time. And, as an empath, you can use your abilities to feed your art.

   Find Artist jobs near me

4. Graphic Designer
   Average Annual Salary: $45,000
   Work from home option: Yes

   Empaths tend to be creative thinkers, so it is no surprise there are so many jobs on this list based on creativity. Graphic designers are artists in their own right.

   Like most creative jobs, this is a position that allows for a lot of solitary work. It’s also a job for empaths without a degree requirement — anyone with the skills and talent to do the job is welcome on a design team or to do freelance graphic design work.

   Find Graphic Designer jobs near me

5. Web developer
   Average Annual Salary: $72,000
   Work from home option: Yes

   This position is a mix of creative and analytical, a little left and right brain mixed. As far as jobs for empathic people go, web development involves putting yourself in the shoes of your users — how will they feel when they’re on your website?

   Those who are technologically talented and have an eye for web design will find this the perfect job for an empathic person.

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6. Virtual Assistant
   Average Annual Salary: $24,000
   Work from home option: Yes

   Whether you work for an agency or are self-employed, Virtual Assistants (VAs) usually work closely with a small group of people (or person) they’re assisting. As the name implies, this job is done remotely, and the majority of virtual assistants work from home.

   The beauty of this job is that it is so varied. You can offer a specific list of services, choose a specialty and focus your attention on that industry, or any number of other options. The possibilities are virtually limitless. As far as remote jobs for empaths go, virtual assistant is one of the easiest to get into.

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7. Nurse
   Average Annual Salary: $59,000
   Work from home option: Unlikely

   It is very common for empaths to work in the healthcare industry. Their innate need to help others makes them well-suited for caretaker positions like this.

   Nursing can be very stressful and is not for all empaths, but it does fall under the heading of healing careers for empaths. Some will find it too physically and emotionally draining. Others, though, will thrive in an environment where they can help others and provide emotional support.

   Find Nurse jobs near me

8. Psychologist
   Average Annual Salary: $72,000
   Work from home option: Yes

   Empaths have a connection to others’ emotions and an ability to understand their experiences. They are great listeners and are often sought out for advice. These traits make them well-suited to be psychologists.
   

   Psychologists can work in all kinds of environments and can successfully provide care remotely. That’s what makes it one of the best jobs for an empathic person, as well as a high-paying career for empaths.

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9. Guidance Counselor
   Average Annual Salary: $47,000
   Work from home option: Unlikely

   Guidance counselors generally report their jobs as very fulfilling. While it is not necessarily a caretaker role, it allows you to provide support and help guide students to the right path.

   An empath’s ability to read people and their emotions makes them uniquely suited to positions like this.

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10. Social Worker
    Average Annual Salary: $51,000
    Work from home option: Unlikely

    Like nursing, social work can be a very stressful job, and it is not for all empaths. While it can be very rewarding, it can also be very emotionally draining. Not every case that comes across your desk will have a happy ending.

    This job allows you to help others and provide them with the emotional support they may need along the way. It’s among the best jobs for intuitive empaths who want to use their empathy to help others.

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11. Lawyer
    Average Annual Salary: $121,000
    Work from home option: Yes

    Not all law specializations are suited for empaths, but they make great lawyers. Many fields of law provide empaths with an opportunity to help those in desperate need.

    You could help victims of domestic violence, work for non-profits, help immigrants, work in family court, etc. There are many careers for empaths in law.

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12. Professor or Researcher
    Average Annual Salary: $142,000
    Work from home option: Yes

    If you are passionate about learning and teaching others, a career in academia may be for you. Whether or not you want to be behind the scenes or behind the podium is up to you. Empaths do well in either role.

    It’s also a high-paying career for empaths, although it will require a degree (or degrees) and a big time commitment to achieve.

    Find Professor jobs near me

13. Gardener
    Average Annual Salary: $47,000
    Work from home option: No

    Empaths often feel at home in nature. Many find that they can recharge outdoors the same way they can when they’re alone. So, a job working as a gardener or landscape artist makes perfect sense.

    Good jobs for empathic people don’t always have to work directly with people, but gardeners do work on teams and with clients.

    Find Gardener jobs near me

14. Librarian
    Average Annual Salary: $50,000
    Work from home option: No

    Surrounded by books in a quiet, often solitary environment? That sounds like the perfect job for an empathic person.

    While this is not a position with a remote work option, it is often solitary work. It also allows you to help others. People don’t just come to libraries to find books; they use computers to research, apply for jobs, take classes, seek assistance, and more.

    Find Librarian jobs near me

What is an empath?

An empath is someone who displays a higher level of empathy than most. They are attuned to the emotions of those around them to the point of feeling those emotions themselves.

Often called “emotional sponges,” empaths are highly sensitive to those around them. They are more perceptive of the emotions of those they interact with—even if those people are unfamiliar to them.

Empaths often mirror others’ emotions, feeling their pain, anger, and sadness. It can be overwhelming at times.

You may be an empath if you:

1. Are an introvert. Empaths are typically introverted. That doesn’t mean extroverts can’t be empaths; it is just less common. Socializing takes more energy when you are sensitive.

2. Struggle with crowds. When you feel the emotions of those around you, it can make it difficult to be around people. Crowds can often lead to a sort of sensory overload for empaths. They’re draining and overwhelming.

3. Enjoy your alone time. This is true of introverts and empaths. Spending time alone to recharge is a common practice among empaths. If you are alone, there are no outside emotions to deal with, just your own.

4. Are a good listener. Taking care of others is second nature to empaths. They are often described as good listeners and many of their friends and family may come to them for advice.

5. Are highly intuitive. With their enhanced ability to read others, empaths tend to rely on their gut feelings about people and situations.

6. Are a human lie detector. Empaths read people. They can sense emotions in others and rely on their gut feelings (as mentioned above). So, they are often more sensitive to lies.

No two people are the same, and the same rings true for empaths. Each empath feels and interprets things differently. Typically, though, empaths are better suited for:

• Low-stress jobs

• Jobs where they can work alone

• Remote positions

• Self-employment

Offices can be overwhelming for empaths. They have more control over their environments when working remotely, and many empaths prefer to work from home.

But that’s not true for all. As natural caregivers, many empaths find their calling in healthcare.

Worst jobs for empaths

We know some jobs are great for empaths. So, it stands to reason, that there are also jobs that are terrible for empaths.

You should not seek out jobs that are high-stress and demanding or require you to deal with highly emotional people all day. While some of the healthcare-related jobs above do fit this description, many empaths find them rewarding in different ways.

Jobs like those listed below are draining and often overwhelming for sensitives and introverts. They can leave you feeling burnt out and unfulfilled.

Empaths should avoid jobs in:

1. Sales

   Sales positions require a great deal of social interaction, and due to the commission nature of most positions, they’re high-stress. They also reward those who are willing to be pushy, which is a strain for empaths.

2. Politics

   Politicians must be highly social, and a lot of their job is dealing with arguments and complaints. People’s unhappiness and anger are especially wearing on empaths, making them ill-suited to a life in the political realm.

3. Tech Support

   It’s almost impossible to work solitary in tech support. You’re always been called to solve one problem or another, generally by people who are frustrated. And you have to troubleshoot all while dealing with unhappy customers.

4. Customer Service

   While empaths are good at reading people and knowing what they want, customer service is built entirely on emotional labor, which is especially draining for empaths.

5. Retail

   Retail is largely customer service work, which makes empaths ill-suited to it. It also involves a lot of social interaction and following policies that may not be ideal for the customers.

6. Restaurants
   Food service positions have the double issue of being high-stress, long-hour jobs with a high level of customer service. This is especially true of wait staff.

7. Public Relations
   Public relations is all about dealing with the fallout of actions. Public relations experts spend a lot of time fielding anger and displeasure, and even when they aren’t doing that, their job is largely to spin things, which may feel dishonest.

8. Corporate.

   Working in a corporate office is unsuited to empaths in several ways. For one, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to work from home. for another, it involves being around others all day, which is draining. And the last is that it’s often removed from the main part of the business, which means you’re making rules for people you’ll never meet, which can be jarring.

Best jobs for empaths FAQs

1. What is the definition of empathy?

   Empathy is defined as the capacity to cognitively and/or emotionally understand the experience of another from their perspective. In other words, empathy is your ability to put yourself in someone’s position to understand their thoughts and feelings. Empathy is a trait that is both innate and learned.

   This means some people are more naturally empathetic than others, but it is a skill that almost all people can develop. It is considered a crucial survival trait because it helps develop compassion, mutual aid, and mutual success.

2. What are empaths?

   Empath is a term used to described highly empathetic people who are sensitive to the thoughts and feelings of others. Empath is not an official scientific term, but one that is increasingly common in cultural conversations. Empaths generally share the characteristics of intuition and introversion, but this is not always true.

3. What jobs can extremely empathetic people get?

   Extremely empathetic people can get all sorts of jobs, such as:

   • Healthcare professional (doctor, nurse, EMT, counselor, etc…)

   • Creative arts and media (writer, graphic designer, marketing associate, etc…)

   • Legal professional (lawyer, judge, clerk, etc…)

   • Social work (counselor, community organizer, etc…)

   • Educator (teacher, professor, administrator, tutor…)

   • Tech creator (web developer, software developer, UX/UI designer, etc…)

   Really, an empathetic person can work almost any job as long as they are qualified, since empathy is a skill that is important in all human interaction.

   However, certain empathetic individuals may find their skills or traits better suited for specific environments. For example, empathetic introverts may prefer to be a web developer, while empathetic extroverts may seek a career in education.

4. Can empaths be successful?

   Yes, empaths can be successful. Empaths who use their skills effectively can be successful in any qualified field. What is important to note is that an empath needs to work in an environment that plays to their strengths, not just in empathy, but in other personal characteristics and professional qualifications.

5. Are empaths intelligent?

   Highly empathetic individuals may be more emotionally intelligent. This is because they can use their perspective to guide their actions. However, this means empaths need to be able to regulate their own emotions, particularly their emotional response to others, to take constructive action.

References

1. The National Library of Medicine – The Science of Empathy

2. Lesley University – The Psychology of Emotional and Cognitive Empathy

Author

Samantha Goddiess

Samantha is a lifelong writer who has been writing professionally for the last six years. After graduating with honors from Greensboro College with a degree in English & Communications, she went on to find work as an in-house copywriter for several companies including Costume Supercenter, and Blueprint Education.