ENFP CAREER CHOICES?? DECISIONS! DECISIONS!!

Well, what attracts you the most in college? What does your heart say? I know that some say that its not possible to make right choices or think with a heart... but, did you know that the heart is made up of 70% Glial Cells? The same cells as our brain.

So, maybe take some quiet time for yourself and think with your heart. Let your love and passion guide you.

Toronto is big city too.... it may be time to go into the coutryside and stroll near a river? Then you will see...

:-)

man, I did'nt read all of it, but i lived it. That is my curse/blessing as an ENFP: many interest, no focus. I am 38 and FINALLY found my present vocation/mission Teaching at an elementary school Hatian children. I LOVE it. It's challanging, I really am making a difference, I can use many faucets of my talents/creativity and develop them further. Acting.....comes in real handing. Most of all i laugh..I never picked this, I just fell into it because i like working with the disabled.

I am an ENFP, 35 years old and have had careers in accounting (can see why this is very bad for ENFPs!), sales and sales training (loved training, but hated the travel). I am contemplating being an accounting and finance recruiter (headhunter). Are there any ENFPs who have had experience with being recruiters? Part of me is afraid of the organization and time management that is required. Part of me also feels that this is something that I should try to do on my own, as an entrepreneur. What do you think? I am also curious about what businesses ENFPs are successful starting and running since we change our minds/lose interest so frequently. What would be some examples of businesses ENFPs could be successful running?

Hey, Tommyboy.

I'm an ENFP and I'm discovering that I'm ecstatically happy with the career choice I made. I had a lot of connundrums like you did in school, trying to figure out what to do. I, too, had to find a way to blend my idealistic need to help people in an interactive way, and somthing that could accomodate my compulsive creativity. I was at the point of quitting school from frustration when I asked myself what I wanted to learn, and it was art. From there I discovered art therapy, and I never looked back. It's perfect. ENFP's are great at inspiring people, and when you can inspire people who are struggling to find healing through creativity, it is just magical! (okay, for me anyways.) But I have to say, there is a remarkably high percentage of ENFP's and INFP's in my art therapy program.

Now for you, since you said you like drama, I would encourage you to look into Drama therapy. I've been reading more about drama therapy and there are a lot of similarities. You can also study expressive therapies and focus on drama, so you would get a background in drama, art, dance, poetry, etc. And once you choose, you can really custom taylor your career to your liking - there are so many populations to work with, and if you don't want to hear about people's problems, work with adolescent boys. They'll never tell you anything is wrong! (Can I assume you're male- if i click to check this msg might disappear!) Men are sorely needed in this profession. It's mostly women in it now, and there are places like male prisons or group homes, male units in psych wards, where a male therapist would be cherished if he weren't so hard to come by.

There's probably an American Drama Therapy Assn. you can google for more info.

just a suggestion. I'd hate to see you discard your creativity - it will come back to bite!!
~S

I'm chiming in to this thread instead of spawning another. I stumbled upon this and it is very timely.

I'm going to share some stuff I've recently written up regarding my dilemma. I think many of you may find it useful. I'm 36, and I WISH I had someone to talk to about this stuff when I was younger like many of you are. I am not going to jump into analysis here (like you all know I can and you will try to as well...) but just put it out for you to read. Your comments will invite my comments and we can analyze the bigger concepts together.

This was instigated by the comment on here: www.personalitypage.com/ENFP.html that says:

"An ENFP needs to focus on following through with their projects. This can be a problem area for some of these individuals. Unlike other Extraverted types, ENFPs need time alone to center themselves, and make sure they are moving in a direction which is in sync with their values. ENFPs who remain centered will usually be quite successful at their endeavors. Others may fall into the habit of dropping a project when they become excited about a new possibility, and thus they never achieve the great accomplishments which they are capable of achieving."

Specifically, the part about time alone to center. It's one of those traps that if you don't learn to do (I haven't yet!!!) then the bad parts of being ENFP really bubble up. So here is my response to that comment I received on this topic:

#### Begin snip ####
Yes, center = comfortable with meaning/path/passion/purpose in life. Hard to center when I am fundamentally eccentric. Need to get that piece taken care of, no matter how nuts people think I am.

Perceptive = yes, especially towards myself. Judgment would be better with a specific point of reference, i.e. center.

My values are strong, but my purpose in life, while moving essentially in line with my values, has failed to manifest for me in a measurable way. This is why I go down the path of "corporate anthropology" or "business life coach" or some other way to factor out everything I have done to end up with the core of my being.

But that might not be the end-all either. I need to understand myself, know myself. And this is where I am seriously lacking direction, support or vision. I am blind to most of my own limitations because I've been exposed to them for too long. Here's how I see what I've been doing:
#### snip pause ####
Here, I listed all the jobs I have had, and 1) why I picked it and 2) why I failed at it (or didn't stick with it). To a job, I took them all for $$$ and survival, not because they were my passion, and once I got bored, since it wasn't aligned with my passion, I moved on...

For this post I'll just share the job titles to give you an idea: Legal Assistant, Systems Administrator, Database Manager, Information Specialist, Entrepreneur, Record Producer, Consultant, Tech Support Rep, MIS Manager, Entrepreneur (again), Business Development Manager, Tech Guru, Instructor, Telecommunications Specialist, Executive Assistant, Business Alliance Specialist, Tax Preparer, Channel Partnership Manager, Entrepreneur (yet again).

Net-net, I LOVE problem solving and working with people. I HATE DOING ANYTHING (in the do to get done sense). I hate administrative mundanity, and I hate having to pay attention to time/tasks. I LOVE to think about ideas and complex concepts. Which is why I keep going back to being an entrepreneur. Sooner or later I'll fix my weaknesses and make them strengths and launch a successful business instead of one I give up for the next exciting idea.....
#### snip play ####

I have yet to do any work that has inspired me. I have been able to leech off other's passions and vicariously go down the path, but ultimately I falter because I understand my fraudulent nature. I am doing these things for the money to survive, not because they are things I would choose to do in an ideal environment.

My perception allows me to see things for how they are, and usually quite accurately. This helped in any computer/support role, building systems (database, etc) and taxes too. I am really good at finding new things to do and really understand them and be able to communicate the complex to people in the simplest manner possible. I am really bad at doing mundane, repetitive work, following up on things, and anything requiring ongoing execution.

I am a dreamer who can realize big ideas without much effort, provided I have resources who can do the dirty work.

My goal is to identify a way to productize this talent of mine somehow, and pitch it into a world that is aligned with my values and my beliefs in general. Once I figure out what I should be doing and who I should be doing it for, (even myself!) I will feel much more grounded on my path. Then I will have a point of reference to center on.

Even in my current project, my business partner knows my work for him is FOR him, and not of any personal benefit to myself. On paper, it makes me money in the long run which I can use to back myself in a way that is centered on my path. In practice, it is the dynamic, the fact that he needs what I bring to the table. If I weren't doing this with him he'd still make money, but not have longevity. For me though, it is about enabling him to realize HIS dream.

That is as close as I have to a mission: I have the ability to get others to get the most out of themselves. My reward is in seeing them actualize into what they are supposed to do. Essentially, it's about pushing others to realize their potential, and my potential is in being that linchpin who can identify potential in others and can see the path to make it a reality. Everything I do is in making others become more. I just need to find my own reflection within that context.

I'm adept at surviving, but not very adept at planning for my own growth. I am best when working in a reactive mode, not proactive, but the irony is that I can bridge reactive results into something that can be proactively expanded. This is why my friend's idea of a business psychologist is interesting: I am brought in to a business in trouble, determine triage, and then give it a prescription for recovery and growth that will work in line with what its' own purpose is....I am a hidden-potential actuator. Something to expand on.

Does my appearance to please people stem from a latent desire to help others become? Or is my desire to help others actuate developed due to my overriding urge to please people?
#### End Snip####

Thoughts? Comments? Observations?

Cheers,
Geoff

Dude, welcome to the ENFP delimma. At least you're getting to know yourself, and that's a start. Focus on your weaknesses, like making decisions. For instance, make some small decisions about semi important things and make note of the results. Your intuition will help guide you. Don't get frozen up just because you can see every side to a decision...make the leap and decide and see where it goes.

I'm in the same boat as you...I was a chef for 10 years, and I liked it, but there was too much stress with line cooking and I got a little TOO social with the drinky drink, you know. Now I work in the bicycling industry and am still trying to figure out what to do. My wife has given me some really good books to read. I suggest you begin to really research your Meyers-Briggs type and start to formulate some ideas about what you enjoy in life, and attempt to translate that into a job situation as closely as possible.

Check out the book: 'Do What You Are" by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger. It breaks down the 16 types and lists many different job fields relative to each. Iit's pretty cheap, or you might find it at the library.

Most ENFP's have to be instilled with a sense of purpose to get off their duffs and really get something done, and that can be difficult when they're not "feeling it".

Either way, good luck!

I can truly understand what you are experiencing. I am a bit older than you and have already had careers in the restaurant industry (bartending, waitiressing, managing a restaurant), greehouse worker, freelance writing & photography, web analysis & marketing, advertising, human resources secretary, manager of a plumbing contractor's office...whew, am I leaving something out? Three years ago a friend & I became partners in a masonry/hardscaping/landscaping business. We developed a website and I use my skills in photography & writing to keep our business buzzing, my secretarial & accounting skills come in handy too...Really everything I learned on each of my mini careers is what made our current success possible (and having a talented partner). Every day is a challenge and nothing from the past is wasted. Have you considered entrepeneurship that incorporates some of your existing skills and talents? I love being able to use my talents and creativity and to see them come together in a way that is very satisfying . Good luck on your journey.