9 Jobs for People Who Hate Small Talk

Although commonly grouped in with librarians (who, believe it or not, engage in a lot of small talk), archivists actually spend a good chunk of their time working alone.

They are busy appraising important records, collections, and documents that have been deemed worth preserving. A good amount of this can be done independently.

Financial analysts deal mostly in data, numbers, stocks, and bonds. They study trends and advise businesses and individuals on investments, but they often only have to interact with their clients during period checkups. 

Many people in other financial fields — like accountants and actuaries — often deal with numbers more than they do with people. 

Graphic designers, like artists, spend a good portion of their time thinking creatively and coming up with ideas independently. There are certainly positions in this field that may require more teamwork and therefore more small talk, but there are plenty of graphic design jobs that don't require that much interaction with people daily — especially once an idea or project has been brainstormed and decided on. All that's left then is to implement it. 

One of the main concepts of street photography is the idea that photos should be as authentic and candid as possible. This means that the photographer must be subtle and avoid interaction with the subject while they are capturing the moment. Lucky for you — this means no small talk required!

A similar thing goes for wildlife photography — the photographer has to be quiet and very, very patient in order to get their photo. And, well, animals can't talk . . . so that helps, too. 

Medical lab technicians work behind the scenes rather than on the front lines, like many others in the medicine world. They analyze a wide range of data and apply that knowledge in an effort to contribute to the medicine and science worlds. 

Technician jobs span across many fields, but because lab techs spend the majority of their time researching in an actual lab, they avoid an environment with a lot of idle chatter. 

Writing is a very broad profession, but if you freelance write or blog, it's very easy to work from home instead of an office. Working from home means less interaction with people face-to-face — instead, most communication with editors or agents can occur over email or phone.

If you are attempting to publish a book, you usually have even more freedom to work independently because your deadlines are oftentimes further apart.

There is a whole wide world of jobs under the umbrella of IT, but since all of them are extremely computer-oriented, it means that there is significant potential for positions that allow telecommuting. 

While not all IT jobs are the same, since there's a wide array of them, it means there's a good chance you could find one that requires less interaction and small talk with people. 

Being an artist may not always be the most lucrative of jobs, but it's definitely one that allows (and even sometimes requires) more alone time than most jobs. 

Artists have more flexibility in terms of where they work and what they are working on. Since they often work in a studio or at home, they see people less often — if that's what they choose. 

While most people in these positions interact with co-workers, a large portion of an editing job involves being in a studio, wearing headphones, and watching or listening to bits of film and audio. 

The longer the piece of work, the more time for listening and the less time for small talk.