Some people can manage a disgruntled customer or picky client with ease. Some people would rather spontaneously combust than have to calmly resolve other people's problems all day. And that's okay: jobs exist for both subsets.
Maybe you're more introverted, prefer heads-down work, or simply don't want to interact with members of the public for 8-10 hours a day.
If you're ready to transition out of customer service, first take a look at Customer Service Wolf's beautiful comics and feel very much seen. Then check out this list of non-customer-service jobs. None of them are entry-level grunt jobs that keep you away from people without offering much career growth—all provide opportunities to learn and advance while doing work you enjoy. Just without the people.
(Okay, I'll be honest, some of them involve some people, like teammates and bosses, but I promise that these will keep you off the front lines of customer service and engagement!)
Numbers, anyone?: Math-based non-customer-service jobs
1. Actuary
Who it's good for: Finance pros who enjoy figuring out the monetary cost of various risks (and either have passed actuary exams or are excited to study for them).
Why it doesn't involve customer service: Risk management may sound like all-hands-on-deck work, but much of actuarial work happens in closed-door insurance offices and requires individual analysis.
Average annual salary:$102,880
Check out:Life Actuary Consultant at Deloitte or Underwriting Analyst at Attune Insurance
2. Statistician
Who it's good for: Number-crunchers who like analyzing data to solve problems.
Why it doesn't involve customer service: Many statistician jobs are in research facilities (both in the federal government and in private labs). You may collaborate with other professionals, like mathematicians or engineers, but much of your work will be self-directed.
Average annual salary:$88,190
Check out:Consulting Statistician Manager at Deloitte or Director of Data Science at BuzzFeed
3. Accountant
Who it's good for: People who always turn their taxes in on time and have a good eye for reviewing records.
Why it doesn't involve customer service: Your day-to-day work will be spent with records and reports, not on the front lines with clients. If you work in-house for a big firm, you'll probably even be insulated from most presentations and meetings.
Average annual salary: $70,500
Check out:Senior Accountant at MINDBODY, Inc or Senior Accountant II at Expedia Group
Hello, communicators: Word-based non-customer-service jobs
4. Transcriptionist
Who it's good for: Fast typists with solid listening skills and at least a basic understanding of specialized terminology (like legal or medical terms).
Why it doesn't involve customer service: The only people you'll interact with are the voices on the recordings (whether of journalists, doctors, or lawyers), which you'll have full agency to pause, rewind, and shut off. This job can often be done from home.
Average annual salary:$34,770
5. Writer
Who it's good for: Word-wranglers with communication chops.
Why it doesn't involve customer service: As a writer, you'll be responsible for getting words down on a page that make sense and tell a story. Nothing more, nothing less. (Unless you venture into journalism and need to do interviews, but even in that case, those are your peers and/or your sources, not customers.)
Average annual salary:$62,170 if you're a writer or author, and $71,850 if you're a technical writer
Check out:UX Writer at Google or Support Technical Writer at Smartsheet Inc.
6. Paralegal
Who it's good for: Detail-oriented researchers and assistants with an interest in the law.
Why it doesn't involve customer service: Your job responsibilities may include everything from maintaining or organizing files, drafting and proofreading documents, to conducing legal research, but all of that will be done from the comforts of a desk.
Average annual salary:$50,940
Check out:Paralegal at The Walt Disney Company or IP Paralegal at Dow Jones & Company
Definitely does compute: Programming-based non-customer-service jobs
7. Software developer/engineer
Who it's good for: Programming pros who enjoy figuring out how applications will come together.
Why it doesn't involve customer service: Perhaps the classic introvert job, developers interact with each other and with their computers, but are usually sheltered from customers by layers of product managers, project managers, and UX designers.
Average annual salary:$105,590
Check out:Software Development Engineer I at Audible or Senior Software Engineer at Greenhouse Software
8. Web developers
Who it's good for: Designers and coders with an eye for quality websites.
Why it doesn't involve customer service: Web developers work on all parts of a website's construction, including back-end and front-end aspects. You may have to interface with clients, but often through a PM.
Average annual salary:$69,430
Check out:Senior Front End Web Developer at Waters Corporation or Lead Web Developer at American Express
Grab bag: Other non-customer-service jobs
9. Film or video editor
Who it's good for: Movie / tv / video buffs who enjoy organizing and shaping digital footage to tell stories.
Why it doesn't involve customer service: You, ten screens in an edit bay, and a pretty impressive keyboard: that's what film editing entails. You'll work from a studio or office with little customer or client interaction.
Average annual salary:$58,990
Check out: Video Editor at BuzzFeed or Video Editor at S&P Global
10. Biology or zoology technician
Who it's good for: Science nerds who enjoy spending days in the lab or the field, running experiments and analyzing results.
Why it doesn't involve customer service: Even if you're not a bio tech who works in the field, lab work is relatively solo, focused activity with nary a customer in sight. If you take a job in zoology, your clients will be animals, and their annoying quirks definitely don't count against them.
Average annual salary: $44,500
Check out: Zoo Veterinary Technician at The Walt Disney Company
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Good luck!
Wishing you all the best as you navigate the landscape of jobs that require minimal customer or client interaction. Once you find one and land an interview, keep these tips in mind:
[Know How To Answer These Sample Situational Interview Questions?]
[What Is a Good Salary for Your Experience and Location?]
[Idealist's helpful guide: An Introvert's Guide to Interviewing as Your Authentic Self]
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