Personality type and career

[Satya]

Are there certain careers that a personality type would almost never be involved in?

A few members on the forum seem quite determined that I am an INTP, but my greatest criticism of this charge is that I'm a social worker. It isn't just that social work is a caring profession. Social work usually takes place within bureaucracies with rigid hierarchies, requires mundane, routine paperwork, and requires formal interaction. That all considered, I can't imagine an INTP would choose, let alone want to work as a social worker.

I also can't imagine an INFJ working in a slaughter house or an ENTJ working as a daycare attendant. There just seems to be some places that you think personality types simply would be unhappy.

Thoughts?

 

[Reon]

Are there certain careers that a personality type would almost never be involved in?

A few members on the forum seem quite determined that I am an INTP, but my greatest criticism of this charge is that I'm a social worker. It isn't just that social work is a caring profession. Social work usually takes place within bureaucracies with rigid hierarchies, requires mundane, routine paperwork, and requires formal interaction. That all considered, I can't imagine an INTP would choose, let alone want to work as a social worker.

I also can't imagine an INFJ working in a slaughter house or an ENTJ working as a daycare attendant. There just seems to be some places that you think personality types simply would be unhappy.

Thoughts?

I thought the MBTI described cognitive thinking styles, not personality types in the sense that it describes what a person likes, doesn't like, values, and typical background history. If the MBTI is meant to describe personality types, it is obviously flawed because we have many people throughout all the types that somehow manage to 'break' the mold.

With that being said, most MBTI types do seems to bend towards certain career paths. NTs tend to do things that require science but that doesn't mean that they can't also be professional musicians (I know a few.) All people possess the ability to use all of their functions and no matter what career you choose, you are bound to use one of your first functions somehow (And even your 'inferior' function isn't as useless as the name implies it is.) For an intp working in social work you have Ne and Ti which analyzes situations (such as the people you are working with) and understands the bureaucracies and hierarchy and the Fe to care for people. Also, every job is going to have mundane moments and out right redundant paper work for the most part, P =/= inability to deal with routine.

I can see an INFJ working in a slaughter house. People need to eat, like his family, and he wants to make sure the animal gets slaughtered humanely as possible. An ENTJ working as a daycare attendant doesn't seem impossible either, the ENTJ would use his superior Te to organize the individual children, who works when, and what kids need special attention. Also, depending on how well built their Fi is, they might just enjoy the company of children.

 

[Daeledin]

Jump on the band wagon. Go back to school for a BS in chemistry.

 

[Satya]

Excellent explanation. I had not considered that various types would find ways to utilize their strengths within their professions.

It seems pretty obvious since the MBTI is a personality test and not a career test.

 

[Satya]

Jump on the band wagon. Go back to school for a BS in chemistry.

I got a C+ in Chemistry 110. It ain't gonna happen.

 

[Flavus Aquila]

I would dread to have to work in a "team environment," where team-members were expected to interract socially personally. I have seen this kind of environment in mobile-phone stores and the electronics department in department stores. The only way I could handle that kind of work, would be if I were in charge of the group. But even then, commercial work or retail jobs would eventually sap all the life out of me, because there is no significance in your work.

 

[Gaze]

I thought the MBTI described cognitive thinking styles, not personality types in the sense that it describes what a person likes, doesn't like, values, and typical background history. If the MBTI is meant to describe personality types, it is obviously flawed because we have many people throughout all the types that somehow manage to 'break' the mold.

With that being said, most MBTI types do seems to bend towards certain career paths. NTs tend to do things that require science but that doesn't mean that they can't also be professional musicians (I know a few.) All people possess the ability to use all of their functions and no matter what career you choose, you are bound to use one of your first functions somehow (And even your 'inferior' function isn't as useless as the name implies it is.) For an intp working in social work you have Ne and Ti which analyzes situations (such as the people you are working with) and understands the bureaucracies and hierarchy and the Fe to care for people. Also, every job is going to have mundane moments and out right redundant paper work for the most part, P =/= inability to deal with routine.

I can see an INFJ working in a slaughter house. People need to eat, like his family, and he wants to make sure the animal gets slaughtered humanely as possible. An ENTJ working as a daycare attendant doesn't seem impossible either, the ENTJ would use his superior Te to organize the individual children, who works when, and what kids need special attention. Also, depending on how well built their Fi is, they might just enjoy the company of children.

Good points.