My 30+ year experience in engineering supports the “myth” of the “loner genius nerd.” Lots of my colleagues with poor social skills spent their entire career running simulations and conducting analyses in a very solitary environment. Of course, some interaction with others was required to coordinate results, but this tended to be a small part of the work experience. More commonly, in a typical day, one worked in an office in front of a computer screen and didn’t talk to a soul.
My colleagues with strong social skills got out of the realm of solitary analyses after a few years (everyone had to begin their career doing this kind of work) and moved into program management or engineering line management – jobs that require good interpersonal skills. A few left for academia. I have one very sociable friend that started out as an excellent analyst, then moved into program management, and is now executive Vice President of the company.