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are most "P" not suited for office jobs?

niki

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Sep 16, 2007
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210
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INFP
just wondering..

it seems that office 9 to 5 jobs are those that (most usually) require strict deadline, structured schedules, plans, time-tables, targets, goals, etc etc.

I don't know, but I'm just guessing here: it seems that all these characteristics are an automatic put-off for those "P" , be it an INFP, or INTP, or ESTP, or ESFP, etc.

Example: my father is an ISTP.
though we differ a lot in opinions (many times), and we even goes into conflict mode, but one thing that we both have in common is: how we just hate to go to work in a very-structured, 9 to 5 kind of job!
heck, even my dad now just stays at home nowadays, and only rarely he checks to his chemical factory!....which my ESFJ mother, predictably, is often feel very furious & frustrated with his seemingly 'lazy' & 'unorganized' attitudes.

it seems that most offices (i'm not saying all..there are always some 'exceptional' offices) are those that fits well with "J" people/folks-attitude, since they have lots of structures, deadlines, and many other "J" things.

I myself, just hate office-work ,....but what can I do ?? ...MOST jobs are those of corporate (office) jobs, that no matter how boring or dull it is, to be able to eat some food for the day, we "P" seems to have to FORCE ourselves to get-up every morning, shower, go fast-forward into office, then work work work ur a$$ 'till 5pm, some even 'till 8 pm! ....then dinner & sleep. then repeat the cycle again.
how i wish i can just break this vicious cycle,....but it seems that these things are just NO problems for the "J" people ?

can anybody relate with me here?
what do u guys think?
 

substitute

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I have ISTP both father and step father, and both worked their whole lives as mechanics. Though it's not office, to believe it's not structured or routined would be a big mistake... it's still a 'daily grind', but they seem perfectly happy and have never even talked about any other career.

My sister, ESFP, works in an office and loves it - it's not a particularly 'tight ship', and she gets to spend her time talking nicely on the phone, filing her nails, reading magazines, gossipping with the other women there and getting involved in all the office politics, which she loves.

On the other hand, I've tried office jobs once or twice, and after just three days you couldn't get me anywhere near them again. I need the great outdoors, and I need constant change and refreshment of my scene, works, new challenges, new everything and plenty of space to move about.

So I dunno... I mean, it might not be the structure that some people object to about office work, or the routine or hours. There are plenty of other things to hate about it. Just as there are other jobs that offer those things besides office work, that it seems there are plenty of P's perfectly happy in.
 

Totenkindly

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can anybody relate with me here?
what do u guys think?

I think it's too extreme to say that J's have NO problem with these things. Most appreciate the stability of a clearly defined work schedule; but if the schedule does not accommodate the actual needs of the workers to accomplish their tasks successfully, then J's will get up in arms about it.

(i.e., they are complaining more about the illogic/mismatch/incompetence of the system, rather than the lack of overall flexibility of it like P's might be more inclined to do. Because they feel they cannot fulfill their responsibilities at a high level of excellence if the system is ill-suited, and this will tick J's off.)

In general, P's more appreciate the flexibility to multitask (although extrovered Js seem to like that too), or at least rearrange the schedule as they see fit to accomplish their goals.

It's like being forced to use a particular method to solve a problem, when the P would like to let the problem define the solution method.
 

Randomnity

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I did office work (govt) full-time for 4 months, then part-time for another 4...I didn't mind it. The work was mind-numbing and awful but it was so easy and so little was expected of me that I could slack off all day, work for a small fraction and spend most of my time wasting time or studying....and get praised for my 'hard work'! The hardest part was finding enough websites online to entertain me for a full day.

I'm pretty sure I couldn't do it as a career though, it would be so boring and unfulfilling. I was definitely bored and ready to leave after 8 months there. The structure didn't really bother me because it didn't affect me all that much, presumably since I was at such a low level.

I actually do really like the 9-to-5 aspect of the job, because it let me reliably schedule my free time activities like sports teams and such, I always knew when I'd be free.
 

miss fortune

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I live in dread fear of getting stuck in an office job! (hence the looking for jobs in law enforcement or if not that as an EMT for the time being!) I would rather have some form of set schedule so that I know when I don't have to work though- being able to know when I will have free time is rather important to me.
 

Maverick

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J is correlated to "Conscientiousness" in the Big Five. This factor is the best predictor in personality of job performance. The correlation is not very strong though. I think it's a stretch to say that P's are not suited for office jobs. Maybe they are not for most typical ones... However, there are a number of organizations which await a certain type of flexibility and openness to change that P's are most likely to have. In particular, consultancy companies require their employers to be very adaptable and flexible. Maybe you just need to find the right corporate culture for you?
 

cafe

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Where does one find these elusive 9-5 jobs? I'm pretty sure my husband would love to have a 9-5 job in a climate controlled environment that would pay the bills. He works from around 3AM-anywhere between 2PM and 6PM Tuesday through Saturday delivering auto-parts. 9-5 M-F sounds like dream.
 

nightning

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(i.e., they are complaining more about the illogic/mismatch/incompetence of the system, rather than the lack of overall flexibility of it like P's might be more inclined to do. Because they feel they cannot fulfill their responsibilities at a high level of excellence if the system is ill-suited, and this will tick J's off.)
...
It's like being forced to use a particular method to solve a problem, when the P would like to let the problem define the solution method.

:yes: Well said! A day in day out 9-5 job would bored me to death if it involves monotonous repetition.

Adding on to what Cafe said... I think I heard somewhere that 9-5 work hours are getting more rare. People now need to work earlier or later hours (overall longer work days)... pay has hardly risen though =/
 

Maverick

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:yes: Well said! A day in day out 9-5 job would bored me to death if it involves monotonous repetition.

Adding on to what Cafe said... I think I heard somewhere that 9-5 work hours are getting more rare. People now need to work earlier or later hours (overall longer work days)... pay has hardly risen though =/

Yeah but on the other hand you would know when you could spend time with your SO and family. I think that's not pretty bad, heh?
 

cascadeco

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Fortunately a work/life balance is seen as a good thing where I work, so the long hours isn't an issue. If it would ever become an issue, I wouldn't last long, and I would find a new job, because I plan on never having a job that requires more than 40 hrs/week, if I can help it.

Also, it varies by country. The U.S. is known for overwork, employees not necessarily taking their vacation time, and companies not necessarily giving much vacation time. Many european countries are an entirely different story.

No, it doesn't have to be monotonous work. However, to get where I am today, I had to put in 3 yrs of monotonous, awful work that I hated, but once I 'paid my dues', things rolled into place, and I'm quite happy.
 

The_Liquid_Laser

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I think J's have an advantage when it comes to fitting in at an office, but P's can learn to fit in just fine. How good or bad the environment is definitely varies according to company, profession, and manager. I'm a P and I currently work in an office job. I don't really like the work environment, but I like the work, so I put up with it. I don't plan on staying there indefinitely though.
 

substitute

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I actually known an INFJ woman who works in an office at the moment and absolutely hates it. The nastiness of some of the politics and manipulation etc really upset her and get her down. She says she'd much rather work, say, looking after horses or as a teacher or something.
 

quietgirl

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I think it's too extreme to say that J's have NO problem with these things. Most appreciate the stability of a clearly defined work schedule; but if the schedule does not accommodate the actual needs of the workers to accomplish their tasks successfully, then J's will get up in arms about it.

(i.e., they are complaining more about the illogic/mismatch/incompetence of the system, rather than the lack of overall flexibility of it like P's might be more inclined to do. Because they feel they cannot fulfill their responsibilities at a high level of excellence if the system is ill-suited, and this will tick J's off.)

J type opinion...

I've done the office job thing. While I appreciated the set hours, I could not deal with the monotonous, detail oriented work that it entailed. I also hated office politics and would have much rather had a desk in a room with a door that closed. I worked well enough in the environment, especially with getting things done way before deadline. However, I hated being a small, seemingly insignificant piece in a web of workers. Not to say I was insignificant per say, but it was hard to find meaning in my work when the daily grind overshadowed it.
 

quietgirl

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I actually known an INFJ woman who works in an office at the moment and absolutely hates it. The nastiness of some of the politics and manipulation etc really upset her and get her down. She says she'd much rather work, say, looking after horses or as a teacher or something.

Haha, sounds like me. I've switched from management to starting on a teaching degree. If I'm going to manage something now, it's going to be a classroom!
 

mcmartinez84

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Oct 25, 2007
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I can't wait to have a regular office job. I'm one to like routine. If I don't have a routine, I'll never get anything done. I don't want a job that involves the exact same tasks everyday, but a fixed schedule helps me a lot. Really, as long as I'm learning something new, I'm pretty happy with a schedule.

The weekends are for interesting adventures!
 
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