INTP Jobs to Avoid

Knowing your personality and being able to use your strengths and identify your weaknesses is important. Working on your weaknesses and entering a career that lines up with these traits might be the difference between a successful and happy career, or a disaster. There are some INTP jobs to avoid that are completely unsuitable. Likewise, some careers that are a great fit.

It’s all too easy to think you’re stuck in a career that you don’t enjoy. Or, struggle to find a job that you truly enjoy. But it is possible, there are jobs out there for everyone. Finding a career that aligns with your personality, as well as your education and skills will make a huge difference.

INTPs are referred to as, ‘The Thinkers’. The four pillars of this personality type are broken down as follows:

(I) Introverted – quiet and reserved, prefer smaller circles of friends and acquaintances.

(N) Intuitive – focus on the bigger picture, not the specifics and smaller details.

(T) Thinkers – use logic to make decisions over speculation.

(P) Perceptive – prefer to keep options open, will stall on decision making.

As you can see, INTPs are motivated, self-disciplined, and creative individuals. They are introverts and need to work with a small team of people they get along with to perform at their best. But they are valuable assets to any organization that uses their skills correctly.

Careers INTP Should Avoid

Being aware of the jobs and careers that are not suitable for an INTP can save you a lot of frustration and heartache. People in the wrong professions often just suffer slowly. Losing motivation, slowing their professional development and becoming more and more unhappy.

Here are some jobs to avoid if you’re an INTP:

Management Roles

Communication is the glue that holds everything together in management roles, and communication is not high on an INTPs list of strengths. They find conflict difficult. Office politics will be hard for them to navigate, and their logical approach may lack sensitivity at times when it’s needed.

Telesales

Telesales is a demanding job with a lot of repetition. If someone’s heart is not in it or it doesn’t come naturally to them they will not last long in this career. These jobs are notoriously competitive. With sales targets to meet and individual goals, it’s not a job for an INTP.

Politics

Although you will see Abraham Lincoln listed below, being a politician is not a very good fit for this personality type. Delivering motivational speeches, inspiring people to follow them, and making decisions that affect so many people is not something they are comfortable with.

Corrections Officer

Corrections officers oversee individuals that have offended and are spending time behind bars. A keen eye for detail and communication skills are important in this role as there is potentially some risk to the public when offenders are released. As well as potential danger to staff in correctional facilities.

Administration/Clerical Work

Grinding through piles of paperwork or working through data entry tasks is a nightmare for INTPs. The repetitive nature of this line of work will frustrate and bore them, leading to a dip in motivation and a drop in the quality of work.

INTP Famous People

Here is a fairly diverse group of famous people who fit the INTP personality type. It’s always interesting to see how they match up with the characteristics as per the Myers-Briggs Indicator Type. See if any are really surprising to you:

• Abraham Lincoln – U.S. President
• Charles Darwin – Biologist and Author of ‘The Origin of Species’
• Richard Dawkins – Biologist and Author of ‘The God Delusion’
• Marie Curie – Awarded Nobel Prize in both Chemistry and Physics
• Sigourney Weaver – Actress
• Jane Austen – Author of ‘Pride and Prejudice’

Best Jobs and Career Choices for INTPs

Here are some of the best-suited jobs and careers for this personality type:

• Computer Scientist
• Chemical Engineer
• Historian
• Accountant
• Lawyer
• Graphic Designer

INTP Career Choices in Summary

INTPs are energetic, independent, and highly motivated – in the right careers. This is obviously not a good fit with rigid corporate positions, and leans more towards research and development roles or something that offers a lot of variation and creativity.

Their creative spirit, natural entrepreneurial traits, and the ability to find a way to get the desired results makes them a valuable asset to any organization that knows how to allow them to use their strengths.

Finding a career or a job that suits your personality, gets you motivated to get out of bed in the morning, and brings you satisfaction is incredibly important. Take note of the jobs to avoid and careers that may suit you, the time investment will pay off in the long run.