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[INFJ] INFJs: Do you like your career/job? If so, what do you do?

sharons

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Feb 12, 2008
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I've switch jobs/careers often and am wondering what fellow INFJs enjoy doing for a living, or at least what fellow INFJs find interesting enough to stay with long-term.
 

Eileen

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I'm a high school teacher. Sometimes the job sucks, but I mostly enjoy it.
 

cascadeco

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Sigh. ;)

I'm a Business Systems Analyst right now. I love certain aspects of the job -- the systems testing. Finding breaks and code/design flaws and interacting with tech to get things resolved. I like the part where everything's totally broken and a disaster, because it keeps me interested and it's not boring. When we're done testing, and back to script-writing/requirements-reading until the next code release, I'm totally bored and I get really disillusioned about my job. But, it is the best [permanent] job I've had since graduation, and all in all it's pretty good. I can't figure out anything else I'd rather do anyway. :) It's one of my constant life dilemnas. The job thing. The fact that I have to make a living!

I'd rather be able to make a living just traipsing through nature and photographing, though. :) Or painting. Or something fun/inspiring like that.
 

nightning

ish red no longer *sad*
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I'm a graduate student... in pharmacology (doing research involving drugs).

And no... I'm not enjoying it too much. Hoping to get out from research as soon as I get my degree. :doh:
 

cafe

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I've been doing the housewife thing for the better part of the last 15 years. It's okay.
 

Wandering

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Huh, painful topic in my life right now...

I haven't found anything I feel I could stick with, so far, except my childhood, recurrent, and impractical dreams: writing and drawing. Those are honestly the only jobs I can see myself doing for more than a few years. Everything else typically feels like it would be interesting for a few years, and then I'd get bored sick with it. That's what happened with my previous job.

I *hate* being like that.
 

Eileen

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Might take a little while to get more responders on this topic, but - I know that over my years of teaching (almost four now), I have integrated my job into my identity. I am not a person who teaches - I am a teacher. I'm not sure whether that's a feature of the job (because it seems to me that most teachers make it part of their identity) or part of the personality type (I guess it could be both). I know that I do have a great need for whatever it is that I'm doing to be something with which I identify strongly.
 

Wandering

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Might take a little while to get more responders on this topic, but - I know that over my years of teaching (almost four now), I have integrated my job into my identity. I am not a person who teaches - I am a teacher. I'm not sure whether that's a feature of the job (because it seems to me that most teachers make it part of their identity) or part of the personality type (I guess it could be both). I know that I do have a great need for whatever it is that I'm doing to be something with which I identify strongly.
I resonate very strongly with that. I have to feel like I *am* what I am *doing*: that's how strongly I need to relate to what I do. When I say "I want to be a writer", for example, that means far more than just "I'd like to make a living out of writing books". Making a living out of writing books would almost be a positive side-effect: the REAL point would be to live and breathe Writing.
 
S

Sniffles

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I'm currently a factory worker. Not exactly my ideal career. On good days, I'll have plenty of time to contemplate various stuff that flows through my mind. But too often I'm physically and mentally exhausted throughout the day.

I originally planned on joining the military, but health issues disqualified me from service. I now realise that I'm not suited to the general culture of professional armies.

Yes, I would love to be a writer. LOL this must be some INFJ obsession, since I see it so often.
 

surgery

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I'm a high school teacher. Sometimes the job sucks, but I mostly enjoy it.

what subject and what level do you teach? you sound rather dispassionate about teaching -- may i ask what made you decide to take that path in the first place?


i'm not an infj, but listen to me ramble anyway.

currently, i have a part-time job at a retail store that i enjoy very much. it's not particularly challenging -- quietly folding clothes folding clothes for four hours on end gives me time to think. unfortunately, i'm never given enough hours, so i'm searching for a second job.

as for the future, i'm looking at career with the U.S. Dept. of State. pros of a career like that are it focuses greatly on travel/foreign culture, as well as allows me to have some sort of influence in bigger picture today's world.
 

prplchknz

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I'm not an INFJ but my room mate who as far as I can tell is in an INFJ but sometimes I suspect she might be an ISFJ loves her job she works at the gap in the lingerie section, but she loves fashion. She got offended when I told her fashion was crap, which I think it is. I think she wants to minor in fashion merchandising she already double majoring for musical theatre and cultural studies.
 

Eileen

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what subject and what level do you teach? you sound rather dispassionate about teaching -- may i ask what made you decide to take that path in the first place?

I'm actually not dispassionate at all about teaching. I love my job and think it's really important. However, when you're in the thick of it (such as April 3rd, when I also was kind of in the middle of personal drama), it can be a really exhausting job full of paperwork and minutia and a whole lot of people-bullshit. But it's also a job where you can be really creative and develop great relationships and make a real difference in people's lives.

I chose teaching because... well, it just made sense for me. I decided to do it when I was about seventeen and ended up getting a full scholarship to college for it. I've thought about doing other things, but teaching is a pretty good fit.

Edit: I teach 9-12 English.
 

tenINsFJ

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I worked at UPS store - hated it.
I worked at the Attorney Generals Office - I hated it
I work at Starbucks - It's alright, not bad, but sometimes it gets to me.
I'd prefer to work in the health dept, which is where I'm going to end up after college. Something about Kinesiology interests me. I definitely have to be at a job where I'm always doing something, not always so repetitive, yet not so routine at the same time.
 

prplchknz

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Ooh and I forgot to add that she also tutors violin, I think she likes that.
 

helen

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My dad owns his own business and I work for him. I do office work mostly, and other odd jobs and errands. When things are slow I help my mom out around the house more, or just enjoy having extra time to hang out. :) I'm not getting rich this way, but feel like I'm earning my keep and my smallish salary, and everyone is happy with the arrangement so I guess it's cool.

As for liking the work, I actually find bookkeeping rather uncongenial, but I like the flexibility of the schedule and being part of the family team, so there are compensations to not being crazy about what I do. I've contemplated a change of direction and have tried some other things, but so far nothing has stuck.
 

Little Linguist

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Well, I am not an INFJ, but I LOVE my job.

No, really. That wasn't facetious. I seriously do. :party2:

:hug: <--- For all those who hate their jobs because that really blows the wind right out of Madagascar. Know what I mean?
 

KMildenhall

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Hello All,

I have recently discovered I am an INFJ and have been very restless and unsatified when it comes to jobs, both now and in the past.

I started work 16 in a superstore and stayed there for 6 years and eventually got depressed because of the mind-numbing daily grind! After 3 months off work I became a library assistant (all those books-heaven!) and stayed for 2 years, but could only get part time hours so had to leave. I have been in my current administrator's job for nearly a year and have been bored stupid and am getting quite depressed again. My boss is lovely but I find the endless data incredibly tedious and am stuck in an office on my own with no windows!! I couldn't really care about my work which I find soul-destroying and makes it very hard to stay motivated.

Writing does seem to be a strength of the typical INFJ doesn't it? I always wrote stories and poetry as a child and academically was strongest at English.
 

gokartride

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I must say I have been very fortunate in the career department (I suspect to the same degree as I have been unfortunate in the love department). :shock:

First career as a documentary producer/director/writer/shooter/whatever lasted 20+ years...eventually the company I was with folded and I had the opportunity to make a switch rather than move to one of the coasts.

For the past 10+ years I've been with the U.S. EPA doing graphic design, producing (drat, I thought I'd outrun that), and assorted other communications work with communities, states, tribes. It's been fun to be in the middle of issues with some really great people rather than reporting/observing from the outside.

I ride a big double-decker train to downtown Dallas everyday. :D
 

Wyst

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In chronological order

I worked at the same grocery store for 7 years during school - liked the variety of tasks until I became a cashier. Loved working in the pharmacy especially the camaraderie I had with my co-workers - but the job (routine) itself soon became drudgery.

I have worked as an English teacher in Japan - liked the job disliked being isolated way out in the sticks. Loved working with all the students (Jr. High/elementary) and enjoyed the freedom I had in creating curriculum. But I did NOT like it being the (insert my name here) show. I was always teaching new things - I love change in my routine.

I worked at Starbucks as a shift manager for 4 months until I found a better job. Loved the free drinks and the fun times working with people. HATED it when things got busy.

I have worked as a Japanese translator for a company here in the states. I got to use my Japanese everyday so that was nice. However on a whole, the job was not challenging, interesting, and showed no signs of it turning into something I could suffer through for very long.

Currently I'm unemployed. :cool:

In hopes of finding something I can do that will fit my personality and help me grow as a person I've been researching INFJs for the past week and came across this site. Definitely glad I found it.
 

Siúil a Rúin

when the colors fade
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I'm a freelance musician and i love the content of my work, but the financial instability is a huge problem. I especially enjoy teaching one-on-one, but lessons don't provide much income. I attempted to start a master's in counseling which i loved parts of and felt a natural ability/inclination to work individually to help sort out complex issues of the mind. I think that career still has some potential even though i had to drop out due to personal reasons at that time in my life.

So for my own self and in relation to some of the INFJ profiles, the focus on helping others grow either through counseling or teaching, the one-on-one work instead of dealing with groups of people, and the challenge of needing to see the world through the eyes of the other person using empathy all seem consistent with what could make an INFJ feel fulfilled.
 
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