Career Suggestions | INFJ Forum

Career Suggestions

Indie.J

Indie.J

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Jul 10, 2009
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I've finally gotten to the point in my school life where the subjects I choose to study affect my university courses and future career. I'm good at academics as well as creativity and enjoy both. I just can't make a decision on what to do though and there aren't that many people with different occupations around me. Most of my family and family friends are teachers but I don't want to be a school teacher.

So I'm wondering what sort of occupations you guys are involved in, or what you would recommend. I know they might not be the occupations for me but a little insight into a wide range of occupations would go a long way for me. It's very important to me that I enjoy what I do and fact sheets don't really measure up to hearing from someone with real experience. :)

Any suggestion will be appreciated. I'm being as open minded as I can so hopefully I can find a job/career path that I like most aspects of and meets my lifestyle needs. Hence any information on how your career fits into your lifestyle would also be great.
 
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I don't think I can help as I've never found a career I like. I am a substitute teacher, but I could never be a full time teacher. I like teaching, but wouldn't be able to handle all the meetings and bureaucracy. I'm also a freelance administrative assistant, but the work is mostly boring.

I'd like a career where I get to do what I want to do, when I want to do it, and make some money from it.
 
goldfinch said:
I don't think I can help as I've never found a career I like. I am a substitute teacher, but I could never be a full time teacher. I like teaching, but wouldn't be able to handle all the meetings and bureaucracy. I'm also a freelance administrative assistant, but the work is mostly boring.

I'd like a career where I get to do what I want to do, when I want to do it, and make some money from it.
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I can't think of anyone who wouldn't
 
It depends on how long you want to go to school and maybe what your ultimate "dream" is. I'd go to this website (it can help): www.bls.gov. It's the Bureau of Labor & Statistics website for US jobs. It has every job classified in a myriad of ways. If you type "writer" in the search category, it'll bring up every job that uses a writer. Type "Counselor" and same thing. It's very, very handy and it can help you broaden your search within different types of jobs.

And really? The type of job doesn't matter as long as you can use your skills to the best of your ability. Me, I discovered I could not do anything that caused me to be more extroverted than the average job and I could not do anything that required extreme detail-oriented work. I've had those two types of jobs and I nearly did myself in.

Right now I'm working as an academic advisor, which means I help students in their college careers (and sometimes beyond). I love my job. The paper work I can do without (and the pay is kind of sad), but I love my students. I love when I can help them go forward in college, and I get to see them begin as baby freshmen - then they grow up all the way up to graduating, giddy seniors.

Awesome!

ETA: Use this link: http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm
 
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Ah - it's kind of tough, but the search bar ( the one that actually says "search bls.gov" at the veeeeery top right-hand corner will allow you to type a career. Then it'll return a list of different possibilities on the site. It used to have a better search engine, but meh. Cutbacks, maybe.

But THIS: The Occupational Handbook (http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm) is much, much better. That hand book is what I'm used to seeing.
 
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Thanks Arby, you've been a big help already! It's so annoying trying to find some decent information on careers.

Shai Gar said:
Considered Legal studies, Science, and Politics?
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I'm considering science. I'm not really someone who has the attention span for legalities.
At the moment I'm seriously considering medical practitioning or architecture. Some sort of counselling job sounds like something I'd enjoy as well.
 
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Cutbacks? Once something's created on a webpage, it takes no effort to maintain it.
 
Even though I don't have a career yet, I'm trying to get into counseling.
 
My grandma went into social work instead of counselling because she said the methods suited her better. I'm not really sure what the overall difference between social work and counselling is though.
 
I hate every single career!!!!! (there, I admitted it <.<). I don't know. I have almost 2 months left to make my mind and I'm just hating the world. I think I'll end up studying psychology, though I'm not sure it'll meet my expectations.
 
v.shadow said:
I hate every single career!!!!! (there, I admitted it <.<). I don't know. I have almost 2 months left to make my mind and I'm just hating the world. I think I'll end up studying psychology, though I'm not sure it'll meet my expectations.
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i'm where you're at
 
v.shadow said:
I have almost 2 months left to make my mind and I'm just hating the world. I think I'll end up studying psychology, though I'm not sure it'll meet my expectations.
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This is a prime example of INFJ idealism, and I can completely relate to this. Over the course of my life, I have considered working for the police, being an archaeologist, working for NASA, and the CIA. Though these careers are seemingly unrelated, they are all mentally challenging, different, and in some way connected to the progress of mankind. However, though they all held my interest, what bothered me was that they seemed to lack an aspect of humanity that I sought.

Indie.J said:
I'm considering science. I'm not really someone who has the attention span for legalities.
At the moment I'm seriously considering medical practitioning or architecture. Some sort of counselling job sounds like something I'd enjoy as well.
Click to expand...

And yes. Then I discovered science. My final decision came when arriving at a presentation by Doctors Without Borders. If you're not familiar with the name, it's an international medical humanitarian organization that provides free health care to countries in a state of emergency. Similar to Red Cross, this organization is made up primarily of medical practitioners who travel the globe in an effort to relieve those who otherwise stand no chance against the odds of survival.

A surgeon working for Doctors Without Borders, or MSF. That is my future. It's risky, challenging, intellectually stimulating, and involves constant change. It requires commitment as well as integrity and compassion. To me, it is the most direct way to utilize my talents toward the bettering of this world. It allows me to involve myself, and advocate for what I think is good and just. To stand up, and give a voice to those from which it has been taken. It allows me to appreciate, realize, and live a life not taken for granted. Think about it. Any work with a non-governmental organization would be interesting to many INFJs. Aim high if you want. Work for the United Nations.

Whatever you do, just take action. The world won`t wait for you.
 
I certainly hope they took some sort of action since the last post in this thread was made--5 years ago!
 
I have one highly uncomfortable question to ask, if I am allowed to [MENTION=1429]Indie.J[/MENTION]
 
I am completely set on being a doctor. Ideally I'd end up helping women in Africa, but if I get married or have kids that probably won't happen. It's a big commitment though, but I've volunteered at hospitals and I like the atmosphere. I've seen lots of surgeries and I know I have the personality and dedication for it. The thing I've noticed is that there are a great number of introverted doctors, so I know I'd feel comfortable. This also fulfills my need for intellectual stimulation as well as my desire to help people. I also think I'll be single fo lyfe, so the money doesn't hurt. :)
 
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