[ENTP] How should an ENTP choose a career?

[Tamske]

Staying at school forever... that was my intention for a few years. Not caring about when I would have to get responsible or something like that.
But suddenly I wanted to get SETTLED. Have a fixed, constant job. Not wandering around any more.
Of course, this SJ-like ambition didn't last too long. Only long enough to get the job and the house. Now I want to become a writer.

 

[wintersun]

Nemo, bolded parts, fully agree.

Agreed with the travel part. In my job, I have that. Have lived in 4 different cities in the last 3-5 years. And in between, have been travelling, as the money and vacation affords that. Blessings in disguise.

And share the same on authority. I don't want to rule, but I want autonomy. It is hard to explain that to others though.

Re working with people: Yes, but not in a position where I have to sustain contact. I realised I work best where I can go in on a deal basis, and not have to be involved in servicing the client e.g. daily, via phone, email, visits. I like the thrill of going in for one big deal, the intense preparations, late hours, and the real pitch... then the shut off afterwards where you work a normal 8 hours...

Also, a mentor is important for me, in my career. Someone I could look up to, who'd understand that while I have a lot to offer, I need guidance. Observing how others do it works best for me.

A team environment too. Working alone would drive me crazy - I need the inputs from others to fire up.

Also, this sounds silly, but a bit of a challenge. I've realised I tend to pick difficult tasks and jobs, where few go in. Perhaps that is the fool in me. But to do something where everyone can do, somehow doesn't appeal, even though it is safer, saner, more stable.

Edit: CC, I think as a teacher, it could work, depending on how much autonomy you had to teach the students in the way you wanted to. There is an MIT physics professor, his name slips me now, known for doing crazy stunts in class. If we could teach in an inimitable way, I think it could be attractive.

ENTPs is about breathing new life to old forms.

I totally hear you ! Perhaps because I am also in finance. Started in relationship in a prestigious firm, somehow found that bending over backward all the time was a bit discouraging, so I jumped at opportunity to analytical role in the trading floor. Since then have generally been within trading arena, now have had enough of it I wanted out to see real people.

Very much want to ask what role you were doing in finance by the time you wrote this ? I had a year working as consultant based in London, flying in and out every week but found it rather lonely at the end. Plus the work I did was mathematical that bored me to the core. At the moment I am pulling any strings I have to go back to relationships, but have to admit that like you I enjoy jumping in for the kill, then get out and move on to next target, not quite 100% relationship type.

 

[teslashock]

 

[1104]

it's what everyone wants, but if you give more weight to "interest" than salary, to answer your question, a dartboard's your best bet.

by which i mean don't do that. everyone should choose their career by first accepting fact that they'll never be satisfied with their career. exception to NFs and heiresses.

 

[ENTPBill]

Being Ne primary means you're fascinated by pretty much everything. And you're also usually, potentially good at everything too. If you settle in one thing, you deny life to all the other parts of your potential. Whatever you do, the parts of you that could be doing something else and pwning it just as much, are being denied expression. Because so much time and resources are necessary to work your way to success in any one career, effectively the world's saying to you, "Pick one!"

But you just can't.

I too joined this site just to respond to this (very old) post.

That pretty much describes me to a "T"... I'm so fascinated with the world that it is very difficult for me to stay focused on on thing, once I fully understand it.

As others have said I also suffer from the "Don't want to lead, don't want to be led" syndrome... I function best with a great deal of autonomy, and the vision of what's desired.

The folks who know me often comment on the number of jobs, even careers I've had over the past 35 or so years... They seem to think it was all some grand plan I had... the reality is, I've simply drifted from one job/occupation to another as the opportunities were presented to me.

So, in short, I never picked one career. Instead, when something of interest came along, I jumped on it and owned it until the next one came along.

At the moment, I'm in a very strange place... the job I've loved for the past 18 or so months is being eliminated, and the job their placing me in is just not a fit. For the first time in my life there's not something else interesting on the horizon. Well there is, but it's over a 1,000 miles away, and moving right now, would be very difficult financially, for many reasons.

I know I can 'do' the new job, but, I'll be totally miserable in it within a month. I don't know about other ENTP's, but, for me, being miserable in a job, with nothing solid to move too tends to take me to about as depressed a place as I ever reach.

How do others deal with this sort of thing, short of just quitting and looking for the next opportunity later? In my 20's, 30's and even early 40's that's what I did... seems, for one reason or another I'm hesitant to do that this time (in my late 50's).

 

[Hellz]

Okay this thread has been silenced awhile but . . .

I was googling "ENTP careers" and this thread came up. I do not normally participate in Forums and thread conversations, but this one might actually help me.

I am a young ENTP, and am not sure what I want to do in life.

I am worried about [my] future. I want to do as many things in life as humanly possible. Which I think is making things a lot harder on Myself. I want to do three or four careers simultaneously, rather then one job for the rest of my life.

When I look at which careers I would like to do, with every positive aspect, I see 10 Negative aspects and feel discouraged. Maybe I should be a Professional Student. - jokes!!

Anyway, @YoungGun2112, did you manage to figure things out for yourself?

 

[Amethyst]

This is the only way!

I'm still trying to pick a major, let alone a career. I've been from Pre-Med, to Undecided, to Animation, possibly now to Business Administration/Pre-Law.

And old post is old, so this might not matter anymore.

Anywho, I think with a career it'd be best to assess what you want out of it. Is traveling a priority, is stability in the job market a priority, is a high salary a priority? Find jobs that fit your priorities, or at least the possibilities you can think of when going to pick out a job.

Also know that the average person has about 3 different careers in their lifetime, so you're never set to just one career. Find something versatile and able to offer a lot of opportunities...it might help an ENTP mind find some ease.

 

[guesswho]

An ENTP shouldn't choose a career, the career must choose the ENTP.

 

[jd800]

being your own boss..

I feel that is the only route for an ENTP in modern world to be happy...


law would work, but I would think you would want your own office...which takes many grueling years.


Basically, I like ideas, then dropping them... moving on to the next.


I get incredibly bored in one thing too long...


In college I would just take as many subjects as possible and get a "broad" education....

I really don't see ENTP's as specialists, of course they can be, but I don't see them happy being in one special thing with a routine.

 

[jd800]

oh, and as far as school goes... I majored in Political Science and Journalism... but not before switching the major 3-4 times...from computer science, to lit, to econ, to philosophy.....

I already had taught myself to program before going into school... I felt the classes were a waste and switched.

Lit was good, but also thought it was a waste... I can read this stuff on my own.

Political Science taught me the inner workings of the political systems. Journalism taught me how to write well.

I have thought at times about doing an MBA, but it would definitely ONLY be for entreprenuial networking, I think the material is rubbish and intellectually unstimulating.

I'm sure I could do grad school, but that narrow of focus would KILL me.

Have also thought about Law and the doors that it would open, though I would not want to be a lawyer itself, would use it to do consulting, politics, or wide variety of things. I certainly would not want to drudge away at some conformist big law firm...

loving some of the comments in this thread by the way...

I think as far as ideas go, what separates ENTP's from some others is that we can use the T to see the bad idea. Where as an F or J might just keep following through on it. I am extremely quick to drop something if I come to the logical outcome in my head.

So, on that note, any succesful ENTP lawyers, who don't necessarily "practice law"

I see both the law degree and mba as only routes to a world that I am currently not in, though something about those worlds seems odd to me, as I am pretty non comforist in the same sense.

 

[Kenneth Almighty]

I say know your goals, and then build a career around those goals. Otherwise you're inevitably going to sacrifice non-deliberately one thing or another from a given template.

Like, here is my Grand Plan.

I wanted something that was inter-disciplinary, and helped people, and made cool stuff. Like most of you here I also wanted to constantly learn.

I fucking cried when I saw this: http://www.miqel.com/fuller_design_science/design_science_basics.html

There aren't a lot of people who have that job description now, because like being a Renaissance Man, it's more of a lifestyle than anything. But now I knew it was possible, in some shape or form, Buckminster Fuller being the epitome.

So the way I'm doing it is that I'll be a CADS, but not constantly. I'd try to maneuver myself in most industries so that I can design products they want/need to fix an ecological or poverty problem, and that I can get teams together to do this based on my contacts. Very interdisciplinary, you'd travel to survey the resources in an area etc. It's hefty, but I've seen the promised land.

But then you need fallbacks. I got inspired by Tim Ferris' Four-Hour Workweek to try and set up a passive income, somehow. I'm guessing video games. Enough said.

And make sure that your hobbies contribute to your income, even if its only mildly. Obviously they should be open enough and money shouldn't be that big of a deal at that point (either due to your financial security or your willingness to forgo some pleasures), as otherwise you'd eventually lose enjoyment.

So basically my financial life will take three tiers: the first tier being a commission job, which could occasionally get relegated during my education (ultimately my education would fuel this dream, so this is OK); the second tier being a passive income job, which demands minimal micromanaging while still pulling in moolah (this is fallback if the first goes under; and finally a hobby-job, which is the ultimate

And if this is too much, outsource to India (thank you Tim Ferris).

I guess what I'm trying to say is don't be afraid to work, not when the best pleasures in life are free (books at a library, which can be requested for; the love of a girlfriend who knows your going somewhere etc) and anything else is basically a bonus. People can and will bear a lot for their dreams and we should be no exception. It's also OK to have a gazillion dreams because you can basically go anywhere, not regret it, and if you do switch to another one. Having that passive source of income and a hobby you're always interested in fuels whatever the first tier job is.

So good luck.

K. Almighty

PS All of this is moot because I'm 18 and failing high school

 

[lunalum]

ENTP? Career? Choose???

My 'career' list is probably at about 7 now... and if I became any more extraverted, I'd probably need to instantly expand it to about 50

So first I am wondering, is choosing necessary?

And if not, how can one make multiple careers work?

And if so, how in the world does an NTP choose? Does it need to come down to the throw of a dart or slips from a hat?

 

[yenom]

Corporate Raider

Like Carl Icahn
Make shitloads killing inefficient companies.

 

[PH.]

And if so, how in the world does an NTP choose? Does it need to come down to the throw of a dart or slips from a hat?

I don't choose because I always have one preference at the time. I have a very broad interest but I always know what I want to do right now. All the other possibilities are mere posibilities of the future. I just do what I feel most comfortable, happiest and intelectually challenged with.

I haven't had the faintest focus on career yet. I'm studying at the moment and I think I will keep doing that for a long time. After I've finished this one I might study philosophy or biomedical sciences or something like that.

 

[theadoor]

After years of switching my most radical ideas of the future profession, I've decided that i'm going to study... in a liberal arts college, so I can delay my choice for another couple of years


P.S. That's what I'm thinking now, we'll see what tomorrow will bring

 

[guesswho]

I'm compelled to repeat:


Flip a coin!

 

[INTJMom]

The link has changed slightly...
https://www.iusb.edu/career-services/rsrc-mbti.php

 

[A window to the soul]

Kiss these...

 

[Gamine]

Plinko. The game from The Price is Right.

 

[A window to the soul]

Plinko. The game from The Price is Right.