Lawyers, Introverts, and Whether Doctors, Pilots, Attorneys, or Shampooers are top-paying careers.

Introverts + Law Careers = A Good Fit

The ABA Journal noted a recent Washington Post article that ranks “lawyer” as as the #6 best career for introverts. (Which I find especially interesting because I usually think of the ideal lawyer as being a perpetual rainmaker, uber-extrovert. Funny how what we think we see and what actually is can be so different.)

Lawyer came in 6th to four computer information jobs, and accountant/auditor, as Best Jobs for Introverts Overall (“jobs with the highest ratings for earnings, projected growth and number of openings”).

Me, the Secret Introvert

I describe myself as an introvert, though my social acquaintaces are usually surprised when I say that–apparently, I’m seen as outgoing and extroverted, even though I think of myself as definitively introverted.

Perhaps people I encounter in my career see me as outgoing and extroverted because I love being a lawyer, and I feel so very lit up inside and happy when I’m in that role. I may be a “partial introvert–a person who needs time alone to recharge and think,” as described in the Post article A Lot of Ways to Win Your Game of Solitaire.

Other jobs for my fellow introverts

If you’re an introverted sort but don’t see yourself as the next Helen Gamble or Bobby Donnell, or Alan Shore or Denny Crane!, check out the 200 Best Jobs for Introverts by Laurence Shatkin, and see if one of the 199 other options seems more suitable.

Lawyers: Making more than busboys, less than pilots

Lawyer ranks as the #2 best-paying job for introverts, right behind astronomer, with the mean lawyer salary $118,280. Lawyers come in at 17th in pay for jobs overall, according to a Forbes article. (If you’re a more visually oriented sort, you can see the Best Paying Jobs in Pictures instead.)

If you’re an attorney looking to maximize your earning potential, Forbes states that of the 547,710 presently-employed attorneys (!!), the ones raking in the most dough are: in the “Wholesale Electronic Market and Agents and Brokers” industry, in the District of Columbia, or in Pittsifeld, Mass:
Most medical specialty professions, CEOs, and airline pilots see fatter paychecks than attorneys.

However, as David Sizemore points out, the list can be deceptive because “lawyers” are all grouped together without differentiating specialty, but doctors and dentists are ranked individually according to niche area or specialty. If grouped similarly, this individual estimates that lawyers would wind up being approximately the #6 top-paid profession rather than the #17.