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Career/major choice and type

Smilephantomhive

Active member
Joined
Aug 11, 2015
Messages
3,352
MBTI Type
ISTJ
Enneagram
6w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
I think it's more about how you go about your career, and less what your career is.

At least I hope it is cause I don't want to be a receptionist or work in the military. I want to do work where I can solve problems, and actually do something I'm passionate about, and do something good for the world.
 

Upnextup

New member
Joined
Jun 10, 2017
Messages
59
MBTI Type
INFJ
Your major/job- Does it align with your type’s recommended ones?

Mine does- Psych Major (aka the indecisive person's major which is again redundant for my major)

*sigh* :rolleyes: Why you gotta know me like that MBTI? Got me feeling all unoriginal like?? :dry:


PS Again, my bad if this topic has been done. I should really get in the habit of using that search bar. Maybe next time?
 

Coriolis

Si vis pacem, para bellum
Staff member
Joined
Apr 18, 2010
Messages
27,230
MBTI Type
INTJ
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5w6
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sp/sx
Three similar threads have been merged.

Carry on.
 

Smilephantomhive

Active member
Joined
Aug 11, 2015
Messages
3,352
MBTI Type
ISTJ
Enneagram
6w5
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sp/so
My current major is biochemistry and I'm ISTJ. It's not stereotypical, but it doesn't seem like a strange combination either.
 

á´…eparted

passages
Joined
Jan 25, 2014
Messages
8,265
I am in a career that is not common for my type: synthetic organic chemistry (working on a PhD). Interestingly though, my adviser is an ENFJ 8w7. Most organic chemists are some form of IxTx from what I have observed over the year. There also is a slight preference for N. It makes sense. My field requires a lot of work, very logic heavy, very detailed heavy, requires a great deal of care, and is for the most part very solitary. The area of total synthesis (my area) also requires a great deal of multi-level planning (short, medium, long) and the ability to readily modify said plan as you go along.

Honestly, my personality isn't well suited for my field (which is why I am 1/2 pivoiting out of it when I start my job). Here's a brief list of why.

+ Rigorous attention to detail. - I am not good at this. You have to dot EVERY i, and cross EVERY t, in multiple ways and in ways that are absolutely redundant, but it's what the field requires. It's so, so hard for me to keep up with and causes me an incredible amount of stress. I need something that allows you to get by without having to have everything exactly checked off. It's immensely frustrating because in vast majority of cases, you know you're set/right way way before you dot all the i's and cross all the t's.

+ Cold/logical environment. - As they saying goes "science doesn't give a shit about your opinions". Well, it's very true, but this wears me out a lot more than I thought it would. I survived it, but it's not natural. My work involves little person to person interaction, and when it is it's all about facts facts facts and data data data. It's so draining to me. I didn't realize that having my "social" interactions be this focused on results and work, and only that would get to me so much. I need something that mixes in a more fuzzy interaction where the interaction itself is important, not just to exchange data. I don't like not being able to put a humanistic aspect/bend on things.

+ Required failure tolerance. - This is another case of "science doesn't give a shit about your opinions". Experiments fail ALL the time. It is the nature of the beast. It wares me out so badly, because it slowly gets into my head and I start feeling like there is something wrong with me. I don't do well in environments where you have to keep testing/trying to get something right. I want an environment where I know if I make/do something, it will be useful, impactful, and worthwhile. Not just a tiny data point in a massive ocean.

Those really are the only 3 things that don't fit well with how I operate as a person. The rest fits me, the way I think, and my personality. Still, those 3 things are a HUGE deal. Honestly, one of them is a huge deal.
 

Ashtart

Obliviously Mad
Joined
Jun 6, 2017
Messages
614
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
Well, I'm a scientific/international politics student and an INFJ. I think it suits me pretty well. It has a lot of philosophy/sociology and diplomacy/problem-solving involved.
 

Showbread

climb on
Joined
Oct 3, 2013
Messages
2,298
MBTI Type
ESFJ
Enneagram
3w2
Instinctual Variant
so/sp
I'm pretty pigeon-holed in your typical FJ career: Marriage and Family Therapy. I'm about half way through my Master's program, currently working as an Academic Coach/Mentor with college students. All of my coworkers, and most of my classmates are also FJs, with a handful of FPs in the mix.
 

cosmic royal

Phoenix Flame
Joined
Jul 28, 2015
Messages
451
MBTI Type
xNTJ
Enneagram
584
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
I'm currently a business management major and an INTJ. Perhaps I could minor in psychology as well. If my school allows me to.
 

laintpe

Summer
Joined
Dec 9, 2008
Messages
635
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5w4
I majored in mechanical engineering, minored in biology and psychology. Working in project management (environmental restoration) is okay... but I'm definitely ready to jump ship. The red tape and inconsistent implementation of regs is incredibly frustrating. Middle management is viewed as a group of adversaries (and it's only getting worse). Engineering is kind of slow. I've started to realize I want something faster-- like construction management or certain jobs in finance. At this point I don't care if I have to start from scratch. Being bored for 30 years isn't worth the money. My next aim is to get an MBA. I never stopped taking classes, so since graduating I've gotten AS's in economics and business. Being bored is so much worse than being stressed. It would also be nice if people didn't talk so much. Team building exercises/lunches are more painful than long meetings... so much wasted time.
 

Red Memories

Haunted Echoes
Joined
Jun 3, 2017
Messages
6,315
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ESFP
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215
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sx/so
INFP and general business.

real life demands a legit career. heh.
 

LucieCat

New member
Joined
Aug 2, 2017
Messages
665
MBTI Type
ENFP
Enneagram
6w7
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
I am currently working towards my Bachelor’s in History. I really want to go to grad school. I would like to earn a PhD and be a college professor, but I know that job market isn’t the best. Overall, I want to keep my options open.

No degree is worthless. I am adamant about this. And a degree isn’t an end all be all. Plenty of people have achieved great lives without much of an education. Still, I left high school knowing that I would feel incomplete if I didn’t pursue more education and knowledge. It’s the right path for me. I love the college environment (part of the reason I’d like to be a professor)
.
I’m not sure if History is a weird choice for an ENFP. I’m pretty much interested in anything though. Maybe it might seem weird because I have inferior Si. But I find that I get to use my dominant Ne in history quite a bit.

For some reason, liberal arts programs seem to attract tons of Intuitives. I don’t think I’ve ever been around so much intuition before. It’s great, if not a bit unusual. Most of the important people in my life have always been sensors for some reason, which is not a bad thing. It’s just cool to be around people who think in a pattern closer to what I do.

As far as a job, I would like a career with a degree of independence. Still, I would like to work with others in some capacity so I can receive feedback and ask questions in order to complete my work to the best extent possible.

I’ve been told I have a good work ethic. I suppose that is true. It just sort of feels natural to me. If I’m supposed to do something, I will do it to the best of my ability unless I absolutely cannot.

In the part time job I have, I find it easy to work well with others. I have discovered that I actually have very good customer service skills. My weakness is provably whenever I have to do something that I feel bad about. I want everyone to be happy and satisfied, but I know I have to work against that. It is a nice job overall, not what i want to do with the rest of my life per say, but it’s a good environment and good experience.
Also, my phone won’t let me type apostrophes. I apologize for that. It is super annoying, and I haven’t gotten around to figuring out why it happens or how to fix it.
 

Avocado

Permabanned
Joined
Jun 28, 2013
Messages
3,794
MBTI Type
ENFP
Enneagram
7w6
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
I am surprised this thread has not generated more replies. I would be curious to hear especially from people working in careers that are uncommon for their type. I am an experimental physicist, so the fit is generally good, though I have plenty of STJ and SFJ management/"support" people to deal with, which can be trying at times. I like that I can work for hours on my own, but still am part of a team that is very good about helping each other out and mentoring the new people.
As a certified pharmacy tech for 4 years, I can say I'm pretty much the opposite of the ideal person for that job. I hate my job, and now I have a BGS in humanities. I will need a masters to survive, so why not a masters of social work? My mom keeps pushing that and I see nothing better to do.
 

BAD1973

Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2017
Messages
69
MBTI Type
ENFP
Enneagram
7w6
Instinctual Variant
sx
I've had a lot of jobs. I excel at pretty much anything I've tried. Classic Jack of all trades, Master of none.
I often reflect on all I could have been and consider trying new things, even though I'm in my mid-40s.
I currently work managing rental property that my hubby's family owns. I am my own boss. I work the hours I want. I have free time to do all the volunteer work I immerse myself in. It's a pretty good gig, but I do sometimes feel unfulfilled - like I missed out on the grand plan or a bigger opportunity. I'm not very ambitious by nature. Happy is my go-to attitude. I don't often get morose or melancholy...but when I do, I second guess all my life choices.
 

Jaq

Remember, Humanity.
Joined
Apr 14, 2011
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ENTP
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I'm aiming to be an English major and I'm INTP according to the last few MBTI tests I took.
 

Pionart

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 17, 2014
Messages
4,039
MBTI Type
NiFe
INFJ maths major.

Apart from teaching, what jobs would suit my personality? :huh:
 

Coriolis

Si vis pacem, para bellum
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INFJ maths major.

Apart from teaching, what jobs would suit my personality? :huh:
Financial advisor? You get to put your math skills to work helping people manage their money and plan for their future.
 

Pionart

Well-known member
Joined
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Messages
4,039
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NiFe
Financial advisor? You get to put your math skills to work helping people manage their money and plan for their future.

Idk, anything finance related elicits a kind of "yuck" reaction from me... I don't know if that's because finance related jobs aren't for me, or if it's a reaction I need to overcome.

I've considered getting a finance career because of how not-me it seems, along the lines of "develop your inferior function".
 

Coriolis

Si vis pacem, para bellum
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Idk, anything finance related elicits a kind of "yuck" reaction from me... I don't know if that's because finance related jobs aren't for me, or if it's a reaction I need to overcome.

I've considered getting a finance career because of how not-me it seems, along the lines of "develop your inferior function".
What about finance jobs is disagreeable to you? My suggestion was specific, in that it is one of the (few?) jobs in finance that lets you work with ordinary folks on a day to day basis, and must take into account their values and priorities as well as the numbers. Seems much less dry than most finance jobs.

For other alternatives, there are lots of jobs in "big data" nowadays - many listings for "data scientist". A very different environment, but not tied to finance.
 

Pionart

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 17, 2014
Messages
4,039
MBTI Type
NiFe
What about finance jobs is disagreeable to you? My suggestion was specific, in that it is one of the (few?) jobs in finance that lets you work with ordinary folks on a day to day basis, and must take into account their values and priorities as well as the numbers. Seems much less dry than most finance jobs.

For other alternatives, there are lots of jobs in "big data" nowadays - many listings for "data scientist". A very different environment, but not tied to finance.

I think a lot of it is because it seems tied in with a "love of money" sort of thing, but I am probably getting that idea from other kinds of finance jobs, so I'll keep the one you mentioned in mind.
 

Coriolis

Si vis pacem, para bellum
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Messages
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I think a lot of it is because it seems tied in with a "love of money" sort of thing, but I am probably getting that idea from other kinds of finance jobs, so I'll keep the one you mentioned in mind.
Working for the big banks and finance companies is probably like that. It can be like that working with individual clients, but that is more up to the individual advisor. I work with a financial advisor who left her original company because they were pushing her to take on wealthier clients and make certain kinds of investments, whether that made sense for the clients or not. She enjoys working with ordinary folks of limited means, helping them make the most of their wealth and earnings, for their kids and their future.

A bigger question, IME, is whether you enjoy financial math as much as the more scientific/engineering math. Unless you are a teacher, if you work with math in your career you are probably applying it to some field. Choose a field that interests you, then start looking for jobs within it.
 
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