Part One: Careers (Don't Miss Part Two Below!!)
If you read this blog at all, you have probably already figured out that the one area of my life that costs me the most amount of sleep is trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. That is not entirely true: more narrowly, it is what career I want to have when I graduate from college.
Last semester, when I took an Interpersonal Communication class, my teacher made everyone take a version of the Myers-Briggs Personality Test, according to Carl Jung, (pronounced "Young"). That test determined that I am an INTJ personality type; they also gave a percentage for the strength of each preference:
I-Introverted (44%)
N-iNtuitive (38%)
T-Thinking (100%)
J-Judging (22%)
The description was all very interesting, and impressively accurate. Curious to find out if my personality type had changed since last semester, I took the test again a few days ago. Depending on which version I took, I was either still diagnosed as an INTJ (and quite proud of it!), or as an ISTJ. The S denotes Sensing; S's are more "by the book", live by straight fact, and like to function in a highly structured manner. I read the profiles of ISTJs and found them to be slightly less accurate than the INTJ, but it was a fine line.
---I inquired my uncle, who is a professional psychologist, on the different types. He told me that I am considered an IXTJ (which is a technical term). He explained that that area of my personality is on the fence, and that as I grow and mature, my personality will gravitate stronger to one side. (He also noted that I'm barely old enough for the personality type to even apply. He is not aware that I am quite an old soul, far beyond my years in many ways.)---
The main reason I wanted to retake the test, however, was because I wanted to identify the careers best indicated for my personality type. I'll admit I was disappointed by what I discovered. The careers listed were: Computer Programming, Natural Science/Natural Science Education, Engineering, Management, Entrepreneurship, Law, and Librarian.*
Unsatisfied by these suggestions, I decided to do more research to find some different options. Another site stated**
"Popular careers for the INTJ include:
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The only careers from this list that sound remotely interesting (and feasible) to me are a pilot, a writer, or a columnist/critic. Two categories I can sort the remaining careers into are:
1. Careers that I could not do, (computer programmer, systems analyst, software developer, engineer, architect, and graphic designer); and
2. Careers that I could, but would not do: (all the rest)
While I still believe the INTJ profiles to be more accurate, I nonetheless researched careers for an ISTJ. I found that none were any more enticing than what the INTJ had to offer; they were pretty much the same.
The thing is, is that I am entirely capable of doing a lot of those intense and well-paying jobs, and I know I would be very good at them; I just don't think that I would enjoy them. I don't want to put myself in a job that I hate, that I am bored with, that I'm "stuck" in, or that binds me. To me, all of that extra money is not worth hating my job. What would be the point?
*http://www.humanmetrics.com/vocation/JCI.asp?EI=-44&SN=-38&TF=100&JP=22
**http://www.personalitydesk.com/intj-type-description.php
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