Try to find one that doesn't involve talking with all those people. My first job was inventories, I probably needed to say 5 words most days (and probably all five were "yes" or "okay").

 

Yes, I agree to find one that doesn't involve much interaction with people - you'll have more peace. When I was 19 and started having jobs, I went through the same feelings as you.

And so, I ended up getting jobs anyway with social interaction (cashier was one of my first job), and it was awful and even worse than I had imagined. All my SA fears came real. laughs

And so, later I got more jobs involving social interaction with people (project manager in an office setting, etc.), and again, same awful experience because of lack of peace and fulfillment due to dealing with so many people, including very mean aggressive people. I underestimated how many truly nasty negative bully people there are in this world, and in the professional world especially. 😅

So, now at age 26, I've realized that - despite my best efforts to overcome SA and despite therapy and trying to work with people - I realized that just don't like jobs that involve a lot of social interaction, because I dislike dealing with competitive aggressive nasty people (of which there are many, and they can somehow sniff out anxious folk and target them).

Such work environments have been raising my anxiety on a daily basis for years, resulting in major dissatisfaction and lack of peace, which then affects my job performance also. I've realized now that it's best for me to accept my socially anxious nature and to get a job where I am working alone or with a group of extremely kind people.

For this reason, I recently quit my office job to pursue PhD studies. Ideally to work as a researcher and possibly professor.

Maybe your experience will be different than mine - depending on how your SA uniquely functions for you and the unique aspects of your personality. My main advice (from this 26 year old perspective now is-): KNOW YOURSELF, ACCEPT YOURSELF, ACCEPT AND EMBRACE YOUR ANXIETY, DON'T TRY TO FORCE ANYTHING.
YOUR ANXIETY IS OFTEN NOT WRONG BECAUSE OFTEN PEOPLE SUCK AND IT IS A CRUEL WORLD SOMETIMES.

Take what you want from this, and I wish you all of the best luck in the world.

 

Yes, I agree to find one that doesn't involve much interaction with people - you'll have more peace. When I was 19 and started having jobs, I went through the same feelings as you.

And so, I ended up getting jobs anyway with social interaction (cashier was one of my first job), and it was awful and even worse than I had imagined. All my SA fears came real. laughs

And so, later I got more jobs involving social interaction with people (project manager in an office setting, etc.), and again, same awful experience because of lack of peace and fulfillment due to dealing with so many people, including very mean aggressive people. I underestimated how many truly nasty negative bully people there are in this world, and in the professional world especially. 😅

So, now at age 26, I've realized that - despite my best efforts to overcome SA and despite therapy and trying to work with people - I realized that just don't like jobs that involve a lot of social interaction, because I dislike dealing with competitive aggressive nasty people (of which there are many, and they can somehow sniff out anxious folk and target them).

Such work environments have been raising my anxiety on a daily basis for years, resulting in major dissatisfaction and lack of peace, which then affects my job performance also. I've realized now that it's best for me to accept my socially anxious nature and to get a job where I am working alone or with a group of extremely kind people.

For this reason, I recently quit my office job to pursue PhD studies. Ideally to work as a researcher and possibly professor.

Maybe your experience will be different than mine - depending on how your SA uniquely functions for you and the unique aspects of your personality. My main advice (from this 26 year old perspective now is-): KNOW YOURSELF, ACCEPT YOURSELF, ACCEPT AND EMBRACE YOUR ANXIETY, DON'T TRY TO FORCE ANYTHING.
YOUR ANXIETY IS OFTEN NOT WRONG BECAUSE OFTEN PEOPLE SUCK AND IT IS A CRUEL WORLD SOMETIMES.

Take what you want from this, and I wish you all of the best luck in the world.

Yeah. I did not get my first job until I was 19. I took jobs later on that were people oriented like working as a stockbroker and in sales which for me was stupid. I just tormented myself. I should stuck to crunching numbers like accounting.

 

Applying to jobs, interviewing, and showing up the first day are the most nerve-wracking things about a job. After that, it gets easier.

 

New jobs are stressful, even for non-SA people.
My experience is that exposure mitigates the anxiety. With every new job I start I feel a bit less anxious. And I know that whatever job it is that I'm starting, it won't matter in a few years. Same goes for interviews. They are unpleasant but I just have to get through them, there's no way around them.

 

I understand your fears perfectly, I turned out to be a coward and didn't do anything about it. Before you know it you'll end up like me, being 40 and forever unemployed because of a ridiculous fear. If I could turn back time I would go for it.