Introverted people, who have successful professional careers, what are your tips for success?

I'm an introvert. All this means is that dealing with people is draining. I'm not socially inept or awkward or phobic. I just need to meter my contact with other people and make sure I've got enough time at the end of the day to recharge.

I've been working in IT for about 20 years now... I've been pretty successful. Been able to land pretty much every job I've tried for, been promoted repeatedly, currently working for a great company for a good salary.

You need to be honest with yourself and aware of your limitations. My mother was a college professor and I felt I had to at least give teaching a try... One of the major reasons I didn't continue teaching is because of the amount of social interaction. It was just too much people-time without enough recharge at the end of the day.

One of the big reasons I went into IT, as opposed to something like sales, is because there's less people to deal with. I'm still dealing with people... Still have meetings, still have co-workers, etc. But it's less people than some other career paths.

Unless you get some job as a professional hermit, you're probably going to wind up dealing with people. So you're going to have to treat your social interaction like any other professional skill. Put the time and effort into polishing it up. Dedicate time to it throughout the day.

I make a point, for example, to pay at least vague attention to major sporting events like the Superbowl. I'm not a big fan of sports myself, but many people at work are, and I need to be able to have a conversation with them.