The Perfect Career for Each Myers-Briggs® Personality Type

In this article we’re going to explore the ideal career for each of the 16 Myers-Briggs® personality types. If you’re feeling unsure about a direction for your life, this article might give you some inspiration!

PSA: I think ANY type can be good at just about any job they want to take on if they have the passion and determination. Do not limit yourself by this list. This list is meant to be fun, and it’s meant to detail some of the strengths of each type – it’s not meant to limit anyone.

Not sure what your personality type is? Take our new personality questionnaire here. Or you can take the official MBTI® here.

The Perfect Career for Each Myers-Briggs® Personality Type

ENFP – Freelance Travel Writer

With your thirst for adventure, your creativity, and your curiosity for new cultures, travel writing is a career you were tailor-made for. This job allows you to experiment with a variety of activities – from writing, to networking, to pitching to editors, to sightseeing! You’ll be able to satisfy your hunger for novelty as well as be inspired by new and interesting people and experiences.

Also: Entrepreneur, Performing Artist, Author, Psychologist, Teacher

Read This Next: 10 Things You’ll Relate to If You’re an ENFP

ENTP – Entrepreneur

ENTPs are one of the most common types to pursue entrepreneurial work, and in fact, they earn more when self-employed ($69k) than they do in a standard job ($57k). Their desire for independence and flexibility makes the entrepreneurial world a perfect fit for them. They can innovate solutions, think about big-picture ideas, use their natural gifts for marketing, and approach tasks in a casual, unstructured way. Entrepreneurship puts the ENTP in the driver’s seat and it allows them to think without limits about what they can achieve.

Also: Marketing Manager, Stockbroker, Creative Director, Political Scientist

Read This Next: The Unique Intelligence of ENFPs, ENTPs, INFPs and INTPs

INFP – Creative Writer

INFPs enjoy working creatively and autonomously. They have rich, vivid imaginations that are usually filled to the brim with stories and possibilities. Their empathy allows them to write fully-dimensional characters who are varied and intriguing. Alone in a quiet place with nothing but pen and paper INFPs can bring their inner worlds to life in ways that are captivating to the soul and spirit. Some famous INFP authors include Albert Camus, George Orwell, A.A. Milne, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, and Edgar Allan Poe!

Also: Counselor, Veterinarian, Performing Artist, Musician, Occupational Therapist

Read This Next: 10 Things You Should Never Say to an INFP

INTP – Software Developer

INTPs are drawn to technology like moths to the flame. They love using their reasoning skills and troubleshooting abilities to create innovative systems and platforms. Their curious, intellectual nature tends to draw them to fields in engineering, technology, and the sciences. These are all places where they can think creatively and design solutions that solve abstract problems and desires. As software developers, especially entrepreneurial software developers, INTPs are able to work autonomously and at their own pace – which can be quite brisk if they are passionate about what they are creating!

Also: Computer Systems Analyst, Engineer, Physicist, Professor, Writer

Read This Next: Understanding INTP Thinking

ENFJ – International Nonprofit Administrator

You are a master in the art of diplomacy. Your ability to organize systems so that they better meet people’s needs is nothing short of astounding. You’re not afraid of complex issues and you desperately want to bring improvement to the lives of suffering people. Being an administrator for an international nonprofit organization allows you to bring real solutions to issues like disease, poverty, drought, and famine. Your ability to quickly understand cultural differences and the unique emotional needs that face people from all walks of life makes you indispensable in this career field.

Also: Psychotherapist, Teacher, Public Relations Specialist, Human Resources Manager

Read This Next: 6 Major Misconceptions About Feeling Types

ENTJ – Chief Executive Officer

As an ENTJ you are naturally competitive and driven to be at the head of the pack. You enjoy strategizing and networking with diverse groups of people. Your ability to make tough calls, take smart risks, and foresee likely implications and possibilities makes you indispensable as a CEO. You have a gift for knowing which markets to enter, developing a company vision, and hiring (and firing) the appropriate people. You’re not afraid to be innovative, but you’re also good at creating contingency plans if a new idea or experiment fails. Your ability to work hard and meet challenges with resolve is admirable.

Also: Lawyer, Engineer, Entrepreneur, Real Estate Agent, Professor

Read This Next: 10 Things You’ll Relate to If You’re an ENTJ

INFJ –   Psychotherapist

As an INFJ you naturally pick up on the emotions and struggles of other people. You deeply desire to improve their lives in a therapeutic way, listening to their stories, and finding creative solutions for their anxieties and concerns. Your insight into human nature and your ability to see underlying implications and meanings make you cognizant of many internalized battles that people aren’t even aware of themselves. With the proper training, you can be exceptionally gifted in this career field. In fact, according to the MBTI® Manual INFJs are over-represented as counselors and psychiatrists.

Also: Market Research Analyst, Writer, Social Worker

Read This Next: 10 Things That Excite the INFJ Personality Type

INTJ – Astronomer

As an INTJ you are naturally drawn to the big picture of life – and you can’t get much bigger than the study of astronomy. Understanding how celestial objects (stars, planets, comets, and galaxies) originate, move, and impact us helps to broaden our understanding of the universe. This career field is compelling to a mind like yours which is constantly seeking to make clarity out of complexity. Your interest in the theoretical, scientific, and your insight into future implications gives you a natural skill in this field. You are someone who doesn’t mind racking your brain to understand some of the most puzzling concepts of our time which make you a perfect fit for this career field.

Also: Lawyer, Engineer, Entrepreneur, Data Scientist, Director.

Read This Next: The Top 7 Gift Ideas for ENTJs

ESFP – Performing Artist

If you’re going to work 8+ hours a day you want a job that lets you be right in the middle of the action. You want a profession where you can be creative, expressive, and make an immediate impact with people. Variety, interaction, and instant feedback help you feel energized and motivated. Bringing humor, beauty, or emotional connection to your audience is something that you excel at which is why your personality type is often found on the stage! Some famous performing ESFPs include Will Smith, Katy Perry, Cameron Diaz, and Andy Samberg.

Also: Pediatrician, Physical Therapist, Teacher, Landscape Architect

Read This Next: 10 Things You’ll Relate to if You’re an ESFP

ESTP – Stockbroker

As an ESTP you like a fast-paced, exciting job where there are big risks but also big rewards. As stockbrokers, you get the chance to stay on your feet, compete against (and defeat) your counterparts, and adapt to a market that literally changes every day. While many other types find this job exhausting or overwhelming, you get a thrill from the uncertainty that comes with it! ESTPs (like you) tend to like making fast, spur-of-the-moment decisions, learning more every day, and being in the midst of all the action and commotion that trading entails.

Also: General Contractor, Firefighter, Fitness Instructor, Sales Manager, Paramedic.

Read This Next: 10 Things You’ll Relate to if You’re an ESTP

ISFP – Freelance Photographer

As an ISFP you want a job that is both creative and unstructured. You like working for yourself and you are especially drawn to aesthetics and finding beautiful symbols and details in everyday life. As a photographer, especially an editorial photographer, you get the chance to capture people from all walks of life and many varied cultures. You get to be there during pivotal moments in history and in the most beautiful natural surroundings. You are the kind of photographer who would care about capturing the pure emotions of your subject – their authenticity and originality. Each photo would be unique and individual – not the same posed, stereotypical shots that we see every day.

Also: Fashion Designer, Artist, Musician, ER Physician, Animal Trainer.

Read This Next: 10 Surprising Truths About ISFPs

ISTP – Detective

As an ISTP you want a job that makes you think, allows you to be active, and piques your curiosity. As a detective, you can use your skill for detailed observation and analysis to study suspects, interview witnesses, and examine the evidence. Your ability to separate fact from fiction enables you to piece together the story of how a crime unfolded and who is likely to blame. Your desire for justice motivates you to be an advocate for the victims you long to protect.

Also: Carpenter, Forester, Software Developer, Firefighter, Airline Pilot

Read This Next: 10 Signs That You Might Be an Introverted Thinker

ESFJ – Elementary School Teacher

As an ESFJ you believe in bettering your community and you know that can’t be done without investing in the younger generation. You have a gift for empathizing with children, breaking down lessons into bite-sized steps, and listening when they’re feeling frustrated or overwhelmed. You are also good at organizing a classroom, dealing with the logistics of field trips, and making sure each child feels included and involved. It’s no surprise that ESFJs are over-represented among elementary and middle school teachers! (You can find out more about this in the MBTI® Manual – Third Edition).

Also: Social Worker, Family Physician, Speech Pathologist, Pediatrician, HR Manager.

ESTJ – Management Consultant

As an ESTJ you love to make things more efficient, streamlined, and effective in the long-term. In this career, you’d be able to use your natural abilities to advise managers on how they can make their companies more profitable and how they can get rid of unnecessary costs. You’d use your gifts of organization to sort through information and figure out how you can improve situations, create new systems or procedures, and develop solutions to company problems. You’d also be able to interact with people – interviewing employees and giving managers the solutions they desperately crave. This job gives you just enough variety and structure to keep you from getting bored. It also takes advantage of your natural skills for troubleshooting, evaluating, and making effective systems and plans.

Also: Real Estate Agent, Financial Counselor, Auditor, Judge, Mechanical Engineer.

ISFJ – Veterinarian

As an ISFJ you have a natural desire to make a practical difference for the people (or four-legged friends) you care about. You have strong attention to detail, a grounded outlook on life, and a desire to heal, nurture, and comfort. As a veterinarian, you’d be able to use your natural gifts to improve the quality of life for animals. You have the compassion to deal with sick animals and their worried owners, you have the hard-working and grounded nature that’s needed to deal with the (sometimes) less-than-pretty nature of the job, and you have the organization skills to keep your office running smoothly.

Also: Physician, Social Worker, Teacher, Librarian, Chef, Health and Safety Engineer.

ISTJ – Referee/Umpire/Sports Official

You are extremely observant and detail-oriented which makes you perfect for the job as a referee. You are quick to notice when something is not as it should be, and you have a strong belief in fair-play, no matter what your personal preferences may be. You are good at remembering the rules, watching out for the well-being of the players, and inspecting equipment to make sure that the players will all be safe. In this career field, you can use your powers of judgment to make wise split-second decisions that are fair and objective.

Also: Surgeon, Farmer, Pilot, Mechanic, Engineer, Accountant, Logistician.

What Are Your Thoughts?

Are you in a career you love? Do you feel like sharing your experiences with other people of your type? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Find out more about your personality type in our eBooks, Discovering You: Unlocking the Power of Personality Type,  The INFJ – Understanding the Mystic,  The INFP – Understanding the Dreamer, and The INTJ – Understanding the Strategist. You can also connect with me via Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!