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Careers for highly sensitive people

66 replies

Wearegettingthere · 09/05/2026 06:37

DD is an orchid child; highly sensitive and creative. What careers would be good for her? She likes acting, fashion. She wouldlike to be an actress but that is a very competitive career. She is in performing arts sixth form at the moment studying theatre.

OP posts:
Pugglywuggly · 09/05/2026 06:45

My brother does the artistic side of computer game design. He's the same sort of temperament but given how competitive it is he also suffered a lot with his mental health despite the companies having good support as they attract that kind of personality. It's not so much about what would suit her as helping her develop more resilience as she's always going to get negative feedback and have to meet deadlines and cope with perfectionism being a positive and a negative.

Wearegettingthere · 09/05/2026 06:48

Thank you

OP posts:
Wearegettingthere · 09/05/2026 06:50

I was thinking something like therapist, acupuncturist, ostheopath maybe; working for herself maybe; they are very empathetic people so careers that help them connect perhaps

OP posts:
decorationday · 09/05/2026 06:56

Working for yourself means constantly having to network and market yourself as well as dealing with regular rejection and conflicts around invoicing and debt management and people who don't turn up or cancel last minute.

Wearegettingthere · 09/05/2026 07:06

decorationday · 09/05/2026 06:56

Working for yourself means constantly having to network and market yourself as well as dealing with regular rejection and conflicts around invoicing and debt management and people who don't turn up or cancel last minute.

True, but they can manage their own time and schedule

OP posts:
decorationday · 09/05/2026 07:10

Wearegettingthere · 09/05/2026 07:06

True, but they can manage their own time and schedule

Subject to what their clients want and when their client base is available.

gamerchick · 09/05/2026 07:11

If she doesn't have a lot of resilience then a therapist probably isn't the way to go OP.

Is she struggling to pick a path? Shes probably tougher than you think.

Upsetbetty · 09/05/2026 07:12

To be honest I would let her persue what career she feels she would like and then I would get her into resilience training and or a life coach etc to help her work through her sensitivities at the same time.

BelzPark · 09/05/2026 07:32

Wearegettingthere · 09/05/2026 06:50

I was thinking something like therapist, acupuncturist, ostheopath maybe; working for herself maybe; they are very empathetic people so careers that help them connect perhaps

Is she actually empathetic though? Does she naturally reach out and care for others and seek to understand their issues - or is she just sensitive to herself?

Is there an undiagnosed ND or other surfacing MH issue that needs supporting?

What does her sensitivity entail day to day - is she social / anti social etc

CrazyGoatLady · 09/05/2026 07:39

Wearegettingthere · 09/05/2026 06:50

I was thinking something like therapist, acupuncturist, ostheopath maybe; working for herself maybe; they are very empathetic people so careers that help them connect perhaps

As someone who has line managed and supervised a lot of therapists in my time, for the love of God do not encourage her to go around saying she's "highly sensitive" or any type of flower child in any interviews or workplaces, either. That will not go down well, because in a work context, managers will read that as "thinks they're a bit special, won't want to do the bits of the job they don't like and will fall to bits if given any feedback that isn't positive". The therapists I've had to manage over the years who labelled themselves "highly sensitive" have also been a pain in the arse as colleagues and employees, I'm afraid.

Being empathetic is only a small part of what you need to be a good therapist, and if a long career in mental health has taught me anything it's that I really REALLY wish people understood it's a lot more than empathy and listening before going into training. You need to be quite a tough cookie to be a successful therapist and not burn out, if you are a sensitive soul.

There is no career in the world that will not have some elements of it that don't play to your strengths, you don't enjoy, or that are difficult. It's the bits you do enjoy and find fulfilment in that make those other less enjoyable or comfortable bits worth it. So, what does your child really enjoy, and does that enjoyment mean she will be quite willing to deal with the parts that are a bit mundane (as a therapist that might be session notes or diary management, for example) or emotionally challenging, again in the context of therapy that might be having difficult conversations with clients, chasing late payments, dealing with non-attendance and dropouts or bad reviews online/feedback to your employer, having to report a safeguarding issue when a client doesn't want you to, etc.

brightnails · 09/05/2026 08:20

decorationday · 09/05/2026 06:56

Working for yourself means constantly having to network and market yourself as well as dealing with regular rejection and conflicts around invoicing and debt management and people who don't turn up or cancel last minute.

our physio at work had everyone coming to her and asking for her number or advised by their insurance. she benefited from renting a room with us to we’d chase FTAs. she had barely any online presence but is successful. she’s the least networking person ever and she’s only early 40s. You’re being simplistic

OfstedInfection · 09/05/2026 08:47

What does she want to do? Theatre is quite different to therapy unless she wants to specialise in drama therapy.

endash · 09/05/2026 09:47

most creative careers involve an element of pretty robust feedback, whether that’s in the form of direction, editing, sales work, interviews or reviews. And working with people in need of some form or repair, emotional or physical, can be extremely draining; you need tough boundaries to protect yourself, hence therapists requiring supervision by another therapist. I’d be suggesting areas of the arts, if that’s what she loves, where she doesn’t actually have to expose her sensitivity as part of the role too much - management or production or commissioning.

ShetlandishMum · 09/05/2026 09:53

Wearegettingthere · 09/05/2026 06:37

DD is an orchid child; highly sensitive and creative. What careers would be good for her? She likes acting, fashion. She wouldlike to be an actress but that is a very competitive career. She is in performing arts sixth form at the moment studying theatre.

Who says she is these things? Sorry but teach her resilience. Any education, training or work you need to be more than creative and sensitive.

BelzPark · 09/05/2026 10:26

Wearegettingthere · 09/05/2026 06:37

DD is an orchid child; highly sensitive and creative. What careers would be good for her? She likes acting, fashion. She wouldlike to be an actress but that is a very competitive career. She is in performing arts sixth form at the moment studying theatre.

I imagine being at a performing arts 6th form would come with its own stresses already. Is this when the sensitivity developed or escalated - maybe she’s in the wrong environment? I imagine there is lots of judgment, egos, hierarchy of talent to deal with - which would be stressful for anyone or is that just my lazy stereotype?

If she has consciously made an intentional and deliberate move to a performing arts 6th form and wants to be an actress - who / where / how has decided this isn’t a viable route and looking a caring profession instead is the way forward. Are these your, possibly well intentioned protective ideas - or are they from your DD?

CurdinHenry · 09/05/2026 10:27

Strongly recommend a sensible office job in a sector with strong employment protections. Keep the other stuff for hobbies.

Littlecrake · 09/05/2026 10:37

Does she need to earn a living or not? It not - why not pursue the acting? Is so ”Strongly recommend a sensible office job in a sector with strong employment protections. Keep the other stuff for hobbies.” is good advice. Having a regular paycheque and good (public sector) pension is a huge regulator of mood and there is no reason why she can’t do aromatherapy/yoga retreats/hopi candles and even acting on the side. People who lack resilience and are prone to stress are not suited to self employment or therapy.

MimiGC · 09/05/2026 10:43

Never heard of an orchid child. Please tell me that’s your label for her and that she’s never heard it.
If she is very sensitive, acting might not be for her. My daughter is currently applying to drama schools and the acceptance rate is very low, much lower than for Oxbridge. Rejection is absolutely par for the course and they must be able to cope with it.

GeorgeMichaelsCat · 09/05/2026 10:56

If she is highly sensitive than acting is not for her. The auditioning process can be brutal with lots of rejection.

FourSevenThree · 09/05/2026 10:56

I know several women who match the description who do well as software testers/QA. When I say well, of course individual resilience and communication makes a difference, some are doing great and some would struggle everywhere, but here they struggle and survive.

I'm not sure it's is a career for future, but looking at the key components of the job might be useful.

Firstly, IT is relatively used to high functioning ND people. QA is about system, details, thinking about possible scenarios. Your job is to discover what doesn't work - without too much pressure of being responsible for making things to work.

Any kind of art is brutal - being creative and great performer isn't enough, there is a lot of competition, self promotion, networking needed to get opportunities. Yes, you can be lucky at some audition, bht it's hard to get to a kind of "employee " position.

And, being an employee under a good management with all employee rights and protections makemakes life easier.

Owly11 · 09/05/2026 10:56

Dear god, the first way you can help her is to stop labelling her. Describe her qualities and characteristics by all means but labelling her in this way immediately paints a picture of a self absorbed, superior person always requiring other people to tip toe round her and carry the weight of any shit that ever goes down. If she and you are truly determined to use such labels and insist that this is how it is and always will be then she needs to be self employed because she's not a team player.

BleedinglyObvious · 09/05/2026 11:00

Has she considered being a princess?

WTF is an orchid child? Is it something to do with orchidectomy?

DeskGnome · 09/05/2026 11:04

According to Google an 'Orchid child' contrasts with "dandelion children," who are resilient and bloom anywhere.

😳🤔🤦‍♀️

Given her young age and how she's still developing, I really don't think attaching silly labels is a good idea.

I do hope you haven't called her this to her face OP?

BauhausOfEliott · 09/05/2026 11:05

What would be good for her is for you to stop banging on about her being so sensitive and special and calling her an ‘orchid child’ and trying to map out a career for her based on you thinking she’s some sort of rare phenomenon.

She’s not an orchid that needs tending and hothousing. She’s an ordinary, creative teenager who, whatever career she chooses, will need to be resilient and realistic and pragmatic as well as empathetic and creative. And she needs to find her way herself. She’s in sixth form; she’s not even really a child in any meaningful sense, let alone an orchid, and labelling her as ‘highly sensitive’ and talking as if being empathetic makes her unique isn’t doing her any favours at all when it comes to her employability or strength.

ThatJadeLion · 09/05/2026 11:06

Become self employed doing something creative. It's easier than it sounds.