Top 6 INTP Careers To Avoid: INTP is one of the rarest personality types on MYERS BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR, making up only 3% of the population. Read detailed INTP personality characteristics here. These unconventional species thirsts for creativity and innovation. And that can be a specifically valuable set of skills for any organization.
But is it really?
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As a logician, any job description rarely fits into your working criteria. As if the “Introverted Intuitiveness” was not enough to drag you away from the chit-chat of people and over-involved managers, your rarity does the rest.
INTP are natural-born thinkers. The quest of chasing patterns in day-to-day life does not leave you with ample career choices to choose from. You view the world as large operating machinery and are driven to find the interconnectedness in-between.
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INTP Workplace Habits
As an INTP, you want a lot more out of your job than just the paycheck. You want something that enlightens you with new ideas and stretches your horizons. Also, you are always open to new information, as long as it is backed by logic and facts.
And to do that, anything around you becomes an obstacle, especially the people. A gossipy co-worker, an overinvolved manager, and dealing with people hinders your creative side.
INTPs love to work alone as they need their space to come up with ideas and unorthodox solutions. However, accompanied by a helping hand that doesn’t peep over your cubicle wall from time-to-time usually brings out the best in you.
INTP employees are a major asset to any organization. They come up with unconventional solutions to problems. And never doubt them because they’ve had a fair exchange of logic in their head before voicing an idea to you.
But seeing the world as it is, not many managers or employers are comfortable giving that kind of freedom away. So, instead of hammering yourself into these typical “work ethics,” find yourself a job that you are better molded for.
Because these jobs will suck the creativity out of you and hammer you into a routine, which you despise the most.
Career Paths To Avoid For INTP
In a nutshell, anything that becomes repetitive upsets you. Jaroslaw Jankowski writes in his book, The Logician, how ENTPS have no liking at all when it comes to responsive work. This is why you will mostly find an ENTP unraveling marvels in archeology, math, tech, and science.
Finding the right career choice for ENTP can truly become daunting. And as the thinker you are, I cannot streamline the career matches for you as you probably know much better. But here is a list of careers you should stay miles away from. So, without further ado, let’s get started!
Clerical Work Jobs
As overwhelming it can become for just about anyone, it becomes suffocating for you. Clerical jobs are mostly entry-level, requiring no qualification higher than a diploma or a high-school degree. Although relevant qualifications may eventually pave the way for climbing up, but not for you!
Dealing with endless paperwork, filing, and directing or attending calls becomes a repeat. Every day you walk into your office, you see the same piles of papers and sleepwalk through organizing them.
The last thing an INTP wants to do is to interact with people, and that too to reset the flow of work. And when you look at any clerical designation, there is nothing but interaction. So, it is a job best left to personalities with more people skills.
As far as you’re concerned, you cannot have much innovation and creativity here other than filing the papers on the left side of your desk instead of the right. And regardless of the paycheck and environment, you’ll find yourself stressed out very soon because of the ongoing loop.
Law Related Jobs
Sure, the law is a fascinating thing to study. From learning the code of conduct and rules to finding the system’s loopholes, it has it all!
But the law in practice is something far different than portrayed by Saul Goodman. You have to interact with a lot of clients and other legal associates. And not only that, there’s the judges, paralegals, legal assistants, and the list goes on.
You probably already know about the point I’m trying to get at. Too many people interactions, again!
However, that’s not the tip of it. Every case and every hearing are different, which means you’ll have to make many spontaneous choices. And that is something INTPs are not very good at. You love to take your time, settle in the facts, and only then arrive at a decision.
But as a lawyer, you have to be a smart-mouth and a quick thinker. Unfortunately, the introverted aspect of your personality doesn’t quite let you fit in the shoes. So, the law is another no-go zone for INTP personalities.
Psychology Related Jobs
INTPs need solitary and calm environments to work in. And that is something that’s least guaranteed in the line of psychiatry.
Studying people and coming up with solutions to their matters doesn’t amuse INTPs a lot. You will have to deal with many different patients with mental health issues daily, and such an emotional interaction drains you of your creative energy.
As an INTP, you’re naturally drawn away from emotions and are a bit sturdy on empathy. And in a field where you must connect and relate to a patient, it takes a massive toll on you.
Your lack of empathy and likeness for truth may even get you a bad name in the field. And more than that, where’s the creativity in all this?
Again, psychology and psychiatry are about studying past cases and concluding new ones based on that information. This work of tally and repeat is not what your creative brains are built for!
Career in Sales Representatives Or Agents
The work environment of any sales job is far from your ideal workplace. You are continually going to be surrounded by large groups of people. It includes your colleagues making up a busy workplace or the customers and clients you have to deal with either in person or over a call.
Stockbrokers and public relations managers have to be thriving in people skills, which you evidently lack. But that’s not why this job isn’t going to be a good fit for you as an INTP.
Your only role is to memorize an approved line and begin your conversations precisely with that. There is nothing more than connecting people to this job, so work merely as a mediator.
Since there are strict quality assurance policies, you’ll have to engage with customers in a strictly predetermined way. And yes, that includes taking a bit of a blow from time to time.
Listening to the unending rings on a phone all day long and fighting your way through dozens of customers to get a single lead gives you no room to grow and be creative. The role to consider would be an analyst in such a firm or a strategist, where you are given enough space to practice your creativity.
Management Jobs
Unlike ENFJ, your counterpart, you are rarely a success at managerial roles. Yes, it gives you a lot of authority and freedom to express your ideas. Still, there is a lot of empathetic interaction required as a manager.
You will have to deal with the varying troubles of employees or your under-commands. And as the stiff emotional barrier you have, it will get harder and harder to understand and cooperate. The “calm” work environment you are so in love with is not what managerial roles offer.
The executive of a firm or company has to excel at internal problem solving, external advertising, quick thinking, and a lot of talking. Neither of which checks off against your personality traits.
However, there is a need for creativity and innovation in the worldwide industries. And that is a perfect place for you to grow and test your creativity. Going for more entrepreneurial designations is much more favorable to you than managerial and executive posts if business fascinates you.
Most of all, managerial roles require strong leadership qualities, which is exactly what you run away from. Being an INTP, you take some time to analyze a situation, relate it to facts, and only then arrive at a decision. And most managerial roles cannot afford that sort of a delay.
Career in Politics
The life of a politician is very rarely not publicized. From the speeches you give at rallies to the places you go out for coffee with family, it is all over the internet and news. It pecks your introverted nature repeatedly and can get too much to bear.
Also, there is a more significant amount of people dealing involved in politics than there is in any other field. Your life revolves around traveling (not the fun type) and addressing large crowds. And not to forget, you have to face quite a criticism regardless of good you are.
Simply put, politics give INTP personalities “a lot” to overthink about drowning themselves in negative emotions. Continuously dealing with people drains you of your energy so much that you have no gas left in store for creativity.
And most of the time, you are likely to be approving projects and campaigns rather than coming up with them. Any thoughts of creativity you might have must first be approved by the legislature, which is usually not very hopeful.
While the role of leadership and such influence might be tempting to most people, they are relatively barren and bland to INTPs, who crave freedom more than anything else.
Ending Thoughts
For INTPs, it more about the work environment than the work itself that bothers them. Finding a job that pushes you to brain-storm and evolves is much better than a hectic paycheck.
The best career matches for INTPs are the ones that appreciate their creativity and allows for freedom, such as school, universities, mathematics, science, etc.
However, the above-mentioned career types do not rule out INTPs for sure. Some INTP are better equipped in adapting to different workplaces, so it’s not a one-fits-all suggestion. But, it’s more based on the personality traits of an INTP.
What Is The Best Career Match For INTP?
The best job for INTP is what values intelligence, allows for independent work, and encourages innovation. Mathematics is one of the only fields that will enable an INTP to practice his creativity by coming up with new and ingenious solutions.
Mathematics grows into engineering and physics, which are one of the favorite environments for INTPs. You will much enjoy working on a hadron collider or any cutting-edge work that is not only innovative but challenging to your understanding.
What Annoys An INTP?
As is evident from the Introverted personalities of INTP, social interaction bothers them the most. Whether it is the constant bugging of a gossipy colleague or regular invites to social gatherings by friends.
Pulling rank and imposing authority also bothers INTPs a lot. They are believers of “respect is earned” rather than “given.” And can come off as rather blunt and rude where admiration is expected out of them.
Are INTPs Lazy?
Although it may seem like that, INTPs are the farthest thing from lazy. They do tend to lose interest quickly and stop putting in the effort where they see no outcome.
But when you put an INTP somewhere that interests them, only then will you see how long their concentration spans can stretch. They can go on hours and days working on something that excites them and even miss out on special commitments and meals while doing so.
Are INTPs Intelligent?
INTPs are one of the most talented people on earth. With the like Albert Einstein falling into the same personality, one can only imagine how far their intelligence can stretch.
But a major reason why people generally view INTPs as intelligent is how they outwardly express themselves. Since they are no public speakers, they practice and evaluate what they have to say a lot, giving off a brilliant impression.
What Should INTPs Major In?
Because of their analytical traits, INTPs can major in just about any field they want to. But a careful selection is crucial, seeing how you have to spend the rest of your life in the very same field. So, it is important to choose something that aligns with your interests.
Architecture, Chemistry, Business Administration, and Teach are some of the most likely fields that INTPs can excel in.
