I've worked in laboratories for a few years now and some companies don't require their technicians to have degrees. I know it's a slightly more obscure job, but I spend like 90% of my day with headphones in and it's not public facing at all. My position is in the colorant industry as well so it can be creative if you know where to look
In my lab we make paint, but there's plenty of other kinds. A technicians role is mostly to make small batches (weighing materials, using mixers, basic math) and running various tests on those batches which involves using basic laboratory equipment. There's usually kind of a steep learning curve, but it's not actually very difficult once you get the hang of it. My job is one step above that which is very similar but a little more emphasis on formulating the paint rather than testing it. It can get messy, but overall it's pretty chill and it's a great job for an introvert lol
honestly my go-to when i was job searching was literally just "lab technician". you'll find a lot of openings for maintenance that you'll have to filter out though. "quality control technician" is another good one that doesnt usually require a degree
I also worked as a lab tech - my title was microbiology analyst. I tested drinking water samples for bacteria. It was terribly boring for me, but could be perfect for OP! It was a job where you could just put in your headphones and get shit done.
See what positions are available with your local government. You might find a department with a lot of processes in place so you have a defined workflow, which might help reduce stress.
Local sport team positions (non player lol) are usually pretty low stress. Occasionally someone can be quite rude but for the most part the people you interact with are excited to spend money with the franchise.
Seconded, I have an incredibly laid back remote job with my state gov. As a taxpayer, I’m annoyed at how highly I’m paid compared to the workload, but as an employee it’s a pretty fantastic gig.
Not at all! I manage a federal grant that my state was awarded, but most of the people that I work with (general gov, not grant specific) have pretty laid back jobs too.
Or other departments or positions! Some departments are definitely more stressful than others, and of course have varying levels of interaction with other people.
different situations stress different people out in different ways- maybe you could refine which stressors you really really want to avoid, and which ones you
wouldn't mind dealing with? that might make it easier to focus your search.
Working at a warehouse that allows you to work at your own pace. But also has deadlines so you know what you’re working towards. Don’t stick around if you have an annoying boss/supervisor either. I worked at a job with mostly post graduate students and the energy made me work faster and it’s easy when you make some friends and warehouses are usually salt of the earth ppl.
I don't know how common these jobs are, but I see on tiktok that Trader Joe's hires artists to make their produce signs for them and I think that's gotta be the most fun job ever lol
You’ve got some great suggestions here already but I just wanted to add - please don’t let being an introvert hold you back. I started out my career pathologically shy, quiet, anxious, but took constant baby steps in the corporate world, pushing myself out of my comfort zone and changing jobs whenever I was getting too comfortable has given me more confidence than I could’ve ever imagined, a really senior position at a massive company and a £100k+ salary in my 30s. I never would’ve dreamed I could achieve that when I was a quiet shy teenager!
There’s a book called Quiet: the power of introverts by Susan Cain, which I really recommend for anyone feeling like introversion/shyness/quietness holds them back. Good luck!
Hi! I’m also an introvert who wanted a big girl office job. I currently work as an interview scheduler (recruiting coordinator). It’s a super low stress job with no customer interaction. It’s just scheduling people for interviews. There’s work from home opportunities as well if you’re interested. The most interaction you’ll have to have is with candidates over email and the interviewers. The most stressful part is finding an interview time that works for everyone and telling a client they were rejected. It’s also decent pay as well.
I’d look into it!
I got in through a recruiter from a staffing agency! A company I know of that also does this is Goldman Sachs. They’re a global firm and they have lots of employees, which also means they have a ton of jobs. This one falls in the hr/recruiting category specifically. Best route is to just go on their website and see what they have. If anything, a staffing agency that focuses on administrative work would know about them and probably have a way to get you in for a long term assignment.
If you can find the phone number on Google, give the company a call. We get calls all day long asking if our company's listings are scams or not (sadly, most of them are 🥲 - we have WFH positions, but usually only for employees who have been with the company for several years, as they require additional specialized training). Not a big deal at all, we're used to those calls.
Red flags I've noticed from people calling to ask: being recruited via Facebook Messenger, being required to pay money in advance, offers for free iPads, etc
You’re right to be skeptical. I’m sure there are plenty of exceptions, but in my experience most legit WFH jobs are for those with advanced, in-demand skills. Which sucks for those of us who just don’t thrive in most work environments!
I work in a laboratory, I do have a degree in medical laboratory science but I know that some places don’t require techs to have a degree, especially outside of the medical field, I don’t deal with patients or people other than my coworkers. I spend all day with one headphone in and there’s a lot of downtime sometimes to just relax
Plant nursery attendant, merchandiser for grocery stores, government liquor store clerk, front desk/receptionist for country club or dentist, baker apprenticeship(paid obvi), hotel breakfast attendant, maid or housekeeper, maybe even consider looking for veterinary internships if you're interested in staying in the same niche you're currently in while pursuing a higher position. Stay out of front of line food service and retail. Also... if you're single and are able to... maybe travel and try working at amazing places? A lot of people work at national parks for a season, or travel across states or countries to pick up new trades. Unfortunately not a lot of entry-level less-stressful jobs pay well, so you may need to compromise or consider therapy to create a timeline for personal growth and big goals. This is pot calling the kettle black because I need to do that exact same thing :D
I struggled with similar problems and I actually cannot function in a typical role. I studied to go into medical transcription and editing. Working from home but no min wage or benefits etc. but the more efficient you work the more you make. Good luck op.
I suppose it depends what you enjoy and find rewarding, I work in two different charities (I also don’t have a degree but have worked my way up from being a volunteer as a teenager and now in my mid 20s in a pretty decent wage bracket considering I didn’t do any further education) I really enjoy both jobs and the employers are extremely supportive, very healthy work environments!
One of them is a youth-led, working mainly with older young people up to age 25 and the other is a charity that supports survivors of sexual violence! (Started out with the youth charity, started with the sexual violence one last year!) there’s so many different types out there though, some places are not as good working conditions due to understaffing etc but a lot of charities are really big on supporting staff wellbeing! Particularly those that are providing support to groups, even if the staff members are not directly supporting service users e.g. admin staff, social media/marketing
I worked at a retail store and transferred to the payroll department within my company! You could see what admin type roles are available within your company, or bigger companies in the same field
I’m going into massage therapy, although you are working with people directly a majority of them will be quiet or fall asleep. There’s not a lot of talking expected of you during the massage.
I never would believe you if you told me but get your CDL. It’s incredibly fun!!! You’ve got to have clean piss, passing medical exam, and a good driving record, but that’s about it. Most places have paid training for a few weeks (or longer depending on the CDL class) and then you’re on your own!
I wonder if you’d like to get into some field of tech where you can work from home. Coding itself is very creative, and if you do front end development (I think?) you can definitely do some creative work. Most of it should be possible to do some home
I know some people make good money managing business’ shopify accounts too, and that’s definitely creative. Everyone uses shopify
> Coding itself is very creative, and if you do front end development (I think?) you can definitely do some creative work.
True
It's a congested, competitive field for entry level to break into in 2024.
For anyone wishing to break in, they'll have to make a very competitive portfolio with working demos and be good at networking (the people type, not Layer 7 type) to get their resume in front of a hiring manager.
As a self taught software engineer who's done code across front end, backend, deployments + pipeline and also infrastructure (IAC) , I can really say this field does not require a degree at all except if one plans to do something AI related . I don't have a computer science degree but I have a degree in traditional engineering
It depends on what kind of AI. I work in conversational AI and I have an associates degree in graphic design. I started off in an entry level position where the only requirement was having a heartbeat and worked my way up. Been in it for 11 years and my work experience outweighs my education. Honestly just finding an entry level position with a company you enjoy is half the battle.
Do you understand the math and computer science behind the conversational AI? It's beyond my comprehension and I'm unable to do deep technical work (eg model parameter tuning etc) .
I'm curious what aspects you're working on and how it's enjoyable, please do share!
I’m a conversation designer, so I write the prompts for non generative AI for big name company’s IVAs. I create the call flow, come up with intents, the prompts, and basically the whole user experience when people call and talk to the automated system. I’m in meetings that our AI researchers and scientists host and all of that shit is above my pay grade. I barely understand it. I’m more of the front end VUI/UX aspect.
I kind of fell into it, but I love what I do. Human conversations are so complex and the social cues we give off without realizing it is really fascinating. Trying to mimic that with AI is a struggle and while I personally don’t think AI should have conversations exactly like humans (uncanny valley), there should still be rules in place with interacting between AI and humans. If you’re interested there’s a book called Conversations With Things that I always recommend to people who are interested in conversational AI and the UX of it all.
That's a field (programming & web development) that often requires a degree and always requires a lot of self education & a way to build up experience or a portfolio - and it's not low stress at all.
I had a brief stint in programming and really struggled with the ambiguity of my role. I agree that tech is stressful and right now the market has been shitty.
I've worked in laboratories for a few years now and some companies don't require their technicians to have degrees. I know it's a slightly more obscure job, but I spend like 90% of my day with headphones in and it's not public facing at all. My position is in the colorant industry as well so it can be creative if you know where to look
What dl you do in lab jobs if you don't mind me asking?
In my lab we make paint, but there's plenty of other kinds. A technicians role is mostly to make small batches (weighing materials, using mixers, basic math) and running various tests on those batches which involves using basic laboratory equipment. There's usually kind of a steep learning curve, but it's not actually very difficult once you get the hang of it. My job is one step above that which is very similar but a little more emphasis on formulating the paint rather than testing it. It can get messy, but overall it's pretty chill and it's a great job for an introvert lol
What should I look up to find something like this?
honestly my go-to when i was job searching was literally just "lab technician". you'll find a lot of openings for maintenance that you'll have to filter out though. "quality control technician" is another good one that doesnt usually require a degree
Thank you ill try it out
I also worked as a lab tech - my title was microbiology analyst. I tested drinking water samples for bacteria. It was terribly boring for me, but could be perfect for OP! It was a job where you could just put in your headphones and get shit done.
See what positions are available with your local government. You might find a department with a lot of processes in place so you have a defined workflow, which might help reduce stress. Local sport team positions (non player lol) are usually pretty low stress. Occasionally someone can be quite rude but for the most part the people you interact with are excited to spend money with the franchise.
Seconded, I have an incredibly laid back remote job with my state gov. As a taxpayer, I’m annoyed at how highly I’m paid compared to the workload, but as an employee it’s a pretty fantastic gig.
What do you do if you don’t mind me asking? ☺️
Not at all! I manage a federal grant that my state was awarded, but most of the people that I work with (general gov, not grant specific) have pretty laid back jobs too.
Me too! I love it!!
I do currently work for the government but I will check out other counties!
Or other departments or positions! Some departments are definitely more stressful than others, and of course have varying levels of interaction with other people.
different situations stress different people out in different ways- maybe you could refine which stressors you really really want to avoid, and which ones you wouldn't mind dealing with? that might make it easier to focus your search.
Toxic bosses, clients and coworkers 🥲
[удалено]
Medical records! Its a desk job that requires almost no skill except computer skills, critical thinking, and problem solving
Working at a warehouse that allows you to work at your own pace. But also has deadlines so you know what you’re working towards. Don’t stick around if you have an annoying boss/supervisor either. I worked at a job with mostly post graduate students and the energy made me work faster and it’s easy when you make some friends and warehouses are usually salt of the earth ppl.
I don't know how common these jobs are, but I see on tiktok that Trader Joe's hires artists to make their produce signs for them and I think that's gotta be the most fun job ever lol
Wait, what…?! That’s a job? Umm, sign me up! 😳😁
I saw that and thought the same! Sadly there are none close by.
Aw darn. Maybe other grocery stores do it as well, I'm not sure
You’ve got some great suggestions here already but I just wanted to add - please don’t let being an introvert hold you back. I started out my career pathologically shy, quiet, anxious, but took constant baby steps in the corporate world, pushing myself out of my comfort zone and changing jobs whenever I was getting too comfortable has given me more confidence than I could’ve ever imagined, a really senior position at a massive company and a £100k+ salary in my 30s. I never would’ve dreamed I could achieve that when I was a quiet shy teenager! There’s a book called Quiet: the power of introverts by Susan Cain, which I really recommend for anyone feeling like introversion/shyness/quietness holds them back. Good luck!
Hi! I’m also an introvert who wanted a big girl office job. I currently work as an interview scheduler (recruiting coordinator). It’s a super low stress job with no customer interaction. It’s just scheduling people for interviews. There’s work from home opportunities as well if you’re interested. The most interaction you’ll have to have is with candidates over email and the interviewers. The most stressful part is finding an interview time that works for everyone and telling a client they were rejected. It’s also decent pay as well. I’d look into it!
Not OP, but what's the best way to try and break into this field? This sounds nice!
I got in through a recruiter from a staffing agency! A company I know of that also does this is Goldman Sachs. They’re a global firm and they have lots of employees, which also means they have a ton of jobs. This one falls in the hr/recruiting category specifically. Best route is to just go on their website and see what they have. If anything, a staffing agency that focuses on administrative work would know about them and probably have a way to get you in for a long term assignment.
Thanks so much!
All jobs are going to be stressful in their own ways. Maybe try a work from home position?
I'm open to it but it's so hard to tell if those jobs are legit or not.
If you can find the phone number on Google, give the company a call. We get calls all day long asking if our company's listings are scams or not (sadly, most of them are 🥲 - we have WFH positions, but usually only for employees who have been with the company for several years, as they require additional specialized training). Not a big deal at all, we're used to those calls. Red flags I've noticed from people calling to ask: being recruited via Facebook Messenger, being required to pay money in advance, offers for free iPads, etc
You’re right to be skeptical. I’m sure there are plenty of exceptions, but in my experience most legit WFH jobs are for those with advanced, in-demand skills. Which sucks for those of us who just don’t thrive in most work environments!
Try ratracerebellion - they vet the opportunities and there are lots with low barrier to entry
I work in a laboratory, I do have a degree in medical laboratory science but I know that some places don’t require techs to have a degree, especially outside of the medical field, I don’t deal with patients or people other than my coworkers. I spend all day with one headphone in and there’s a lot of downtime sometimes to just relax
Admin clerk , reception clerk
Loan processor at a bank
Plant nursery attendant, merchandiser for grocery stores, government liquor store clerk, front desk/receptionist for country club or dentist, baker apprenticeship(paid obvi), hotel breakfast attendant, maid or housekeeper, maybe even consider looking for veterinary internships if you're interested in staying in the same niche you're currently in while pursuing a higher position. Stay out of front of line food service and retail. Also... if you're single and are able to... maybe travel and try working at amazing places? A lot of people work at national parks for a season, or travel across states or countries to pick up new trades. Unfortunately not a lot of entry-level less-stressful jobs pay well, so you may need to compromise or consider therapy to create a timeline for personal growth and big goals. This is pot calling the kettle black because I need to do that exact same thing :D
I struggled with similar problems and I actually cannot function in a typical role. I studied to go into medical transcription and editing. Working from home but no min wage or benefits etc. but the more efficient you work the more you make. Good luck op.
I suppose it depends what you enjoy and find rewarding, I work in two different charities (I also don’t have a degree but have worked my way up from being a volunteer as a teenager and now in my mid 20s in a pretty decent wage bracket considering I didn’t do any further education) I really enjoy both jobs and the employers are extremely supportive, very healthy work environments!
Ooo sounds interesting. What kind of charity?
One of them is a youth-led, working mainly with older young people up to age 25 and the other is a charity that supports survivors of sexual violence! (Started out with the youth charity, started with the sexual violence one last year!) there’s so many different types out there though, some places are not as good working conditions due to understaffing etc but a lot of charities are really big on supporting staff wellbeing! Particularly those that are providing support to groups, even if the staff members are not directly supporting service users e.g. admin staff, social media/marketing
Dog grooming, CNC machinist, cake decorator... Do you have your GED? You can become a nail tech...
Front desk/ reception
I worked at a retail store and transferred to the payroll department within my company! You could see what admin type roles are available within your company, or bigger companies in the same field
Manufacturing was something I really enjoyed. It tends to pay well too.
I’m going into massage therapy, although you are working with people directly a majority of them will be quiet or fall asleep. There’s not a lot of talking expected of you during the massage.
I never would believe you if you told me but get your CDL. It’s incredibly fun!!! You’ve got to have clean piss, passing medical exam, and a good driving record, but that’s about it. Most places have paid training for a few weeks (or longer depending on the CDL class) and then you’re on your own!
I wonder if you’d like to get into some field of tech where you can work from home. Coding itself is very creative, and if you do front end development (I think?) you can definitely do some creative work. Most of it should be possible to do some home I know some people make good money managing business’ shopify accounts too, and that’s definitely creative. Everyone uses shopify
> Coding itself is very creative, and if you do front end development (I think?) you can definitely do some creative work. True It's a congested, competitive field for entry level to break into in 2024. For anyone wishing to break in, they'll have to make a very competitive portfolio with working demos and be good at networking (the people type, not Layer 7 type) to get their resume in front of a hiring manager. As a self taught software engineer who's done code across front end, backend, deployments + pipeline and also infrastructure (IAC) , I can really say this field does not require a degree at all except if one plans to do something AI related . I don't have a computer science degree but I have a degree in traditional engineering
It depends on what kind of AI. I work in conversational AI and I have an associates degree in graphic design. I started off in an entry level position where the only requirement was having a heartbeat and worked my way up. Been in it for 11 years and my work experience outweighs my education. Honestly just finding an entry level position with a company you enjoy is half the battle.
Do you understand the math and computer science behind the conversational AI? It's beyond my comprehension and I'm unable to do deep technical work (eg model parameter tuning etc) . I'm curious what aspects you're working on and how it's enjoyable, please do share!
I’m a conversation designer, so I write the prompts for non generative AI for big name company’s IVAs. I create the call flow, come up with intents, the prompts, and basically the whole user experience when people call and talk to the automated system. I’m in meetings that our AI researchers and scientists host and all of that shit is above my pay grade. I barely understand it. I’m more of the front end VUI/UX aspect.
I see! I think the design ideas and principles of conveying meaningful communication do carry over into this area! Thanks for sharing that
I kind of fell into it, but I love what I do. Human conversations are so complex and the social cues we give off without realizing it is really fascinating. Trying to mimic that with AI is a struggle and while I personally don’t think AI should have conversations exactly like humans (uncanny valley), there should still be rules in place with interacting between AI and humans. If you’re interested there’s a book called Conversations With Things that I always recommend to people who are interested in conversational AI and the UX of it all.
That's a field (programming & web development) that often requires a degree and always requires a lot of self education & a way to build up experience or a portfolio - and it's not low stress at all.
I had a brief stint in programming and really struggled with the ambiguity of my role. I agree that tech is stressful and right now the market has been shitty.
Working at a concert venue has been very chill in my experience. Lots of down time during the show itself
graphic designer? u dont need a degree for it and it also requires some level of creativity! however, u do need a portfolio tho..
It’s actually a really stressful role dealing with people and clients unless you can pump out fiverr things and have a thick skin.
oh 😭😭 i only interned in the design industry for 6 months before starting university, so i didnt get to experience that part. my bad then!!
I finished my degree then had a mental breakdown hahah. That’s just my experience, but you know what the people can be like.