Is Your Personality Type Your Destiny?
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Knowing your personality type can help you navigate many decisions in life, but it doesn't predict your future.
A 2015 study by Truity on the relationship between personality type and career success delivered some great news for intuitive, analytic, structured extroverts.
Truity offered an online personality test based on the Myers Briggs Type Indicator instrument. The MBTI presents a series of statements like: “You find it difficult to introduce yourself to other people.” The test taker responds with one of three levels of “agree” or “disagree.” The taker is ranked on these four criteria:
- Extroversion vs. Introversion – Are you more comfortable with the outside world or the one within yourself?
- Sensing vs. Intuition – Do you collect pure statistics and facts or do you interpret and add meaning to what you learn?
- Thinking vs. Feeling – Do you make decisions based strictly on raw data or do you factor in emotion?
- Judging vs. Perceiving – Is your work and life structured and organized or is your style more loose and adaptable?
At the end of the test, the taker is given a four-letter score (with N being Intuition) indicating which side of these four measures they represent the strongest. An INFJ type would be an Introvert who is an Intuitive, Feeling Judger.
The Truity test also asked the volunteers to offer information about their career, happiness, and income. Some interesting trends appeared.
What Truity Learned
ESTJ and ENTJ personalities reported the highest income. ISTP and ISFP types claimed the lowest. Overall, Extroverts, Sensors, Thinkers, and Judgers earned more than their other halves.
Members of the ENTJ group were also most likely to be managers or supervisors with ISTP and ISFP least likely.
The ESTJ and ENTJ, while earning more, ranked in the middle of job satisfaction. ESFJ types reported the highest satisfaction. ISFP personalities ranked lowest.
ENTP types were more likely to be self-employed by a wide margin, with ISFP being the least likely.
So what have we learned? Good things seem to go to the extroverts. Thinkers and Judgers tend to have more successful careers than Feelers and Perceivers.
If you are introverted, sensitive, feeling and perceptive, are you doomed?
College Factual Personality Data
Which careers do certain personality types choose?
College Factual has collected data on personality types and their career and work preferences and this is what we found:
INFJ
- Preferred Careers
- Education, Training, Library
- Management
- Arts, Design, Media
- Science
- Healthcare
- Production
- Community and Social Service
- Architecture and Engineering
- Not Good Fits
- Business and Financial
- Protective Service
INFP
- Preferred Careers
- Education, Training, Library
- Arts, Design, Media
- Science
- Management
- Healthcare
- Production
- Installation, Maintenance, Repair
- Personal Care and Service
- Architecture and Engineering
- Not Good Fits
- Food Preparation and Service
INTJ
- Preferred Careers
- Management
- Science
- Arts, Design, Media
- Production
- Architecture and Engineering
- Not Good Fits
- Education, Training, Library
- Construction and Extraction
- Installation, Maintenance, Repair
- Protective Service
INTP
- Preferred Careers
- Education, Training, Library
- Arts, Design, Media
- Science
- Management
- Computer and Mathematical
- Not Good Fits
- Office and Administrative
- Installation, Maintenance, Repair
- Protective Service
ISFJ
- Preferred Careers
- Personal Care
- Sales
- Healthcare
- Not Good Fits
- Science
- Arts, Design, Media
- Management
ISFP
- Preferred Careers
- Personal Care
- Not Good Fits
- Sales
- Production
- Science
- Management
ISTJ
- Preferred Careers
- Business
- Healthcare
- Science
- Administrative
- Management
- Not Good Fits
- Arts, Design, Media
ISTP
- Preferred Careers
- Protective Service
- Installation, Maintenance, Repair
- Science
- Production
- Computer and Mathematical
- Architecture and Engineering
- Management
- Construction and Extraction
- Not Good Fits
- Business and Finance
- Education, Training, Library
ENFJ
- Preferred Careers
- Education, Training, and Library
- Arts, Design, Media
- Management
- Healthcare
- Science
- Community and Social Service
- Production
- Personal Care
- Not Good Fits:
- Food Preparation and Service
- Architecture and Engineering
ENFP
- Preferred Careers
- Education, Training and Library
- Arts, Design, Media
- Science
- Management
- Healthcare
- Protective Service
- Production
- Community and Social Service
- Installation, Maintenance and Repair
- Food Preparation and Service
- Not Good Fits: None
ENTJ
- Preferred Careers
- Education, Training, and Library
- Arts, Design, Media
- Management
- Business and Financial Operations
- Science
- Architecture and Engineering
- Not Good Fits
- Production
- Construction and Extraction
- Healthcare
- Protective Service
ENTP
- Preferred Careers
- Education, Training, and Library
- Management
- Arts, Design, Media
- Protective Service
- Science
- Business and Financial Operations
- Production
- Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
- Architecture and Engineering
- Not Good Fits
- Personal Care and Service
ESFJ
- Preferred Careers
- Healthcare
- Not Good Fits
- Office and Administrative
- Community and Social Service
- Computers and Math
- Business and Financial
- Science
- Management
- Education, Training, Library
ESFP
- Preferred Careers
- Protective Service
- Healthcare
- Personal Care
- Community and Social Service
- Food Preparation and Serving
- Not Good Fits
- Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
- Management
- Science
- Education, Training, Library
ESTJ
- Preferred Careers
- Protective Service
- Business and Financial
- Office and Adminstrative
- Construction and Extraction
- Management
- Production
- Not Good Fits
- Architecture and Engineering
- Installation, Maintenance, Repair
ESTP
- Preferred Careers
- Management
- Protective Service
- Science
- Business and Financial
- Installation, Maintenance, Repair
- Production
- Construction and Extraction
- Healthcare
- Not Good Fits
- Education, Training, Library
- Arts, Design, Media
This data was collected through thousands of results of our Majors Matcher Test. What do you think of the results?
Overcoming Personality
Can you change your personality in order to succeed in your chosen career? Should you have to?
Some parts of your personality are as integral to your being as the shape of your ears. Things that make you smile, company you enjoy and your taste in music may never change.
The MBTI measures not your nature, but how you gather information, respond to problems, organize yourself and interact with the world. These are habits and skills, not DNA.
None of us are born ready to dominate the business world. We have talents and limitations. Our education should enhance the first and bolster the second.
Are you an introvert? It shouldn't take a test to tell you victory goes to the assertive. You can become more comfortable working with others, applying your will and taking a leadership role through practice. Get an outgoing internship, join the debate club or meet some strangers.
Truity's study shows that being analytical and structured is beneficial. It's not pre-determined. It's a learned behavior. You can do this without losing your abstract, people-sensitive side. Organize your workspace, set routines and plan ahead.
The study is also focused on income and job satisfaction. These are the beginnings of a successful life, but not the totality of one. You need a job to enable the lifestyle you want. Choose one for that purpose, not to make your job your lifestyle.
How many ENTJs retire and wonder what they did with their lives?
Your personality is who you are and is never a detriment, but we all have areas of improvement.
Take the test and find a major that suits your personality.
