[MBTI General] Jobs, careers...advice, or shared experiences welcome

[peeper]

Hello,
as a new member, I'm still finding my way around, so I apologise if I'm posting this thread in the wrong place...or if someone has covered this topic adequately elsewhere.

I'm struggling to find a way towards a new career or some sort of day to day work that feels genuinely fulfilling, and I'm hoping other INFJ's here might divulge the work they do and talk a little about why they do or don't like it.

I've recently realized I'm an INFJ, after testing as an INFP for a long time, it finally became clear that I'm actually very J. I think I may differ from the 'typical' descriptions of an INFJ, I'm really not psychic at all, and I may come off rather T at times, but I am certainly Ni dom, with Ti, both of which make me rather intense at times, I am a sharer though - anyone else find it easy to share their feelings with others? Sadly I may share too much - it can certainly be very hard for me to not appear exactly how I feel - for this reason I am rather forthcoming about my thoughts and feelings - it's almost by way of explaining my grave countenance!

Anyway, I'm searching (aren't we all) for some insight into my future. I am a librarian by training, but I'm a nanny right now. I married a US citizen two years ago & had to abandon my career in the USA because my qual is not valid here. I'm reluctant to pay a lot of money to do my qualification again, as I think it was time for me to move on anyway. I do enjoy writing, it's a great release for me, but don't feel like it's an ideal way to earn a living, and I'm neither productive nor particularly talented (but have no real idea as I have never shown anyone my work).

I suppose I'm simply interested in hearing some stories, but any advice from fellow NF's would be much appreciated!

 

[peeper]

To clarify - I'm curious to know if other INFJ's have experienced a lot of confusion in their careers? (It seems to be an INFJ tendency).
Did it take a long time to find something that felt right, that exercised your talents, and respected your need for both withdrawal and connection?

 

[Such Irony]

Not an INFJ but I think it's common among INFJs and many other types. INFJs search for a deeper meaning and significance in things, including careers. They want careers that are personally meaningful and allow them to do something good for society. They probably aren't going to be too happy with many of the jobs out there because they are too bureaucratic or don't give them opportunity to exercise their NF preferences.

I'm a librarian so I am always interested in others who chose to pursue that path. What type of library training did you have? Are thinking about going back to work in a library someday? What country did you get your degree in?

 

[peeper]

Hello, thanks for your reply! I'm Australian, and I have something similar to a Masters in Library Science, but it's a bit different. I don't love working in libraries anymore, although if someone offered a job to me right now, I would gladly take it. I'm considering looking for work as a researcher/archivist, as employers seem less strict about qualifications...but who knows...it seems there are so many budget cuts and poorly paid positions it actually might be better off financially for me to stay a nanny. Did you always want to be a librarian?

 

[Z39.50]

I am a INFJ librarian, who certainly empathizes with your situation. There is a lot of uncertainty in the library world, especially career-wise for librarians, this coupled with an INFJ personality type can be confusing, not some insurmountable wall, but a little much at times. I do think that librarians have many wonderful transferable skills that translate well to other fields, if the going gets tough in the job hunt progress. I am currently in a very competitive and conservative corporate climate, that I am dying to get out of. No one has hired me yet in the non-profit world, but I am sticking at it. I have a feeling that INFJs can be good library administrators, there are a lot of jobs at the top, not as many mid to entry level positions. You may be able to write yourself into a management position and create a great esprit de corps for your organization. Best of luck to you!!

 

[Such Irony]

I am a INFJ librarian, who certainly empathizes with your situation. There is a lot of uncertainty in the library world, especially career-wise for librarians, this coupled with an INFJ personality type can be confusing, not some insurmountable wall, but a little much at times. I do think that librarians have many wonderful transferable skills that translate well to other fields, if the going gets tough in the job hunt progress. I am currently in a very competitive and conservative corporate climate, that I am dying to get out of. No one has hired me yet in the non-profit world, but I am sticking at it. I have a feeling that INFJs can be good library administrators, there are a lot of jobs at the top, not as many mid to entry level positions. You may be able to write yourself into a management position and create a great esprit de corps for your organization. Best of luck to you!!

I may end up going into another field where I can transfer my skills. I don't think I want to go into library management. Managers have to put up with alot of difficult customers and employees. I'm not so good at handling difficult people situations. I already tend to hand them off to someone more competent with that sort of thing. Plus I don't like doing alot of paperwork or budgeting type stuff.

 

[Spiritual Science]

I'm a college graduate with an English degree working as a line cook! I don't really like it, but in this part of the country the restaurant industry is pretty much the only industry. I majored in English because I liked reading, but in reality it was just a default major--I basically could tolerate it and didn't hate it. I thought for awhile about getting into the editing industry, but I realize now that in my textual editing class that I took to graduate, that I really didn't enjoy all the nitty gritty details involved. Same thing with cooking: I'm a good cook, but the little boring details involved in lots of it just end up annoying me. If it tastes good, who cares about anything else?

Anyways, sorry for the rant. This thread is about you, not me. I just thought it might help you to know others are going through similar situations. Right now, I am planning on going back to school for a second bachelor's degree in biology to pursue alternative health care.

My advice to you is to look deeply into what it is you care about. Everyone cares about something, whether they like to admit it or not. Plan for your future, but don't get too caught up in possibilities. Being Ni, we IN's can get easily confused about our own potentials. I can imagine myself doing many things, and in reality almost no one has the same career their whole lives. With your career, this is a good place to be selfish. What do YOU want? Don't worry about what others will think. I personally end up confusing myself when I start worrying about what my family, friends, or society will think about my career choice.

You gotta do what ya gotta do.