- Jobs For People
- Jobs For People Who Hate Working
- Jobs For People Who Don't Know What To Do
- Jobs For People Who Don't Speak English
- Jobs For People Who Love Reading
- Jobs For People Who Like To Organize
- Jobs For People Who Get Bored Easily
- Jobs For People Who Like To Work Alone
- Jobs For People Who Like History
- Jobs For People Who Like To Learn
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- Jobs For People Who Love Sports
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Working alone seems like it would be more much efficient for individuals who are highly independent and self-sufficient workers.
There are still plenty of careers that provide more independence. These jobs also offer benefits, high salaries, and other great perks, from vital transportation jobs to artistic and creative roles. So, let’s dive in and discover the top 15 best jobs for people who like to work alone.
Key Takeaways:
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The top three jobs for those who want to work alone are actuary, research scientist, and zoologist.
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Working alone can help eliminate distractions and boost productivity in individuals.
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Your comfort levels can increase when working alone if you are an introvert because you don’t have to worry about bugging others or working in a group environment.
The top 15 best jobs for people who like to work alone
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Average Salary: $84,751 per year
Jobs Available: 14,034
Job Growth Rate: 20%Using your mental fortitude to research financial activities is a task well suited to work alone if you like working with mathematics and large numbers, especially in the context of a paycheck, this job might just be a perfect fit for you.
Actuaries are natural problem solvers, as they spend their days working independently and even remotely to analyze commercial costs and use that to assess risk.
Of course, earning an average of $40.75 per hour comes with costs. Most actuaries need at least a four-year degree to start working, with a whopping 83.1% of those currently working in the field entering with a bachelor’s degree.
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Average Salary: $80,226 per year
Jobs Available: 103,802
Job Growth Rate: 8%Being a research scientist will allow you to spend long hours alone with your thoughts and ideas. If you’re passionate about your work, it can be easy to lose track of time while working independently in a lab.
Research scientists are responsible for creating hypotheses, collecting data, interpreting results data, and generating reports. In this position, you will be responsible for putting out the IPCC climate report and other vital scientific documents.
Research science fields can specialize in natural, medical, computer, environmental, and social science.
Plus, you’ll earn an average of $38.57, making discoveries and ushering in progress. The only catch is that you’ll need to dedicate quite a bit of time to the particular field you want to go into. Overall, 51.7% of research scientists have bachelor’s degrees, 25.3% have doctorate degrees, and 19.7% have master’s degrees.
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Average Salary: $67,697 per year
Jobs Available: 1,709
Job Growth Rate: 5%As a zoologist, you’ll have the opportunity to work alone and you’ll spend most of your time immersed in nature or other more literary forms of research. You’ll be able to study wildlife and how different species interact with their ecosystems. This field can often relate to environmental studies and conservation work as well.
Overall, the average zoologist makes around $29 per hour. Bachelor’s degrees are also the most common degree needed to start working, with 64.3% of those in the field having one as their highest level of education. That said, master’s degrees are also common, with 28.6% having one.
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Average Salary: $66,701 per year
Jobs Available: 119,896
Job Growth Rate: 5%Network administrators can often work remotely and problem-solve independently and are tasked with being those computer experts who manage troubleshooting procedures.
Network administrators are essential because technology, specifically networks, has become vital to any modern industry. While reviving a downed system can be challenging, it can also be rewarding.
The average employee in this field makes a respectable $32.07 per hour, and that salary comes with the added benefit that nearly 30% of those currently working in the field only needed an associate’s degree to start their career. Remember that 55.1% of network administrators have a bachelor’s degree.
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Average Salary: $62,520 per year
Jobs Available: 288,962
Job Growth Rate: 5%If you’re looking for a practical and high-paying line of work, look no further. Commercial truck drivers spend time on the road shipping cargo from point A to B.
This is a great position for individuals who want to spend time alone instead of being stuck in an office chatting with co-workers. Once you start working, you’ll find you can complete nearly all of your work independently.
The lack of formal education requirements is also a huge plus for this field, as 35.3% of employees only needed a high school diploma to start working. However, remember that you’ll likely need a CDL, a truck driving license issued after testing.
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Average Salary: $56,696 per year
Jobs Available: 9,055
Job Growth Rate: 14%As a plumber, not only will you have a high demand for your services, but you’ll also have the luxury of relying on your expertise to work. When it’s time to work, it’ll likely just be you and the pipes, making this a great job for introverts.
There’s nothing wrong with an “old school” career, especially if it pays well. Plumbers install and repair vital pipes in residential or commercial properties. If that sounds important, that’s because it is.
What’s more, the average hourly rate of $27.26 can be achieved with little to no traditional schooling, as 53.1% only needed a high school diploma to get started. Instead, you’ll want to get experience at a Technical school, which can usually be completed in well under two years.
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Average Salary: $53,129 per year
Jobs Available: 1,101
Job Growth Rate: -21%Becoming a postal carrier allows you to have plenty of alone time, as you can do all of your sorting and driving on your own. In this line of work, you’ll be able to avoid large crowds and meetings all day, every day.
This respectable salary and an average of $25.54 an hour can be achieved without heavy education requirements. Postal carrier education levels are split up, with 33.4% having bachelor’s degrees, 25.5% having associate’s degrees, and 26.2% having high school diplomas.
Of course, the biggest downside to this line of work is the current lack of opportunity. This line of work has a current growth rate of -21%, but hopefully, this will change in the future.
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Average Salary: $50,804 per year
Current Jobs Available: 28,203
Job Growth Rate: 7%Whether you’re freelancing or working full-time, you’ll have ample opportunity to work alone as a copywriter. In fact, since the start of 2020, most have worked remotely. That means the only social interaction you’ll have is sending emails with your editor and the occasional video call.
Copywriters are versatile workers whose writing can encompass various topics and formats. Typically they produce clear text for advertising channels (e.g., catalogs, websites, etc.) by researching keywords and proofreading.
Overall, copywriters make a respectable average of $24.43 per hour, but education is a worthwhile factor for this position. 79.5% of those currently working have a bachelor’s degree, meaning that it’s vital to attend college for at least 3-4 years before you can land a job.
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Average Salary: $49,755 per year
Current Jobs Available: 9,368
Job Growth Rate: 10%Working as an electrician is another classic “old school” job, electricians work with electrical power, communications, light, and control systems. While this job can be a tad hazardous, it does pay well.
Plus, you’ll be able to work alone on every shift, using your expertise to wire residential and commercial properties. You’re the professional, so the odds are that the property owners won’t be bothering you while you work.
Overall, electricians earn an average of $23.92 per hour, and the job has minimal formal education requirements. A considerable 32.2% of those in the field only needed a high school diploma to start their career.
Instead of attending a traditional college, you’ll want to get experience at a technical school, which can usually be completed in well under two years.
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Average Salary: $49,482 per year
Jobs Available: 8,300
Job Growth Rate: -6%Being a photographer gives you the freedom and travel opportunity to make photography a wonderful line of work if you want to work alone. As a photographer, you can expect to experience beautiful places, people, and animals while relying on your expertise to do your work.
Photographers specialize in creating images for anything from advertisements to Instagram pages. Like any artistic job, there are many different ways you can become a successful photographer. You can have your own business, take commercial photography, take wedding photography, or fill any number of other niches.
You also might be surprised to know that the average photographer makes over $23 per hour, which is far from the “starving artist” cliche you might imagine.
And, you don’t even necessarily need to have anything more than a high school diploma to become successful. A whopping 39% of photographers are successful with only a high school degree and some college.
The only major downside to pursuing photography is the learning curve, as you’ll need to study techniques before you become a professional. This, combined with slow job growth, can make it difficult to compete with other photographers.
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Average Salary: $47,657 per year
Jobs Available: 1,302
Job Growth Rate: 9%Working as a gardener will allow you to spend your hours in quiet spaces surrounded by plants (and no humans). That’s why this job is perfect for anyone who likes working alone.
There’s nothing more therapeutic than working with plants when they’re not dying on you every few weeks. However, if you have a green thumb, you might want to consider a job as a gardener. As the name would suggest, these plant experts keep outdoor spaces beautiful and, most importantly, healthy.
Plus, you’ll make an average of $22.91 per hour doing so. You also may not be required to have a formal college education, as 27.2% of those currently working in the field only needed a high school diploma to start their career. Of course, a bachelor’s or associate’s degree in plant science will make it easier to land a job.
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Average Salary: $46,954 per year
Jobs Available: 11,796
Job Growth Rate: 11%Being a video editor is great if you want to work alone because you get to take all of the components of a project which others have already completed and edit them together on your own. This means you can finalize your work without needing to reach out or keep tabs on team members.
From editing Hollywood productions to assisting YouTubers, video editors manipulate and enhance raw video footage to create a final product. Commonly, they’re responsible for blending special effects with this footage post-production.
Overall, the average video editor earns $22.57 per hour. However, this job requires some level of formal college education. The vast majority (73.3%) of those currently working in the field needed a bachelor’s degree to start their career, while 14.6% needed an associate’s degree.
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Average Salary: $45,772 per year
Jobs Available: 43,709
Job Growth Rate: 3%Once given all the information you need to get started, graphic designers have the luxury of working alone. Your work will consist of stewing in your creativity while testing your designs.
Whether by hand or through computer software, your job is to create art to inspire, inform, and captivate consumers. You might be surprised how useful graphic designers are for companies, as many rely on them to design good advertisements and logos.
And for their efforts, graphic designers earn an average of $22 per hour. The only downside is that you’ll need a solid education to start working as one. 68.2% of employees in this field have a bachelor’s degree as their highest level of education.
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Average Salary: $41,048 per year
Jobs Available: 205
Job Growth Rate: 3%Bloggers are often able to work alone whenever and wherever they want. You can also have the opportunity to travel on the regular, due to the remote nature of their work. That means you can have plenty of fun while maintaining your productive independence.
Like becoming an author, bloggers are online writers who can make a decent amount of money freelancing or creating websites. You can theoretically write about the topic of your choosing, as long as you have a solid audience.
Overall, freelance bloggers earn a respectable average of $20 per hour, with a 3-4 year degree being the most commonly needed to start working. 77.9% of those currently working in the field got in with a bachelor’s degree as their highest level of education.
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Average Salary: $36,234 per year
Jobs Available: 65,854
Job Growth Rate: -1%As an auto mechanic, you’ll spend most of your work hours wedged under or inside of a car, which will leave you far removed from banter with co-workers. Essentially, all auto mechanic work can be done alone with the right tools.
Your responsibilities are to maintain, diagnose, and repair many residential and commercial vehicles. That can cover anything from replacing fluids and lubricating parts to re-wiring mechanical and electrical components.
Overall, employees in this role earn an average of $17.42 per hour, which is well above the minimum wage in most states. Plus, you won’t have to spend your money on a lengthy education, as 46.7% of auto mechanics started working with only a high school diploma.
Benefits of working alone
You might be curious to know why working alone is so beneficial, especially for introverts, some important factors include:
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Productivity boost. Teams can be great when they function, but introverts might find that they’re far more productive when working alone. After all, there’s a reason 86% of employees agree that working alone increases their productivity.
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Fewer distractions. A large part of your productivity comes from how focused you can be in the workplace. Luckily, working alone allows you to cut out those pesky and distracting office conversations.
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More flexibility. When you don’t have to accommodate the schedules of others, you might find that your schedule is far less hectic. You can work where you want when you want.
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Credit. Increased independence gives you full control over your creative and innovative decisions. While this can come with the stress of responsibility, it also comes with the perk of receiving full credit for all of your work.
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Comfort. Working alone often opens the door to work-from-home opportunities and other ways where you can personalize your workspace. That means it’s easier to get comfy while you work.
Remember that not every job will provide all of these benefits, but we focused mainly on jobs that fit one or more of these criteria for this list. That way, you’ll have several different options across a wide range of industries/fields.
Jobs for people who like to work alone FAQ
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Are there jobs that allow you to work alone?
Yes, there are plenty of jobs that allow you to work alone. Jobs that allow you to work alone include copy writer, commercial truck driver, and postal carrier. Most jobs you won’t be completely alone all of the time, but remote positions allow you to spend most of your time away from office chatter.
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Is it OK to work alone?
Yes, it is OK to work alone. Working alone can be good for your mental well-being and performance if you are someone can get distracted easily in an office. When you work alone, there are often fewer distractions which means you are able to stay focused more often and be more productive.
Final thoughts
There’s nothing wrong with working alone, especially if it improves your focus and productivity. Luckily, our list shows many fields and industries where working alone is an option. You might not even need more than a high school diploma to get started.
Of course, while our top 15 focus on some of the best salaries you can earn while working alone, there are also hundreds of other independent and remote-work opportunities out there. All that’s left is for you to get out there and explore the job market!
- Jobs For People
- Jobs For People Who Hate Working
- Jobs For People Who Don't Know What To Do
- Jobs For People Who Don't Speak English
- Jobs For People Who Love Reading
- Jobs For People Who Like To Organize
- Jobs For People Who Get Bored Easily
- Jobs For People Who Like To Work Alone
- Jobs For People Who Like History
- Jobs For People Who Like To Learn
- Jobs For People Who Like To Talk
- Jobs For People Who Love Sports
- Jobs For Teachers Who Don't Want To Teach
Author
Jack Flynn is a writer for Zippia. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts. Some of his most popular published works include his writing about economic terms and research into job classifications. Jack received his BS from Hampshire College.
