Chronically-ill introvert job ideas?

March 11, 2018 2:57 PM

Super snowflake conditions inside.

Another post looking for work advice / ideas that can fit around a finicky chronic illness (and an introverted personality).

I was working in animation full-time - an industry that seems to suit me best - but recently lost my job due to the illness. The studio tried to be flexible but were generally disapproving and nagging (in a "when will you get better" way) rather than supportive, and I ended up having to leave with my self-esteem in tatters.

I want to get back into the industry eventually, but right now I need to find something less emotionally-charged (and more part-time). I am stuck for ideas.


The illness limits me as to:

- Physical labour... I have chronic pain and fatigue, so no heavy lifting jobs, etc. I could handle being on my feet for the day, maaybe..? but bending and squatting and moving all about would be too much

- Sharp / hot things, because my response time and hand-eye coordination are often outta whack (learnt the hard way by working in a deli, which left scars both physical and mental)

- Flexibility.. I can really only hack part-time right now

- Something in as quiet an environment as possible


Personally, I really need:

- As little human interaction as possible; I am a *huuuuge* introvert.. I've done years of on-off customer service, which was never my forte, but when combined with the current fatigue it absolutely kills me dead

- Something that doesn't require driving, 'cos I dunno how

- Something entry-level, or that I can get into with minimal training... I'd be happy to do a short course or volunteer for a few months, but have no money for formal study

- I don't want to freelance; I've done that, and I'm done with the stress of not knowing when the next job'll come


I have experience in wildlife care, and in graphic and web design (the latter is rarely part-time unless you freelance). I like words but am very underconfident in my ability to write. Things like library assistant, animal care assistant are obvious choices but are so popular the chances of getting one are slim. Crafty things are excellent, and I don't mind repetitive tasks as long as I'm left to myself.

Any other ideas for things I could get into *as an entry-level*? If it's a field you have personal knowledge of, I would love to hear how you / someone you know got into it.

posted by youhavedeadedme to Work & Money (14 answers total)

Internet researcher? Editor? Proofreader? Not sure how to get into them without freelancing first, sorry.
posted by tilde at 3:48 PM on March 11, 2018

Best answer: I have a side job through a company called Enago, doing editing work for grad school essays. It’s not a ton of money but it’s also very low stress, and the flexibility of it means it combines well with other jobs.
posted by gloriouslyincandescent at 3:59 PM on March 11, 2018 [11 favorites]

Medical transcription.
posted by tzikeh at 4:47 PM on March 11, 2018 [1 favorite]

Night security guard.
posted by Snarl Furillo at 5:06 PM on March 11, 2018

Response by poster: gloriouslyincandescent How did you get into that job? Had you had any experience beforehand?
posted by youhavedeadedme at 5:59 PM on March 11, 2018

Virtual assistant?
posted by Jubey at 7:55 PM on March 11, 2018

Best answer: If you are a good listener and fast typer, transcription is often outsourced. People type up transcripts from research interviews from universities, meetings, etc. 1 hour of audio takes around 3 hours to transcribe, and you can set your own hours and work from home. If you get into this, an inexpensive foot pedal to start and stop the recording is really useful. Some people freelance, some work for other companies.
posted by haunted_pomegranate at 8:13 PM on March 11, 2018 [3 favorites]

If you can swing the education and accreditation - accounting. Like, consider working towards a Certified foo Accountant in a field that's interesting to you.

Lots and lots of different types, different types of clients. Tax accounting for companies could be entirely virtual.

If you're interested, that's entirely another potentially huge askme.

Potentially great money, but competent accountants make good money and choose how much they work, mostly on their own schedules. There are busy seasons though where you're going to have to be able to power through downswells.

Takes a certain (meticulous) personaility, though.
posted by porpoise at 9:08 PM on March 11, 2018

Library assistant would not be a good choice anyway, far too much interaction with people. However libraries do have websites and need web designers. They often tend to be more flexible around part time work, too, as a female-dominated industry in which people keep taking time off to have babies. Or maybe that's just my library. Anyway, you wouldn't need a library qualification to do web design.
posted by Athanassiel at 11:27 PM on March 11, 2018

Library assistant is also often very hard physical work, standing up for hours, shifts and inflexibility. Transcription can be fatiguing and isn't brilliantly paid if you work for agencies but that is possible. If you decide to do that, try to get a course done in medical or legal, as you can command much higher pay in those areas. Memail me if you want more info on transcription stuff, I can send a few resources your way (I am freelance which I know you don't want, but there are jobs working for agencies where you can set your terms of work in terms of hours per day etc). Last point: it's not always 3 hours per hour of tape e.g. if it's a panel discussion or brainstorming / marketing around a table - so sometimes more.
posted by LyzzyBee at 1:07 AM on March 12, 2018 [2 favorites]

Some of these are freelance, some are direct sales, but some are actual "real job" jobs.

Make sure you're taking care of you during this transition. I work from home, and if I'm not careful, I'll find myself working 15+ hours a day, 7 days a week. Then I get into trouble like the mess I'm currently in where I have about || this much use of my right arm, and some big time peripheral neuropathy going on in my hands. So this is the closest I've come to working in several days. (And I'm likely taking at least one more day off.)

Also, sent you MeMail.
posted by The Almighty Mommy Goddess at 1:18 AM on March 12, 2018 [1 favorite]

If you can swing the education and accreditation - accounting. Like, consider working towards a Certified foo Accountant in a field that's interesting to you.

Lots and lots of different types, different types of clients. Tax accounting for companies could be entirely virtual.

I want to second this. My Sister in Law has a degree in accounting but is not a CPA. She works 100% from home doing some type of administration of employee retirement and benefit accounts, and only interacts with her co workers via IM and the VERY occasional phone call. No client facing work at all. Makes really good money, too. I'm given to understand this is the norm in her industry.
posted by anastasiav at 10:05 AM on March 12, 2018 [2 favorites]

Also, you can search Indeed specifically for entry level jobs that are remote or work from home. Lots of junk in there, but quite a few actual real jobs, too.
posted by anastasiav at 10:09 AM on March 12, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Could you get into Prepress? A lot of graphic designers have no idea how to prepare their designs for print, so the prepress person has to take whatever it is they send in a try to make it look how the designer intended it to look, as well as make it ready for printing, of course. Tracking down fonts, adding bleeds, fixing margins, etc.

Hopefully not as stressful as design and perhaps more likely to be part time.
posted by ZeroDivides at 2:31 PM on March 14, 2018