Good jobs for gentle/introverted people?

[Samamfia]

I've worked as a media/comms officer at various places for fifteen years and a longstanding urge to change career has come to a head. There are a number of reasons that I won't bore you with, but chief amongst them is that the job just doesn't suit me and never has, really - I fell into it straight out of uni and it's at the point where the bad fit is damaging my health. I have a physical health condition that's less well-controlled than it used to be and is very triggered by stress and inactivity (so pure desk work = bad, stressy job = bad).

Any suggestions based on the following? I'm 33F.

Personality:

• gentle, introverted but I do like people and need some social contact
• not good at dealing with conflict/difficult conversations
• creative
• outdoorsy
• active, not super fit but hate sitting all day
• enjoy helping others
• not particularly squeamish
• a bit clumsy

Good at/interested in:

• making things
• the outdoors
• problem-solving - quite clever
• writing (don't want it as the sole focus of my job though)
• persuasion/selling things if non-aggressive
• organising
• ideas
• initiative - would quite like to work for myself/be self-directed
• got a degree in Eng Lit - so STEM jobs might be hard to get into
• hobbies: books, knitting, knitwear design, paddleboarding, hiking, DIY, gardening

Need:

• flexibility for regular hospital appointments without anyone being a dick about it
• £27k+
• open to retraining - but can't take years or cost thousands, and I'll need to earn at same time

Gardner, private tutor, odd jobs lady,

Where do you live, roughly? Someone near me has started a Forest School in a local craft village which had a small patch of land at the back. They run sessions during the day which mums take their pre school kids to, and it’s immensely popular with young families as they do fab birthday parties and summer holidays you can drop in for various activity clubs.

You would have a little team of staff working for you, be outdoors, market and run your own business, nice customer interactions etc.

I went into tech (web development) for this reason.

You do have to use your brain to solve problems, you will be “making things” but that might be a new feature or system, investigate solutions, “sell” solutions and ideas to other people but as the industry is full of nerdy types you aren’t expected to be extroverted. You don’t have to play the cut throat corporate game unless you want to reach a high level, and lower/mid level roles pay enough for you not to bother.

Working in a library? Editing?

Thank you! Funny enough, that's what my partner does and the business doesn't make enough for two - so that's probably out. He might not appreciate me competing ;-) it's a lovely job though

• I too was thinking gardener or some sort of horticulture course or garden designer
• Osteopath? I used to go to an osteopathy school clinic. Majority of the students were in their 30's and came from various backgrounds- teachers, police officers, personal trainers. They had full and part time courses. Once qualified, you could rent rooms and pick your hours, or convert a garage/room in your home and again- pick your own hours.
• Are you good at training others? I don't know much about your current work area, but could you teach courses in that? Or your hobbies? Knitting, gardening, paddleboarding? Even if not full time, but as a sideline whilst re-training?

An elderly co-ordinator .. arranging fun activities in care homes .. low impact, not as demanding as children but still very helpful and appreciated by the residents

Or a community type job. Researching facilities / clubs in the areas, by talking to residents.. creating lists of local groups .. arranging residents meetings and events.. community groups / gardens etc. I'm bad with job titles but these are all really lovely creative and active jobs (gets you out and about!)

What type of comms are you doing? The easiest thing would be to change to a different sector within that although I appreciate you might want a complete change.

Have a look at the website charity jobs to see if there is anything you could transfer to maybe?

Would you consider freelance? That’s a more gentle way to use your skills although you have to have a bit of a business head. I enjoy that side of it.

Look at what your local authority or universities have on offer as they tend to be quite flexible about working.

There's always someone recommending tech on these threads ... OP said she doesn't want a desk based or stressful job. And can't handle conflict.

Also it would quite frankly be a waste of her time when she just wants to earn a bit above minimum wage.

Have a look at National Trust jobs - there are things like being a Countryside worker. They're very flexible employers

Work for a charity.
Some type of therapy/beauty-based work.
Proof reader.

Working in a library is NOT a job for introverts!

Agree. Communication skills and actually enjoying engagement with people is key. DH is in library management and calling the police to deal with customers is not uncommon. Nor is banning people. He spends a great deal of time sorting out conflicts between staff as well.

Work for a charity eg an animal rescue?

Look up Supply Chain Analyst. Quite interesting and I think it hits your spec. You dont need to retrain just apply for the right roles with a tailored CV and you will get one.

Thank you f) I've tried a bunch of different comms roles in different industries (public sector/private/charity) and I think it's just unsuitable for me, unfortunately. I am good at it but don't enjoy it and it really does a number on me physically, so it's time to go. Ironically, the charities I've worked at have been the worst! I do a bit of freelance and enjoy that, though - it's something I'd like to build up while doing something else to protect my health.

If anyone I know sees this, they'll definitely recognise who I am with that info 😅

Ooh. I've never heard of that. Thank you!

Dog walking business, counsellor, coach

What about an engagement role with a nature based third sector or public sector organisation. I work in that sector and sometimes see them advertised for that sort of salary. Something like the Wetlands Trust.

librarian

Have you considered content design OP? I worked in marketing comms for years and it always felt a bit wrong for me, although I was good at it. Content design fits me a lot better as it’s about helping people use a service. Quite often contract roles/part time roles available so although it’s desk based you might have lots of flexibility.

Or someone who doesn’t like dealing with conflict or difficult conversations !

Really? I've worked with a number of librarians and it seems like a peaceful role albeit with some social contact. Though I am a secondary teacher so most jobs seem peaceful in comparison...

@Mary1234567 Any reason you posted the entire OP again in your 1 word reply? Why not just post your reply? Genuinely interested why you'd do that?

Maybe a caring role OP -
Working with children, supporring vulnerable people/victims of crime, or something therapeutic?