I’ve answered my fair share of online quizzes that determine if I’m an introvert or an extrovert (I have my daughter to thank for these quizzes - she just loves ‘em and thinks their results are gospel truths). I always do it for the heck of it, so I don’t really take too much stock on the results - which are usually inconclusive or far from my personality, at any rate. I believe I am what could be referred to as an “in-between-overt”, meaning there are days when I’m a real people person and other days when I don’t want to have anything to do with them.
Maybe this is why working online from home really suits me. On those days I feel like being solitary, I can focus on the tasks at hand without any interruption. When I want to be surrounded by people, I can go do my stuff in a coffee shop or co-working space.
However, if you do fall under the introvert spectrum where you prefer to work alone and not be concerned about being a team player, consider these five jobs you can do online - right there in the comfort of your own home.
1) Be a content writer
A lot of the friends I know who do content writing for a living are admittedly introverted. They are my friends because I know when to leave them alone (AKA most of the time, because they’re immersed in writing). The awesome thing is, most of them have a steady stream of income from content creation even though they’re freelancers.
The best way to go about this is to get a retainer from clients who need regular content for their websites or social media platforms. I asked some of my content writer pals, and they recommended Freelance Writing Gigs to me as a good source of flexible job postings. The site offers a variety of telecommuting jobs that require no face-to-face interactions: from online content to editing, through to blogging and publishing!
2) Start a blog
I honestly think it’s my son that’s exhibiting introvert tendencies. After school, he likes hanging out at his room, browsing through toy blogs and taking notes so he can start his own toy blog (in stark contrast with my decidedly extroverted teenage daughter, who spends most of her free time outdoors with friends).
Anyway, I think my son would make a good blogger, given that he knows where his passions lie, he can write well, and he is familiar with the trends of today’s toy industry (he regularly attends toy conventions and events).
So if you’re anything like my son, why not start a blog about something you’re an expert at, or would like to talk more about? Get a WordPress account today along with a domain that reflects what your blog is all about (something simple and memorable, with good recall). And if you want to monetize your blog, think about affiliate marketing!
3) Sell stuff online
We’ve been doing this for some time now because of our ongoing decluttering project. My wife and I started an eBay store to sell gently-used and even brand new stuff that has been filling up our house, and...so far, so good. We don’t need to hard-sell our items and do sales talk in our front yard or garage. People browse through our items online, bid, and if they win, they send us the payment and we ship the item to them with no personal interactions involved!
4) Do paid survey and GPT site tasks
I think most of us in this forum can relate to this particular job. Not that I’m saying everyone here is an introvert, but if there’s any online task from home that fits an introverted person’s personality, schedule, and circumstances, it would be doing GPT and paid survey tasks. I personally think it’s a great passive source of income, and it doesn’t take up too much of my time the way a full-time work-from-home gig does.
I know there are existing forums here on the best-paid surveys and routers, which is always a great resource to see if certain GPTs are legit or scams. I would take my cue from the reviews and feedback about these sites because they’re from people who have been there and done that, and then select the ones that I think are the best fit for me.
5) Try voice-over acting
I once did a voice-over gig for a nephew’s college podcast. It was a narration of one of his sci-fi stories, and it was a fun gig (albeit a defunct one, since he gave it up after graduation) because I had to be the voice of an extraterrestrial being. Of course, I didn’t charge him for it (well, except for a couple round of beers).
But if you have the voice to do narration, either for podcasts, film, television or even for audiobooks, go for it! You will work with some people, but only minimally, and chances are you will be doing the VOs in the comfort and quiet of your own home, anyway. So if you feel that you and your voice are ready for voice-over acting, hop on over to VoiceBunny and see if there’s a job opening for you.
The verdict
Though the jobs I listed might not require interacting with as many people as, say, an office job, they do require a certain degree of experience, commitment, and skill. Since these are traits that are important to any kind of job, anyway, I would like to think that they are doable, with the added bonus of not having to schmooze unnecessarily with other people.
Your turn
Are you an introvert who likes working from home? If you have any other jobs to suggest for fellow introverts, let’s hear all about ‘em below!
