[INFJ] INFJ Careers

[Alice97]

According to 16personalities.com, INFJs are well suited to careers in psychology and healthcare, such as Life Coaching and Counseling. Do you INFJs agree? Disagree? What do you do for a living and how does it fit with your personality?

 

[Ryso89]

Going on 27, musician / artist who doesn't make enough money to make a sustainable living off of the sale of underground music. I have a night job stocking shelves.

Fuck careers, I tried a few of them and got shut down hard by the path that was chosen for me, because I was ignoring my passions attempting to go for "noble" professions. So essentially, along side of my artistic pursuits, I'm lucky enough to be able to make ends meet. Maybe one day I'll find something else, but until then, I must write / record and release.

I went to CC, and I've intentionally avoided being in debt because I was never very sure of what I wanted to do for work when I was taking classes. Luckily, I don't have any debt at all. I don't want to be in school for 15 years just to be able to be a psychologist, something that is natural for me to begin with. I don't want to have to prove to an institution that I'm "capable" or "smart enough" (e.i, look good enough on paper) to be able to help others. I refuse to go to college for that.

If anything, I would maybe one day like to a spiritual teacher / healer of some variation, but yet again, fuck university for that kind of shit. The United States education system is into feeding out of the pockets of it's students. It's a money making business, and I don't want to have to be in debt just to be able to do something that's natural to me.

 

[Artisan]

(the reference of the OP: https://www.16personalities.com/infj-careers )

Do you INFJs agree? Disagree?

In some of the things I agree, but there is something that is not mentioned. And that is that by working 24/7 with people we will burn out and change careers if possible later on.

The key thing here is this:
"to be truly happy, they need to be able to exercise their insightfulness and independence, learn and grow alongside the people they are helping, and contribute to the well-being of humanity on a personal level."

I think we are suited to whatever offers this and allows us to do said things in our own way. It does not need to be our primary career though.

What do you do for a living and how does it fit with your personality?

Well right now I'm a student in the Visual Arts. I intend to work a few years, save up a little and get the connections I need to freelance from home and grow my own food.
When that is achieved, I intend to freelance from home, and in the summer tend to a fish pond with fish to sell
I'd then supplement my earnings through projects and hobbies that will generate me relatively passive income or earn me back a little of their costs on the side.

Now you might wonder, where the hell is his helping the people factor? It is there in my own way.
But I need to make sure I have some time for those things, and that's why the freelancing from home

I'd like to do the occasional personal projects that make people feel and think about things, and through that make a difference.
The dog I want I intend to train for Search and Rescue in case someone is lost so I can help the police find them.
The extra veggies and fruits I grow I intend to give to those in need of it.
I intend to make youtube channels on which I share my knowledge through making tutorials/video lessons, and share timelapses of my working on things.
And should I do fairly well for myself then I'd like to consider giving the occasional talk on schools about what I do and how to get started.

I think my plan fits in great with my personality. A lot of INFJ's a bit later in life start longing for the countryside for some peace and quiet, pursuing their own interests and as low stress as possible. Usually because helping people with their problems and issues day in and day out actually wears us down faster than most types because of our generally high levels of empathy. Helping others does us good, but at the same time, seeing people hurting or in need of our assistance in the first place takes a toll. My plan simply aim's for going for that refuge from the outset. It's a couple of years early compared to when most INFJ's go down that route, but in fact whilst I have gone onto this path even earlier, with hindsight and knowledge at the time on how to best go about it, I might have been at it more than 5 years ago already. But that's life, you don't know everything beforehand and when you find out that kinda sucks but you will take it to heart, learn to recognise crossroads in the future and most important of all, you try to pass this knowledge/insight along. ^^

 

[Sunrise]

I started out my career as a Licensed Professional Counselor with a bachelors in psychology and sociology and then a masters in counseling. Was in private practice and worked for a public mental health facility, but too many late night crisis line calls, too many "lost" people that I couldn't help, too many heart wrenching stories and memories on a psychological autopsy that will never leave of people's pain, particularly the ones who survived whatever tragic events they went through. After seven years someone called me out of the blue and offered me a job as a Human Resources Director. Much less stress now on the job, but I can work fairly independently, deal with legal issues, document and write, help people, deal with tough issues, take on challenges....all the kinds of things that career indicators for INFJs point to. I wish I could have stayed in counseling, but it was just to hard to peel myself away from the emotions other people had.

 

[invisible]

I'm a very crappy artist, my art is more important than anything, I need to have a career that can allow me to have the security I need to create my dreadful art during my time off, that will not destroy me from the inside out. Being with people is too difficult, they are so intensely demanding and unforgiving, I have worked in very busy and complex customer service environments for a long time, I am completely burned out and can't face any type of customers anymore, if I have to answer a phone right now I will scream and it's been months since I answered phones. Being with people is draining, exhausting. I need to work with human things, things about people, I did an undergrad in literature because it's what I love and I thought it would lead to something, and I'm now completing a postgrad in library services. I want to be a public servant. I want to work with information objects and making them accessible to people who can grow by interacting with them. It still has a human people element, but I'm away from people. I learned from previous work I did that I'm very good at showing people what is engaging about information objects, displaying their appeal, showing their beauty and making them approachable, rather than stuffy and intimidating and frightening. I want people to learn and open their minds by discovering new ideas, by encountering information and discovering something new in a way that will delight them and make them feel good about learning. This is something that I can care about and believe in that won't devour my soul.

 

[invisible]

PS University should be "free", or paid for by tax-subsidised loans that are provided by the government and accrue no interest, and only have to be paid back if you receive a certain level of remuneration. Just my humble opinion regarding accessible education, I understand and respect that others may have reasons to disagree.

 

[Pyrrhula]

I went down the science route as my parents persuaded me not to do art (which I was good at). Luckily, I enjoyed biology too and had a love for birds.

I'm a (radar) ornithologist. I've had some adventures: getting up at dawn to do bird surveys on the moors, coast, in forests and on farms; chasing baby birds around fields to catch them before the farmers ploughed; radio-tracking birds; and using marine radar to monitor migration (my current job!). There are some bits of my current job that I don't like (it's not all conservation). I wouldn't say it's perfect. However, it was made permanent recently, which is great as I've had temporary and voluntary positions for the last 6 years. I can settle down now, hopefully.

 

[invisible]

I went down the science route as my parents persuaded me not to do art (which I was good at). Luckily, I enjoyed biology too and had a love for birds.

I'm a (radar) ornithologist. I've had some adventures: getting up at dawn to do bird surveys on the moors, coast, in forests and on farms; chasing baby birds around fields to catch them before the farmers ploughed; radio-tracking birds; and using marine radar to monitor migration (my current job!). There are some bits of my current job that I don't like (it's not all conservation). I wouldn't say it's perfect. However, it was made permanent recently, which is great as I've had temporary and voluntary positions for the last 6 years. I can settle down now, hopefully.

That sounds awesome. Congrats on being made permanent. Are there any less enjoyable parts of your work that are suitable for mentioning? Just curious.

 

[ZcM4xzkjgzCjytBc]

Idealistic hobo

 

[Free]

What do you do for a living and how does it fit with your personality?

I have a Bachelor's in nursing and a Master's in clinical psychology. I am a night-shift ER nurse and also have a pet research project for the prevention and treatment of ALZ, dementias, and mental illness/disorders. Being a nurse fits my personality very well in such that I enjoy the mystery that is the human body, I revel in the science, but ultimately being able to help people and being an advocate for them to make their lives even a tad better is the most gratifying thing I have experienced. It is the reason why I still do what I do, no matter how draining it becomes emotionally or physically.

 

[Pyrrhula]

That sounds awesome. Congrats on being made permanent. Are there any less enjoyable parts of your work that are suitable for mentioning? Just curious.

Thank you I work for the government, so a lot of the work is wildlife management (human/wildlife conflict). This involves control and killing sometimes, unfortunately

 

[Pyrrhula]

I have a Bachelor's in nursing and a Master's in clinical psychology. I am a night-shift ER nurse and also have a pet research project for the prevention and treatment of ALZ, dementias, and mental illness/disorders. Being a nurse fits my personality very well in such that I enjoy the mystery that is the human body, I revel in the science, but ultimately being able to help people and being an advocate for them to make their lives even a tad better is the most gratifying thing I have experienced. It is the reason why I still do what I do, no matter how draining it becomes emotionally or physically.

Sounds great. I started off doing biomedical science as I was interested in how the human body works. I sometimes wish I had a more people-orientated job.

 

[invisible]

Thank you I work for the government, so a lot of the work is wildlife management (human/wildlife conflict). This involves control and killing sometimes, unfortunately

Emotionally rough. Good on you.

 

[invisible]

I have a Bachelor's in nursing and a Master's in clinical psychology. I am a night-shift ER nurse and also have a pet research project for the prevention and treatment of ALZ, dementias, and mental illness/disorders. Being a nurse fits my personality very well in such that I enjoy the mystery that is the human body, I revel in the science, but ultimately being able to help people and being an advocate for them to make their lives even a tad better is the most gratifying thing I have experienced. It is the reason why I still do what I do, no matter how draining it becomes emotionally or physically.

Huge strength, courage and conviction... It's not just the "grand" gestures that matter after all, those are just the ones that for whatever reason get the "glory"

 

[Scientia]

Idealistic hobo

How much do you earn and is it primarily in bottle deposits?

 

[Free]

Sounds great. I started off doing biomedical science as I was interested in how the human body works. I sometimes wish I had a more people-orientated job.

If I hadn't turned it into my very own crusade for personal reasons, I would have done something exactly like what you're doing. Biomed science is wonderful, but so are all the life sciences.

 

[Vicarious]

I have an Associate's degree in nursing and I work night shift in long-term care unit for people with Dementia/Alzheimer's. I have a passion for mental health but perhaps may switch to emergency care in the future, after I obtain my bachelor's degree. As far as how it fits my personality, [MENTION=13729]Free[/MENTION] summed it up pretty well. Granted, I'm an INFP, but it still fits. I enjoy working with dementia residents, as opposed to the general population residents because every day (or night) is unpredictable. You never know what you're walking into at the start of the shift, and I grow bored with too much monotony. This would also apply if I were to switch to emergency nursing. I absolutely hated clinical on the med/surg units, so I definitely hope I never have to work on one at any point in time. Also, none of the residents notice how incredibly awkward I can be when it comes to conversation and most of my coworkers and aides are just as quirky as I am. They say it takes a "special kind of person" to work with people who have dementia on a regular basis, and I think a little weirdness may play a role in that.

 

[ashishkk]

I agree with that. I used to do career counselling sometimes where i was previously working. But my main job was suppose to be a software developer instead the institution put me in teaching department where i realized that i am not a good teacher.

 

[Freyja]

I'm a Sales Representative in the Vitamin/Supplement industry (like a real company, not that pyramid scheme nonsense). It doesn't fit me at all and if I wasn't selling things that were actually good for people I wouldn't do it. The thing is I hardly really do any "selling" - I'm much more into helping and educating. I hope someday that helping/educating will be what I do to make money more directly - and not just something that I fit into what I'm actually supposed to be doing.
I was majoring in Psych for a while in college but ended up feeling like it was a big investment with time and money to make no money and just listen to people complain all day. I also think that most people are depressed because they are nutrient-deficient and/or because our world is so fucked. Listening to them and trying to help them think about things differently isn't going to help with that!

 

[INFJSIGMA]

I've been through about 12 years of addiction. I went to rehab for a year, and recently completed. I'm studying next year to get my qualifications to be a Drug and Alcohol case worker. I want to help others change their lives as I have. I have a passion for the psychology, and my own personal growth.

I know the huge toll this could take, and the chances of burning out. Luckily I am approaching this in my early 30's, and not earlier. It takes a huge amount of self-awareness and understanding to undertake something like this.. Must have an understanding that I can't save everyone, or change the world.

Think it pays off that I've done my own program, self-development and understand the rehab process and personalities. I need limits, boundaries, and a way to get fullfilment from the job, without needing to overly-attach to clients or the outcomes.

Makes complete sense that I identified with this career, though....being a VERY strong INFJ