A new report reveals the top career paths where quiet workers can earn big, thrive independently, and avoid constant social interaction

• ResumeGenius analyzed data to identify high-paying, fast-growing careers best suited for introverted workers.

• Each job pays at least $75,000 annually and offers strong long-term growth and autonomy.

• Tech, data, and specialized trade roles dominate the top 10 list for 2026.

If traditional networking, constant meetings, and high-pressure group projects make you want to run in the opposite direction, youre not aloneespecially if you identify as an introvert. And while introverts often bring strong analytical skills, focus, and creativity to the table, the job search can feel stacked against them.

A new ResumeGenius report aims to change that. The High-Paying Jobs for Introverts Report highlights 10 well-compensated career paths where quieter workers can truly excel.

The analysis leans on recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and O*NET Online data to pinpoint roles that dont require heavy social interaction but still offer growth, flexibility, and strong earning potential.

Our list of best-paying jobs for introverts reveals 10 jobs in technical and specialist fields where introverts can let their skills speak for themselves. These roles favor focused problem solving and de-emphasize social interactions, so they're great for workers who rarely find themselves speaking up in meetings or leading projects, Nathan Soto, Career Expert at Resume Genius, said in a news release.

In these 'skills-first' environments, respect is earned through tangible output, and introverts have a long-term competitive advantage."

Methodology

To build the list, ResumeGenius focused on four criteria: autonomy, low social interaction, salary, and job opportunity.

Only roles with:

• A minimum median salary of $75,000, and

• At least 3% projected job growth over the next decade
  

were eligible. Researchers then evaluated how well each occupation aligned with introverted work preferences, giving priority to jobs that support independent work, deep focus, and fewer day-to-day interactions. The remaining roles were ranked by median annual wage, resulting in 10 standout careers for introverts heading into 2026.

The Top 10 Highest-Paying Jobs for Introverts

1. Software Developer $131,450 median salary; 15% growth
   

2. Actuary $125,770 median salary; 22% growth
   

3. Data Scientist $112,590 median salary; 34% growth
   

4. Elevator & Escalator Installer/Repairer $106,580 median salary; 5% growth
   

5. Financial Analyst $101,910 median salary; 6% growth
   

6. UX Designer $95,380 median salary; 7% growth
   

7. Electrical Power-Line Installer/Repairer $92,560 median salary; 7% growth
   

8. Operations Research Analyst $91,290 median salary; 21% growth
   

9. Logistician (listed as operations research analyst in source, but logistician aligns with the data provided) $79,450 median salary; 3% growth
   

10. Market Research Analyst $76,950 median salary; 7% growth
    

From technical roles to specialized trades, the findings make one thing clear: introverts have more high-earning, low-interaction options than everand many of them are growing fast.

An expert breaks down how to avoid fake deals, overspending, and holiday shopping regret

• Experts say many Black Friday mistakes happen before you start shopping from skipping research to ignoring helpful AI tools.

• Not every sale is real: Watch for price hikes disguised as discounts and for sketchy sellers offering deals that seem too good to be true.

• Some items just arent worth buying this weekend, including seasonal apparel, off-brand TVs, and the newest iPhone.

Black Friday week is officially here and while the excitement is real, so is the skepticism.

Shoppers know that not every doorbuster is actually a deal, and with prices still elevated across plenty of categories, its harder than ever to tell whats truly worth buying. Thats why going into the season with a strategy matters.

To help sort the real bargains from the fake-outs, ConsumerAffairs interviewed Bobby Ghoshal, CEO of Dupe.com, a platform that uses AI to help shoppers find lower-priced alternatives to todays most sought-after products.

Ghoshal says many of the most common shopping mistakes happen before we even add items to our carts from buying at the wrong time to falling for misleading sale tags. Heres what consumers need to know to stay on budget, spot smart buys, and avoid the most expensive Black Friday pitfalls.

Top three mistakes

While some sales have already kicked off, theres still time to prepare and mistakes to avoid. Ghoshal shared his top three mistakes consumers can make this Black Friday:

• Going in blind. Some consumers still are not doing the research they need to in order to make smart purchasing decisions. They see what they want promoted by their favorite influencer, identify a 40% off sale at a trusted retailer, and assume thats the best they can do. In order to have a successful shopping season, we must do our research and go in with a plan. Yes, it seems like a lot of work but there are tools to help.

• Not using AI shopping tools. If you want to secure everything on your list for the best prices, AI is the way to go.

• Playing loosey goosey with your budget. Make your budget ahead of time and stick with it. Its so easy to get seduced by sitewide sales boasting 50% off. However, if its not in your budget, its not a good buy. Separately, if you budget $50 for a person on your list and end up saving $10, do not apply that to a separate item on your list. Thats a slippery slope that can leave you spending more overall.

How to spot a fake sale

Though everything you see online may look like a great deal, not every sale is what meets the eye. AI makes shopping easier, but it also makes easier, and its imperative for consumers to know how to spot a fake sale versus a real one.

Ghoshal says a fake sale can be defined in two ways:

• A trusted brand that increases the price of popular items to make their sitewide sale look a little more appealing. The first can be a little tough to identify if you havent been paying attention to price histories of the items on your shopping list. When its a brand that we know and trust, we assume a 40-50% sitewide sale is a good enough deal. Do your homework beforehand AND price compare using trusted apps and shopping sites.

• Sketchy sellers that are trying to pull one over on the consumer. If youre unfamiliar with the seller and the price seems too good to be true, trust your instincts. Look into their review history. If they dont have many reviews and the ones they do have are less than stellar, you know youre getting scammed. If they have just a handful of reviews that are overall positive, but worded pretty similarly, thats also a red flag.

Items to skip this Black Friday

As youre looking at your gift lists, there are some things you may want to skip during Black Friday. Ghoshal recommended a few items not to race for this weekend:

• Seasonal apparel. We will never see great deals on jackets and winter gear this early into the season. Retailers arent really incentivized to offer the deepest discounts on winter apparel this early in the season. If you want a deal on jackets, wait until spring when they will be clearing their inventory for florals.

• Off-brand TVs. It doesnt make sense to buy an off-brand TV during Black Friday when there are so many solid deals on reputable brands. Sure, you can find great deals on these sets, but they likely wont last through the season. If youre in the market for a TV, spend a few extra bucks on a name brand. Youre still going to get a fantastic deal and be happier in the long run.

• The newest iPhone. Apple never has great Black Friday deals, so if youre buying any Apple product, I suggest looking at Best Buy, Target, or Walmart. Either way, they just released this new iPhone. You may see some discounts in the form of gift card bundles with this iPhone, but youre still going to be paying a premium.

Looks like Apple, smells like trouble

• Scammers are using AI to clone big brands (Apple, Coach, Nintendo, etc.) with fake sites, emails, and ads during holiday deal season

• Email and website are surging, and nearly half of shoppers have seen fake celebrity or influencer endorsements

• Stay safe by going directly to official sites, double-checking unfamiliar retailers, using scam-protection tools, strong passwords/2FA, and trusting your gut if something feels off

As holiday shopping starts to ramps up, it brings scammers out of the woodwork looking to take advantage of deal seekers. New research from McAfee Labs shows just how aggressively cybercriminals are copying trusted brands online and how easy it is for rushed shoppers to mistake a fake website, ad, or email for the real thing.

From webpages touting fake Apple products to bogus Coach outlet sites, brand impersonation has become one of the biggest risks of the 2025 holiday season.

The brands scammers copy the most

Here are the luxury brands most likely to be impersonated (in order):

• Coach
• Dior
• Ralph Lauren
• Rolex
• Gucci

And here are the consumer brands most likely to be impersonated (in order):

• Apple
• Nintendo
• Samsung
• Disney
• Steam

No surprise that the list includes brands selling handbags, sneakers, watches, hot tech, gaming consoles, streaming, and gift cards. All stuff that shoppers are always searching for in November and December.

Scammers know this, and so they lean hard into AI to create lookalike branded websites, holiday sale graphics, and limited-time deals designed to get you to enter payment info before you think too hard about it.

Coach stands out among luxury brands, with significantly more scam-related URLs than other high-end names.

On the consumer side, Apple leads the pack as shoppers are always on the hunt for deals on a new MacBook or iPhone.

Apple is followed closely by Nintendo, Samsung, Disney, and Steam, all of which are tied to popular devices, games, or digital services.

How big is the problem? The numbers behind the

McAfees latest findings paint a clear picture of how fast impersonation are growing as the holidays approach:

• Email are sharply higher these are up about 50% in retail and 85% in tech. The bread-and-butter email you should watch out for include fake shipping notices, password resets, and account alert messages. If you get one, dont trust it and never click a link in the email. Instead, go to the website itself, if the message is real, youll find it there.
• Fake websites are on the rise technology brand URL are up nearly 50%, and consumer brand URL are up about 5%. Criminals are constantly publishingvery convincing fake websites, hoping you'll buy without thinking and hand over your credit card or bank information in the process.
• Unfamiliar ads are everywhere 91% of consumers say theyre seeing ads from retailers they dont recognize, and 37% may buy from brands they dont recognize. Yes, you read that correctly, over 1 in every 3 shoppers will consider buying from a brand or site theyve never heard of.
• AI is reshaping scam tactics 46% of Americans say theyve encountered fake celebrity or influencer endorsements. This is when scammers use AI to pair an actor, musician, or athlete with a fake limited-time deal or bogus product page.

How to protect yourself while you shop

McAfees research serves as a warning to shoppers and it also points toward simple ways to stay safer without giving up the savings:

• Go to the source, not the link. If you get a text, email, or social ad about a deal, resist the urge to click on it. Instead, always open your browser or the brands official app and search for the deal there.
• Be extra cautious with unfamiliar retailers. An amazing price from a website youve never heard of deserves an extra look. Be sure to look up independent reviews, check how long the sites been around, and look for a phone number or physical address.
• Watch for classic red flags. Site is in a different language, pressure to act immediately, demands for payment via gift cards or wire transfers, or requests for sensitive information are all major warning signs.
• Turn on scam protection tools. Many security programs now scan links and URLs in real time and can warn you before you click on something thats suspicious. Serves as good peace of mind if you tend to freely click around the internet, especially if you regularly click on ads that look interesting to you.
• Strengthen your accounts. Always use strong, unique passwords, and turn on two-factor authentication where you can. Also, keep an eye on your bank and credit card statements so you can catch suspicious charges quickly.
• Trust your gut. Id also add the importance of following your gut instinct. If the site just feels off, maybe its the logo, maybe its the wording, maybe its the photos, theres zeroshame in closing the browser tab. No deal is worth the risk if something about the transaction just doesnt feel right.

The online sales are illegal under federal law, the AGs charge

• Over 28 illegal e-cigarette websites currently operate on Shopify's platform, with another 200 selling illegal tobacco products

• Federal law requires FDA approval for all e-cigarettes, and sales to anyone under 21 are prohibited

• A bipartisan coalition of attorneys general is pressuring the e-commerce giant to remove merchants violating tobacco laws

If you're a parent worried about your teenager's access to vaping products, this news should grab your attention. The popular e-commerce platform Shopify is hosting hundreds of websites that are illegally selling e-cigarettes and other tobacco products, potentially making these addictive products easily accessible to minors.

What's happening right now

On Monday, North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson led a coalition of 25 attorneys general in sending a letter to Shopify, demanding the company take stronger action against merchants using its platform to sell illegal tobacco products.

The numbers are alarming: More than 28 illegal e-cigarette websites are currently hosted on Shopify's platform, and another 200 websites are selling illegal tobacco products through the service.

"If states and the federal government create laws to protect our residents, companies can't sidestep those for their own profit," Jackson stated in the announcement.

The legal landscape you need to know

Federal law is clear about e-cigarette sales. Every new tobacco product, including e-cigarettes, must receive FDA authorization before it can be marketed and sold in the United States.

E-cigarettes without FDA approval cannot be shipped via interstate commerce, and all e-cigarette sales to anyone under 21 are prohibited nationwide.

Individual states have added their own protections. In North Carolina, for example, manufacturers must get products certified by the Department of Revenue, internet sellers must verify buyers' ages, and it's illegal to sell or give e-cigarettes to anyone under 18.

Your action plan to protect your family

1. Monitor your teen's online shopping activity, especially on platforms like Shopify that host multiple merchants

2. Check your credit card and bank statements for unfamiliar charges from e-cigarette or vaping companies

3. Talk to your children about the health risks of e-cigarettes, which are highly addictive and pose serious health risks to young people

4. Report suspected illegal e-cigarette sales to your state attorney general's office

5. If you discover your child has purchased vaping products online, contact the merchant and your state's consumer protection agency

6. Consider using parental controls on devices and internet connections to block access to vaping-related websites

Why this matters beyond one platform

While this specific action targets Shopify, the problem extends across the e-commerce landscape. Online merchants continue to find ways around age verification requirements and FDA regulations.

The attorneys general involved represent states from coast to coast, including California, New York, Illinois, and Washington, showing this is a nationwide concern.

This isn't the first time officials have taken action against companies facilitating illegal e-cigarette sales. North Carolina previously won a $47.8 million judgment against Juul for advertising and selling its products to children.

The bottom line: Shopify and other e-commerce platforms need to do more to prevent illegal tobacco sales, but you can't wait for corporate action to protect your family. Stay vigilant about your teen's online activity, know the warning signs of vaping, and don't hesitate to report suspicious merchants to authorities. Your child's health is worth the extra effort.