Best Careers for HSPs?

Let me just say, I feel your pain around this question…

How on earth do sensitives navigate the rough and tumble of careers? We know there are a wide range of sensitivities, so not all of these may apply to you, but do you find it is…?

• hard to be in a noisy environment?

• “fast pace” is rattling?

• hard to think fast enough to respond quickly in team meetings?

• impossible not to well up or even cry, especially when you really don’t want to?

• not unusual to feel totally overwhelmed (emotional flooding)?

• challenging to find enough space to think about things more deeply?

In general, there are several key things that seem to be important for HSPs.

Their work “eco-system” is one. HSPs often do better in situations where they have flexibility to:

1. have quiet time to think

2. not be people facing all the time

3. work in a relatively easy/quiet space or environment (not loud, chaotic)

4. regulate work pace - not fast action where things regularly happen out of the blue

How do these ideas resonate with you? What’s your experience with your current role? If you’re not offered these things, may I ask, what MIGHT you be able to do to change that, even in a small way? For example, how are you at boundary setting? Or focusing on what you can control?

If you’re in a role, perhaps you could try this: Spend a week in love with the job you already have, and see what happens? Marcus Buckingham’s work on “Love + Work” found that 73% of the American workforce believes they have the opportunity to modify their job to fit their strengths better, but only 18% play to their strengths every day. Are you keen to try leaning into this challenge to see if you have opportunities to modify your role to not only fit your strengths better, but also to fit your HSP needs?

Or perhaps you have tried a lot of ideas already, and you are worn out. Sometimes, honestly, it’s OK to leave. Not just OK, but a strong decision. I want you to find yourself, your strengths, your gifts and bring those to the world. The world wants that too. So if you’re exploring, here are a few ideas that may generate some sparks for you:

The 7 best career ideas for Highly Sensitive Persons

The 9 best careers for Highly Sensitive Persons

Caution: Please don’t take the ideas in the blogs above as definite answers. They are not! In my 20 ish years of careers and copaching experience, I have worked with many HSPs in all levels and across a wide range of sectors including many that are not typical for HSPs. For example - business owners, entrepreurs (quite a few entrepreneuers actually), creatives, marketers, lawyers, mothers/caregivers (yes, I think these are an incredibly important careers), coaches, operations, and senior leaders and executives for whom it has been a very interesting journey - and continues to be so.

Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash (thank you)