Worst Jobs for Empaths – Top 7 in 2024

An empath you might empathize with literally anyone that an average person would ordinarily not feel empathy towards. Empaths refer to a category of people who are very sensitive when it comes to recognizing others’ emotions, no matter how hidden they are, and treat such emotions as very intense.

Empaths are naturally able to connect emotionally and cognitively with almost every person they encounter. As such, it is very easy for them to build relationships because they are always trying to understand the other person’s feelings and experiences by putting themselves in the person’s shoes.

Empaths are not abnormal people; they live a normal life and have regular jobs. However, there are some job descriptions unfit for empaths; which we have compiled into our top 7 worst jobs for empaths in 2024. To take your decision, you might also want to look at the list of the best jobs for empaths.

We invite you to have a look at our list of jobs for people with disabilities to find and apply to jobs for empaths that might interest you.

1. Sales Person

Being a salesperson means having to deal with different kinds of people with different psychological make-up and mood swings. On a good day, you are dealing with sane customers who have just come to make inquiries; on a bad day, you are dealing with argumentative, rude, disrespectful and irrational customers who think they know better than you about the company’s products and services.

As an empath person, you can easily get exhausted when faced with a rush of emotions, especially negative ones. Empaths find it hard to fight back when confronted by negative emotions, because rather than standing their ground, they are busy trying to understand the oppressor. Being exposed to all sorts of emotions and energy makes a sales person literally the worst job for empaths.

2. Politician

Politics is a game of wits, passive aggression, and all sorts of tricks and traps that a smart human mind can think of. Politicians always have to deal with the public and can therefore not afford to be introverted. Empaths tend to be introverted most of the time, especially during their period of apathy and emotional drain. Politicians do not have the time to take a break because of their emotional brains.

They are always under the scrutiny of the public. They have to make huge decisions about themselves and outsmart their opponents in different uncanny ways. Empaths lack the emotional strength to carry out such emotionally demanding tasks because they are always busy thinking about the other party; practically making politicians one of the worst jobs for empaths.

3. Legal Practitioner

Legal practitioners have one of the safest and most objective minds. It is included in the attorney training that lawyers should learn to detach themselves from the case of their clients. All cases should be handled with objectivity even while arguing in favor of a client.

The ability of legal practitioners to be objective and detached helps them to sieve out the truth in their client’s statements and also helps them to make the best decisions for their clients and give them the best advice for their situation.

Empaths are known to always try to connect emotionally to people’s situations. Their over-sensitivity will make it difficult for them to find true facts from the client’s story and make them unable to give the best advice to clients.

4. Medical Practitioner

Medical practitioners are the most objective and strong-minded professionals. Despite all they see and go through, the job description requires them to keep a calm mind and demeanor for the sake of their patients. They have to share both good and bad news to patients every day, and also witness the pains and travails of patients in their line of work.

Empaths may easily connect with people on an emotional level but they have a high tendency to burn out and suffer emotional drain when the pain and emotions are too much.

In the process of connecting with the pain and story of patients, people with empathy may themselves launch into anxiety and depression through over-thinking and putting themselves in the patient’s shoes. Literally, a medical practitioner is the worst job for empaths.

5. Customer Support Agent

An empath may be able to connect on all levels with another person, and also establish friendly relations easily but that is most effective on a one-on-one basis. When there is a truckload of stories, situations, feelings and experiences of different people to connect to, empaths suffer emotional drain.

In extreme situations, empaths lose empathy for a while and stay introverted to avoid reacting irrationally towards others. Which makes the johe job of customer support agent one of the worst jobs for empaths.

The job of a customer support agent is to attend to all sorts of queries, complaints and experiences. That can be mentally draining for an empath especially given the long working hours involved.

6. Fire-Fighter

Firefighters are popularly known for their stressful and physically demanding working conditions. While everyone is running away from harm and danger, firefighters are running into it. They carry heavy metal equipment and machines, run long distances, and climb great heights to save lives and properties from destruction. Empaths are not cut out for the stress of a firefighter.

The near-death experiences, emotional breakdowns, physical injuries, and more are just too much for empaths to handle. Such working conditions are likely to push empaths into a nervous breakdown and that is why firefighter is one of the worst jobs for empaths.

7. Military

Ordinarily, the military is not a job for average people, talk less of people who are highly sensitive and emotional like empaths. Military officers undergo rigorous training, field expeditions, and work under extreme weather conditions.

From the physical injury to the near-death experiences, empaths in the military will always be on the verge of an emotional wreck and nervous breakdowns. Basically, empaths are not mentally strong enough to undergo the rigors of a military job.

Worst Jobs for Empaths: Conclusion

Empaths are lovely to be with because of their unique ability to connect with just anybody on deep emotional levels. They are literally good relationship builders. However, there are certain jobs likely to drain empathy out of empaths. Such jobs have the tendency to drive empaths into anxiety, and nervous breakdown.