The other day, I saw a post on Threads from someone who said they were burned out on customer service and wanted to go back to school to become a librarian. Within minutes, librarians from all over started gently explaining that this probably wasn’t the escape they were looking for.

Libraries are built on customer service.

It may not look like retail or food service, but it is still people work. Every day, library staff answer questions, teach technology, help people navigate government services, calm frustrated patrons, mediate conflicts, support job seekers, comfort people experiencing difficult moments, and adapt their communication style to meet the needs of everyone who walks through the door. Much of the work that happens behind the scenes is done so someone else has a better experience in front of the scenes.

The truth is that customer service isn’t confined to public-facing jobs. If your work involves other human beings, you are providing a service to someone. Managers serve employees by removing obstacles and creating environments where they can succeed. IT departments serve staff by keeping technology running. Human resources serves the organization by supporting its people. Trainers serve learners. Authors serve readers. Even when your “customers” are coworkers instead of the public, the underlying skills remain remarkably similar.

What changes from profession to profession isn’t whether customer service exists. It’s who you’re serving, what problems you’re solving, and how those interactions are structured.

That’s why I think we spend so much time focusing on the wrong thing. Instead of trying to find a career without customer service, it may be more helpful to ask, “What kind of interactions give me energy, and which ones drain me?” Some people thrive teaching classes but dislike handling complaints. Others enjoy one-on-one conversations but hate large groups. Some prefer serving internal teams rather than the general public. Understanding the difference can lead to a much better career fit than assuming another profession eliminates people altogether.

This idea—that nearly all of us are in the business of influencing and responding to other people—is one of the themes I explore in my upcoming book, The Hidden Magic Between Us, coming from Bloomsbury in February 2028. We often think our biggest workplace challenges are technical, when they’re actually relational. The quality of our interactions shapes everything from customer service to teamwork, leadership, and even our own well-being.

There probably isn’t a career where you never have to deal with people. But there are careers where the kind of people work aligns better with who you are. That’s a much more useful question to ask.