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6 Careers INTJs Should Probably Avoid

intj careers to avoid

INTJs are not ones to settle for mediocrity. They have a broad mindset and will naturally seek a career worthy of their grand vision. What they bring to the work force is reliability, thoroughness and efficiency among other things. What they need from their work however, is a creative challenge, freedom to work independently and a meaningful incentive to work hard. That being the case, here is list of 6 careers that INTJs probably ought to avoid.

1. Real Estate Agent

Real Estate Agents assist their clients with the buying selling and renting of real estate properties. While it is possible to do these things without an agent, having one makes the process a lot easier. As a Real Estate Agent, INTJs would be able to utilize their aptitude for research and organizing data because a good Real Estate Agent will need to possess detailed knowledge about a property and it’s surrounding neighborhood.

But this job is not just about closing deals. There’s also an emotional element in that Real Estate Agents must also try to ease their client’s fears and concerns relating to such a major purchase as buying a home. Real Estate Agents need to also have good people skills and be willing to do some relationship building.

INTJs enjoy educating people and sharing their knowledge but preferably knowledge that is meaningful and profound. Real Estate is not likely to cut it for them as it doesn’t offer a variety of intellectual or creative challenges and involves significant person-to-person interaction. As an introverted intuitive type, INTJs would probably be better off avoiding this career.

2. Personal Care Aide

A career as a Personal Care Aide is another one that INTJs will want to avoid. It’s not that they are heartless bastards, but such a job requires a substantial amount of patience, empathy and emotional intelligence to do well. INTJs prize their freedom and self sufficiency and would not be happy about having to rely on someone else to take care of them much less devoting their time caring for others.

Personal Aides are tasked with assisting people with disabilities and chronic  illness by washing them, helping them get dressed, preparing their meals and assisting with their daily regimens and errands. Most of the clientele will be elderly and may be difficult to deal with at times. This is a very service-oriented job and INTJs are typically not wired for this and are not bound to find much satisfaction from it.

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INTJ types want to build things and they need projects that allow them to push the boundaries of what they know while providing a constant source of creative problems to solve so they are probably better off steering clear of being a Personal Care Aide.

3. Retail Salesperson

When shopping, INTJs prefer to do their own research beforehand rather than rely on the counsel of pushy salespeople trying to score a commission. By extension, INTJs are likely to have little interest in being in the salesperson’s shoes doing that to other people.

Working in sales requires not only technical knowledge about products being sold, but also requires a friendly outgoing personality and a professional demeanor. Although INTJs do not specialize in warmth and people-person amiability, they may still perform well in terms of productivity, punctuality and diligence.

The problem is, pushing product is just not their cup of tea. It’s probably even a bit demeaning for an INTJ to be hawking various goods and merch just to make a buck. Most INTJs will want to avoid working in sales jobs in general.

4. Chef

On the surface, working as a chef sounds like a nice fit for an INTJ. Chefs work in the kitchen out of sight from customers where they can focus solely on their craft striving to cook every dish to perfection. There’s even room for creativity as many great chef’s add their unique flare to the menu items they prepare. However, being a chef can be very grueling and require an ability to work very quickly and be able to improvise when necessary.

Kitchen environments can be very noisy, fast-paced and full of staffers each clamoring to try and keep up with demand. INTJs may want to avoid a career as a chef since they prefer working in quieter settings where they can concentrate and work independently. Furthermore, INTJs may feel overwhelmed working in a sensory overloaded environment all day. They would rather be working with ideas and concepts rather than daily tactile craftwork.

5. Childcare Worker

Working with kids requires patience, and empathy because reigning them in can be a hassle. INTJs will probably not enjoy a career as a childcare worker for obvious reasons. Many kids don’t listen or follow instructions adequately and this can especially irritate INTJs since they are oriented towards efficiency and order.

INTJs have enough trouble dealing with irrational adults and so dealing with kids is likely to be a couple orders of magnitude worse. INTJs may be fairly good with kids on some levels but their childish antics will probably wear thin quickly. The INTJ may adopt a playful but stern manner to let kids know that the INTJ is friendly but not to be messed with. Generally speaking, INTJs would rather be doing a panoply of other things than look after other people’s children.

6. Police Officer

An INTJ would probably enjoy working exclusively as a detective but will probably want to avoid being a uniform police officer. Police officers go on patrols and respond to emergencies. It’s a very dangerous job that requires vigilance and the ability to operate under pressure and during chaotic or violent situations.

INTJs are composed and phlegmatic in their temperament but with extraverted sensing as their inferior function it is likely that the work of a police officer may be too demanding for them. It’s a job that typically doesn’t afford the luxury of planning for everything, nor does it offer intellectually gratifying work. It is visceral and demands alertness to one’s surroundings and having the capacity to be clear headed and respond quickly in a crisis without overthinking things or suffering a nervous breakdown.

Conclusion

Although it is recommended that INTJs avoid these careers, some may actually enjoy them. These jobs are considered a better fit for INTJ’s opposite type ESFP but your MBTI type doesn’t have to box you into any stereotypical career type. Even though you’d probably be better off avoiding them, feel free to try them out for yourself, but just beware: we warned you.

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Jetta Moon

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One thought on “6 Careers INTJs Should Probably Avoid

  1. This is funny to me. As an intj, I work both with children and as personal care assistant, but I found a field that allows me to approach it through a scientific lens.

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