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[NF] NF Career Questions

Crescent Fresh

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I've been struggling to get a job, but most importantly, to decide on which career path I should take (though I did apply as many as I can).

So hopefully you wouldn't mind to answer the following questions:

1. What's your career now?

2. Are you enjoying the daily activities associated with this work?

3. Do you find this career fulfilling in the long run?

4. How much responsibility do you have? How closely do you be supervised?

5. Do you mostly work alone or as part of a team?

6. How do the employment projections for this career compare with other careers?

7. Are you thinking of switching career? Why or why not?
 

cranez

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1. What's your career now?
Anti-Fraud / Risk Specialist

2. Are you enjoying the daily activities associated with this work?
Uh, sure? Not really sure how I can apply what I do to daily activities unfortunately. :p

3. Do you find this career fulfilling in the long run?
Somewhat. I get to help / protect people; Though I mostly indirectly help / protect people. No one ever sees or talks to me. I wish I had a more front facing job.

4. How much responsibility do you have? How closely do you be supervised?
I have a lot of responsibility. Quality & output is most important in my position. We aren't supervised closely because we are all hard workers in my department.

5. Do you mostly work alone or as part of a team?
I work with a team.

6. How do the employment projections for this career compare with other careers?
Eh, so, so. I guess finding the right type of person for this job is rare. Though it seems like common sense...many people can't do this line of work. Y'know, analytic & forensic work & all.

7. Are you thinking of switching career? Why or why not?
Yes. Because I want to be a front-end web developer (engineer / programmer). I want to contribute more to a company. I want to build beautiful web applications / engines. I also want to make more monies. ;D
 

Crescent Fresh

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Yes. Because I want to be a front-end web developer (engineer / programmer). I want to contribute more to a company. I want to build beautiful web applications / engines. I also want to make more monies. ;D

Actually I would like to move into a web-design career! I like decorating things with meticulous eyes on details. Unfortunately, I don't have the financial backup to learn from scratch for now.

You seem fairly new here! Thanks for sharing these btw! :)
 

Luv Deluxe

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1. Camera operator at a television station (there is talk of kicking me up to a weekend reporter or even a director, but I think it'll more realistically be photojournalism and computer graphics again before that). I guess you might call that a career, even though sometimes I view it as a day job that happens to be very well suited to me. It allows me to earn money while building my own equipment and mounting my own independent projects.

2. Yes. Every day is loosely structured, but different from the day that came before it. I know what to expect, but I'm not bored. I like that - a general outline that you get to color in yourself.

3. For now, it's working. I feel like I can help others by bringing their news to them, but it's not a customer service job. My emotional resources aren't tapped by excessive social interaction. (I'm weird...I can perform on stage, but I tend to be very reserved when casually dealing with people.) On a deeper level, I am able to carry on my creative projects separately, which is something I'm definitely in for the long haul.

4. I have a fair amount of responsibility, I guess, especially since for the past three months I've been typically working alone. Camera opping for broadcasts is pretty easy if you know your movements, but without it, the show either looks terrible or can't happen. Aside from communication with the director during shows, I'm not closely supervised. And if some technological horror or unexpected event arises, I step up to the plate and do what I can to deal with it.

5. Everyone is obviously working together if you're taking in the bigger picture, but we each have our individual things to do. I get to see and interact with all of my coworkers, but my specific job is independent of theirs. I can be solitary quite often, especially while doing miscellaneous work before a broadcast.

6. I'm actually not sure...I would imagine a gradual increase in several years' time, but certainly nothing booming or readily available to everyone. (If you were speaking in terms of job security, I do feel that it's a pretty solid position.)

7. Right now this is definitely working for me. It's a job I like doing and feel good about - and it enables me to be artistic on my own time, which is very, very important to me. I suppose that might be my career at the core: "starving artist" who happens to have a great day job while developing independent projects on the side. In terms of a working-for-an-employer job, though, I really like the one I have. There may come a day when I am successful enough to become a self-employed artist, but that's an arrogant thing to assume. It would be ideal, but the most imperative thing for me is having the resources to create, and being able to create. When it comes to pursuing a specific track in the art world, that's where I can't make up my mind or focus on only one thing - I write, I paint, I design, I sing, I take photographs, I make movies, I make music, and I've recently begun building my own computers and machines with which to do all of this. My circle of friends include fellow filmmakers, underground musicians, and independent theater owners. If I can touch someone with any piece of work eventually, I will be happy. :) I'm already happy just to make stuff until I die!

I hope these answers were somewhat helpful. I've had a hard time being consistently happy before - it can be very difficult to find work that fulfills your needs, something you feel in sync with. Good luck with the job hunt, Crescent Fresh!
 

Crescent Fresh

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When it comes to pursuing a specific track in the art world, that's where I can't make up my mind or focus on only one thing - I write, I paint, I design, I sing, I take photographs, I make movies, I make music, and I've recently begun building my own computers and machines with which to do all of this. My circle of friends include fellow filmmakers, underground musicians, and independent theater owners. If I can touch someone with any piece of work eventually, I will be happy. :) I'm already happy just to make stuff until I die!

Awww... I feel so happy and envious of you! :) It's true that it's very difficult to pin down one direction for me to pursue in. Though it makes life so much more difficult when one doesn't have many creative people around you. :( (I once did but they're all in Canada now)

I think INFJ really looks for creativity or nurturing job. Though I'm currently lack of the skills which I wanted, I'm trying to compensate it thorugh taking a few courses.

I hope these answers were somewhat helpful. I've had a hard time being consistently happy before - it can be very difficult to find work that fulfills your needs, something you feel in sync with. Good luck with the job hunt, Crescent Fresh!

Yes, it certainly does! I'm still in a very difficult, if not emotional stage right now as I consider choosing a right career has a lot to do with shaping my identity. I guess it has to do with my Emmg. 4w3 so/sx too. Thanks for your encouragement and I hope I'll bump into you more often! (you seem to be new around here) :hug:
 

BAJ

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I've been struggling to get a job, but most importantly, to decide on which career path I should take (though I did apply as many as I can).

So hopefully you wouldn't mind to answer the following questions:

1. What's your career now?

I have degrees in biology and aquaculture. I am an aquaculturist, aka fish farmer.



2. Are you enjoying the daily activities associated with this work?

Generally yes. I'm good at it. But many aspects get on my nerves and you work long hours in the busy season.



3. Do you find this career fulfilling in the long run?

Not sure.


4. How much responsibility do you have? How closely do you be supervised?

I have almost complete autonomy. I try to run things as sort of an egalitarian collective, where tasks are negotiated by discussion or otherwise dictated by me. I define my supervisor as "whomever has the best idea", though I'd like to think I have the best idea, but if someone else does, I quickly recognize it and acknowledge it.

We are a small company, but basically only the CEO outranks me, and the main office is 5 hours away.


5. Do you mostly work alone or as part of a team?

I'd like to define myself as "working alone as part of a team", but occasionally having two or more people doing the same thing is more efficient.


6. How do the employment projections for this career compare with other careers?

Generally good. This is supposedly a futuristic type career. Globally, stocks of fish are in decline in the oceans. Aquaculture has the potential to grow fish to feed people, and provide excellent source of protein globally. Currently I work with Ornanmental fish for a "small" company, and I hope to keep doing it, but if not I may get into a different job or form of aquaculture.


7. Are you thinking of switching career? Why or why not?

In many ways I'm basically stuck. I think the opportunity costs are too high to change careers entirely. However, I have a moderate amount of interest in mariculture (growing fish in the ocean) or International Development, which would be growing fish to provide protein for developing nations. I have no definite plans to change jobs. There is also a possibility that I may continue with ornamentation or some form of landscaping if this job ends.
 

AphroditeGoneAwry

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I have degrees in biology and aquaculture. I am an aquaculturist, aka fish farmer.

One of my dreams is to have an aquaponics set-up in my unconstructed bottle-wall greenhouse :) . And have my kids be able to work the business and sell organic fresh fish to locals. It's a great idea. I love fish, but hate buying 'farm raised' fish because I know they feed them gross things, probably full of mercury contaminants.

Have you created many aquaponics systems?
 

BAJ

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One of my dreams is to have an aquaponics set-up in my unconstructed bottle-wall greenhouse :) . And have my kids be able to work the business and sell organic fresh fish to locals. It's a great idea. I love fish, but hate buying 'farm raised' fish because I know they feed them gross things, probably full of mercury contaminants.

Have you created many aquaponics systems?

No, I have generally worked with larger system. The hatchery I run uses 150 million gallons of water per year. We are tinkering more and more recirculating systems to conserve water. We have some where around 12 acres of holding ponds, around 60,000 cubic meters of water, plus numerous tank systems.

As for farm raised versus wild caught, I would generally say that it may be the opposite. Most aquaculture uses tightly controlled pelleted foods, and they control their water quality. They have professional flavor testing people, who can detect minute "off-flavorings", as well as HACCP inspectors on processing sites.

Mercury is much more likely to be in natural caught fish, especially top predators like barracuda.

This said, I'm not sure of regulations on imported fish, but it's probably less likely from farmed fish.

The farm I worked at in Mississippi harvested 150,000 Lb of catfish per day, having 7% of the total industry. There were 7500 acres of water spread out into 660 ponds. They supplied 1/3 of Cracker Barrel, all Red Lobsters in Florida, Black Eyed Peas, and various other restaurant chains and food service companies. In addition to quality control technicians, computer systems individually weighed and sorted fillets, and the results were individually quick frozen in seven spiral freezers.
 

AphroditeGoneAwry

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No, I have generally worked with larger system. The hatchery I run uses 150 million gallons of water per year. We are tinkering more and more recirculating systems to conserve water. We have some where around 12 acres of holding ponds, around 60,000 cubic meters of water, plus numerous tank systems.

As for farm raised versus wild caught, I would generally say that it may be the opposite. Most aquaculture uses tightly controlled pelleted foods, and they control their water quality. They have professional flavor testing people, who can detect minute "off-flavorings", as well as HACCP inspectors on processing sites.

Mercury is much more likely to be in natural caught fish, especially top predators like barracuda.

This said, I'm not sure of regulations on imported fish, but it's probably less likely from farmed fish.

The farm I worked at in Mississippi harvested 150,000 Lb of catfish per day, having 7% of the total industry. There were 7500 acres of water spread out into 660 ponds. They supplied 1/3 of Cracker Barrel, all Red Lobsters in Florida, Black Eyed Peas, and various other restaurant chains and food service companies. In addition to quality control technicians, computer systems individually weighed and sorted fillets, and the results were individually quick frozen in seven spiral freezers.

Do you know what is in the pelleted feed though? Or can you refer me to a source to find out? I avoid it at costco because I have 'learned' somewhere that it is not good....Now I guess I need to track it down.

Yeah, I think the whole industry is the wave [ :) ] of the future for seafood, with the oceans being overfished, etc. And I think there is GREAT opportunity for entrepreneurs here. Good for you.. What an exciting thing to be involved in.
 

BAJ

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Do you know what is in the pelleted feed though? Or can you refer me to a source to find out?

/I'll send you some information. I don't want to monopolize the thread with a "atypical" INFP career.
 

Crescent Fresh

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/I'll send you some information. I don't want to monopolize the thread with a "atypical" INFP career.

Don't worry about monopolizing the thread as I find it very refreshing to see various different careers TypeC members are pursuing and everything.

I don't think many posters are interested to talk about careers on this subforum though, though I'm just curious to see what are the common careers among NF members, that's all.
 

BAJ

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Don't worry about monopolizing the thread as I find it very refreshing to see various different careers TypeC members are pursuing and everything.

I don't think many posters are interested to talk about careers on this subforum though, though I'm just curious to see what are the common careers among NF members, that's all.



Thank you, I want to see as well. I'm peeking to see if there is something tangible.

Also, what about your career?
 

BAJ

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Do you know what is in the pelleted feed though? Or can you refer me to a source to find out? I avoid it at costco because I have 'learned' somewhere that it is not good....Now I guess I need to track it down.

Yeah, I think the whole industry is the wave [ :) ] of the future for seafood, with the oceans being overfished, etc. And I think there is GREAT opportunity for entrepreneurs here. Good for you.. What an exciting thing to be involved in.

Well, since the thread is slow anyway...

It depends probably slightly on what fish you want to put into your system.

The company I work for has a food enterprise. At the central office there are warehouses of food, which they deliver all over the country.

All these foods are regulated, and the FDA would never allow food companies to sell ingredients in fish food that would be harmful to people.

I'm not much of a food geek, so I don't know what all the individual ingredients do. Nor do I know this about soda pop or virtually any other food product.

Naturally I support the food our company sells, and think it is the best. It is sold at pond stores and garden centers all over the US.

Here's a like to one of the stores that apparently markets our food. At the top you can research other companies food as well.

Please feel free to ask any other questions. If I don't know, then I could find out. Someone interested in aquaculture makes me happy in general.

:) :) :)
 

BAJ

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Also, since the thread is slow, I guess I could talk about my last job too :)


I've been struggling to get a job, but most importantly, to decide on which career path I should take (though I did apply as many as I can).

So hopefully you wouldn't mind to answer the following questions:

1. What's your career now?

Almost six years ago I worked as a gardener for five years at a public garden.

2. Are you enjoying the daily activities associated with this work?

Yes, I had almost 100% creative freedom with plants. My pet area was the "Oriental/ Japanese style" garden. So I could use any plants I wanted according to my interpretation of the Japanese aesthetic.


3. Do you find this career fulfilling in the long run?

I enjoyed many aspects of it, but in some ways I was bored. Also the garden had a small budget, so I was trying to create a 10 million dollar garden on a small budget, thus I was frustrated that my "ideal" garden could not be realized. It seems everywhere I go I have some frustration...imperfection that I focus on.

4. How much responsibility do you have? How closely do you be supervised?

I had little responsibility except the plantings in my area, so almost none. However, I had almost complete autonomy. I made my own priorities and created where I wished.


5. Do you mostly work alone or as part of a team?

It might be possible that I worked a whole day and did not see another employee, but sometimes I was called into "all hands on deck" sort of projects.

6. How do the employment projections for this career compare with other careers?

I'm not sure. These kinds of public gardens usually have endowments which are made for their continual operation.

7. Are you thinking of switching career? Why or why not?

Gradually frustrations got the better of me, leading me to seek a job in my primary field.
 

cranez

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Actually I would like to move into a web-design career! I like decorating things with meticulous eyes on details. Unfortunately, I don't have the financial backup to learn from scratch for now.

You seem fairly new here! Thanks for sharing these btw! :)

Welcome! :D

You can self-learn by looking at online tutorials. That is how I learned HTML / CSS / PHP / MySQL. Along with a lot of tinkering and breaking of stuff. Presently learning JavaScript (innerHTML) & Ruby on Rails / Sinatra.
 

Luv Deluxe

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Awww... I feel so happy and envious of you! :) It's true that it's very difficult to pin down one direction for me to pursue in. Though it makes life so much more difficult when one doesn't have many creative people around you. :( (I once did but they're all in Canada now)

I think INFJ really looks for creativity or nurturing job. Though I'm currently lack of the skills which I wanted, I'm trying to compensate it thorugh taking a few courses.

Yes, it certainly does! I'm still in a very difficult, if not emotional stage right now as I consider choosing a right career has a lot to do with shaping my identity. I guess it has to do with my Emmg. 4w3 so/sx too. Thanks for your encouragement and I hope I'll bump into you more often! (you seem to be new around here) :hug:

I think it can be very difficult for INFJs to find work that satisfies them well. I was on the west coast for a while, and decided that I would take whatever job I could find in order to survive in the meantime. I landed a call center/tech support position, and it pretty much killed me. I was so unhappy that my stress was manifesting itself in the form of severe headaches, panic attacks, and eerie aches and pains that just about turned me into a hypochondriac!

It wasn't working with the customers, and I'm fine with technology. I think it had more to do with feeling disconnected and disposable, with a hierarchy of supervisors who were constantly contradicting themselves and each other. The environment was excruciatingly uncreative, dull, and confining to me. Especially, though, it concerned the method of the work itself. I think a certain thought process is required to perform well in such an environment...and it's a thought process I just don't have/know how to use. During the training sessions, they preached a very regimented, step-by-step, linear framework for problem solving. As a nonlinear thinker, I knew I was in for trouble - my brain just doesn't work like that. My N is my strongest function - and it shows on type tests, which typically score me at 100% intuitive and 0% sensing. It's ridiculous. I'm really terrible at using exterior information to provide solutions. I don't look at the evidence to build a theory - I have a theory, and then I seek evidence to make or break it. I can build my own computer, but if someone's telling me about five seemingly unrelated symptoms they've been experiencing with theirs, I just go nuts and start charging down paths at random. I just mentally...scatter. I'm probably not even explaining myself very well now.

Anyway, I quit that job very quickly and moved to a place that provided my current position, which I think is a lot healthier for me! Maybe INFJs aren't suited to call centers and/or tech support and should stay the hell away, no matter how temporary they intended the employment to be. :dry:

I think taking classes is a great way to get started! Not only will you pick up a few new skills along the way, but you'll meet lots of like-minded people, probably make a few friends, and get connected with new opportunities. I can sympathize with hanging a lot of your identity on getting the right occupation...I think it's one of the reasons I felt so unhappy in the situation above. It's really easy to feel like you've taken a wrong step, like you've fragmented the image of yourself in your mind. Since you're 4w3, I imagine that's especially true. :(

And I might like to create stuff, but I'm not a brilliant painter or anything. I don't think I'd be able to paint a good bowl of fruit, or have fun painting something like that. A landscape, maybe. I'm just too abstract, so I favor wild colors and expressionist stuff. N vs. S? Haha. Anyway, I didn't want to sound like I think I'm a genius or something...faaar from it. I just do what I like doing!

I really hope you have some luck in your research and ventures, and that you'll be happy with whatever you find! :hug:
 
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Crescent Fresh

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Thanks AntiHeroComplex for posting this! :hug:

I'll certainly get back to this soon. :)
 

Idealatious

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Hey there - reading through these responses was quite interesting. I don't really have a career yet, being in college - but I like to hope I'll find something that fulfills me. Something that allows me to be creative, is intellectually stimulating, meaningful, fun, useful to society, and does not require superficial interactions with people.

I'm actually curious if anyone has ever considered a career in personality psychology? I'm a psychology major who has always been interested in personality systems, although I certainly am no expert. I've also considered academia, while being fully aware of its numerous and depressing flaws. I mean, I read PhD comics, heh. Anyway, I recently discovered that personality neuroscience is a legitimate field, which blew my mind, because I've never wanted to be a career counselor and I thought that was the only option available. (Then again, I tend to reject possible career paths for no good reason) But is personality neuroscience useful? It feels incredibly selfish (and not to mention the difficulty in getting a job) to research something that might not be all that helpful. What should be a hobby, and what should be work? So many questions; so much confusion.

Sorry if this wasn't exactly related... but I guess it has some marginal relevance?
 

Lily flower

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INFJ's tend to like writing, ministry, counseling, primary care doctor, teaching and the arts.
 
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