[kdm1984]

Hi all,

Some of you may remember me from a few months back. I left when I got a job as paralegal because I was spending a lot of time here and wanted to save energy for my job and other things.

Well, after nearly five months as a paralegal, I was fired on Friday. I was told I was "very nice" and exceptionally good in "some" areas, like summarizing depositions, but I was simply too inept with "other" things and ultimately "not the right fit for the job."

I don't know how the rest of you INFJs are, but it's become apparent to me that office jobs are a nightmare: no creativity is ever truly involved, and there's a need for constant adherence to a seemingly never-ending stream of impersonal details. I like structure, BUT TO A POINT! Try as I might, I'm just not able to become an efficient, speedy little robot - unless I'm dealing with the written word directly. Contrary to what many people think, there isn't much writing involved in office jobs (or else I've just had bad luck as a paralegal and receptionist). As such, the one thing I really AM good at isn't of much use in the end because it's the robotic stuff employers need the most.

With all that said, what the hell can we INFJs do in terms of employment? My plan is to go back to college and get a teaching-specific English degree (I got a B.A., but that can't be applied toward teaching, so I need to get a B.S. and see which English courses from my B.A. can transfer). I always did well in academia, but the transition to the "real world" has been dreadful, so I figured I might as well go back to academia, lol. Are any of you INFJs involved in academia? If not, in what field do you work? Do you like it? Fire away. :happy:

 

[Slider]

It took your employer five months to finally realize that you are inept in some areas? I would say that qualifies them as being inept.

Well, personally, I do very well at sitting on my ass and lifting weights. So, I guess I could be a Personal Trainer...or a politician.

But, seriously, I've gone down that road. Last year, in fact. I was accepted to an MIT program, but decided it wasn't for me and applied to a Counseling program instead. I'm still waiting to find out if I've been accepted.

It's fairly easy to get a teaching certification, but I would recommend getting a Master's, if you choose to go that route.

 

[kdm1984]

Slider:

Thanks.

I think it took so long because my former employer introduced things as gradually as possible since I had no previous background on the job. I did a decent amount of writing/summarizing at first, but when I had to do more specific and focused tasks - like keeping track of and ordering medical records, sending out subpoenas, etc. - then my performance suffered.

I tried getting a Master's in English before because I wanted to teach it at the community college level, but I left after a couple of semesters when another professor there told me I really needed a Ph.D. for that track to work. I don't have the money for a Ph.D, and now I probably don't have money for a Master's. It seems a B.S. is all that's required to teach English in high school, so that is why I want to go that route in addition to the cost savings. Plus, many of the courses I took to obtain my B.A. would transfer over except for the teaching-specific courses.

So, I see no other options for me to succeed in the employment realm at this point. There are no editing jobs in my area, which is the only other field I could do with competence; I've utilized MANY employment agencies, and they've all told me the same thing: There are no editor positions available in southwest Missouri.

 

[GreenCoyote]

I like working with other creative people.

and doing creative projects.

school is fun as well.

 

[napoleon227]

I don't know how the rest of you INFJs are, but it's become apparent to me that office jobs are a nightmare: no creativity is ever truly involved, and there's a need for constant adherence to a seemingly never-ending stream of impersonal details. I like structure, BUT TO A POINT!...

With all that said, what the hell can we INFJs do in terms of employment?

That's why I work for myself. I can hire other people to do all the menial shit that I'm not interested in and no one can put me into a creative box. It has it's drawbacks too, for sure, but at least I won't go through what you just went through.

I kind of wish I was working Academia, btw. I'd love to do that (or at least I think I would). But some things carry a very high price tag, and at this point I can't afford it (or at least I think I can't). There's a lot of politics in the academic world too - I don't think INFJ's do politics very well. Something to think about.

 

[kdm1984]

GC:

Me, too. I wish it were easier to find employment where I could deal with people and projects like that, lol.

napoleon:

I'd love to be able to do my own thing, but I don't know what kind of business I'd start, or if success in it could be feasible. Academia is the continual lure for me since there's structure, but also independence enough so I could formulate my own lesson plans, etc. The medical benefits are also good, which is extremely important to me since I have the incurable type 1 form of diabetes that requires 24/7 insulin and regular medical checkups.

I agree with you on politics - personally, there are way too many regulations and way too much conflict for me to ever consider that as a possibility (besides, I have no background in it anyway).

 

[Slider]

Slider:

Thanks.

I think it took so long because my former employer introduced things as gradually as possible since I had no previous background on the job. I did a decent amount of writing/summarizing at first, but when I had to do more specific and focused tasks - like keeping track of and ordering medical records, sending out subpoenas, etc. - then my performance suffered.

I tried getting a Master's in English before because I wanted to teach it at the community college level, but I left after a couple of semesters when another professor there told me I really needed a Ph.D. for that track to work. I don't have the money for a Ph.D, and now I probably don't have money for a Master's. It seems a B.S. is all that's required to teach English in high school, so that is why I want to go that route in addition to the cost savings. Plus, many of the courses I took to obtain my B.A. would transfer over except for the teaching-specific courses.

So, I see no other options for me to succeed in the employment realm at this point. There are no editing jobs in my area, which is the only other field I could do with competence; I've utilized MANY employment agencies, and they've all told me the same thing: There are no editor positions available in southwest Missouri.

A Science degree to teach English?

Sorry, I don't know anything about Missouri. My automatic assumption is that it sucks. You could get a TESL certification and go over to Japan...or...

 

[kdm1984]

Yes. Technically, the B.S. is in Education, but it's part of the English field:

Bachelor of Science in Education with a Major in English

I have the core/computer literacy aspects covered, and 36 of the 42 English hours covered from the B.A. I got from that school, so all I would need are the 6 credit hours from Eng 319 and 330 along with the Education Certification requirements (37 credit hours + 6 from 319 and 330 for 43 additional credits total). 43 credit hours would take just a few extra semesters. At least, that is how it appears on paper - I plan on going to the school Monday to see what other parts of the program there are that might not be indicated on that web page.

 

[Cookie Monster]

I actually work as a legal assistant (it sounds like you worked in personal injury defense, which is similar to the practice I am in). So I can definitely understand your pain. I basically have my job because it pays the bills...been working there over 4 years...I basically have to put on an ISxJ facade just to function. I've been there so long that I feel like it is sucking my soul. One of my dear coworkers was an INFJ (she even had a law degree), but they let her go because she just didn't have the eye for details that was required (plus, there was lack of training). Right now, she is working at a maternity store (I don't know why, but I can see INFJs doing well as small business owners...like someone said, you can hire someone else to do the more repetitive stuff lol).

I am very sorry for your job loss. I was also unhappy, so I decided to go back to school and get my masters in Library Science. I want to work in an academic library. I cannot wait to finish . That may be something to consider...there is structure, but I think INFJs would be great reference librarians.

My boyfriend, also an INFJ, is almost done finishing his physical therapy degree. It is hard work, but he definitely has the personality for the job. In my experience, the medical and counseling fields are also what a lot of INFJs excel in. But the trade off is that they require a fair amount of schooling. Unfortunately, I had to make that decision myself..either use my useless BA and never move up, or go back to school and get a masters in something more practical. A lot of programs offer scholarships, which can be a great help financially.

 

[kdm1984]

I actually work as a legal assistant (it sounds like you worked in personal injury defense, which is similar to the practice I am in). So I can definitely understand your pain. I basically have my job because it pays the bills...been working there over 4 years...I basically have to put on an ISxJ facade just to function. I've been there so long that I feel like it is sucking my soul. One of my dear coworkers was an INFJ (she even had a law degree), but they let her go because she just didn't have the eye for details that was required (plus, there was lack of training). Right now, she is working at a maternity store (I don't know why, but I can see INFJs doing well as small business owners...like someone said, you can hire someone else to do the more repetitive stuff lol).

Yes, I did work in personal injury, though the firm I was at represented the plaintiff side.

It sounds like one of your co-workers had an experience similar to mine, although I did get all the training they had available since I lacked a law background. I just couldn't grasp certain facets of the job that they needed me to do, particularly the detail-oriented portions, like figuring out how to get subpoenas delivered depending on county, state, service, etc. Ordering medical records and bills was also a mess - many medical companies don't bother filling out the affidavits, they fill them out incorrectly, they require more information on a particular authorization form, etc. So many rules and regs, ugh! I consider myself a structured person, but the minutiae involved in law was often paralyzing to me mentally.

I am very sorry for your job loss. I was also unhappy, so I decided to go back to school and get my masters in Library Science. I want to work in an academic library. I cannot wait to finish . That may be something to consider...there is structure, but I think INFJs would be great reference librarians.

Sounds more fun than the legal side!

My boyfriend, also an INFJ, is almost done finishing his physical therapy degree. It is hard work, but he definitely has the personality for the job. In my experience, the medical and counseling fields are also what a lot of INFJs excel in. But the trade off is that they require a fair amount of schooling. Unfortunately, I had to make that decision myself..either use my useless BA and never move up, or go back to school and get a masters in something more practical. A lot of programs offer scholarships, which can be a great help financially.

Yes, there are plenty of options. I need to just gather myself up out of the depression I've been having the last few days and see what all can be done on my side.

Thank you for your kind reply.

 

[amanda32]

Yes. Technically, the B.S. is in Education, but it's part of the English field:

Bachelor of Science in Education with a Major in English

I have the core/computer literacy aspects covered, and 36 of the 42 English hours covered from the B.A. I got from that school, so all I would need are the 6 credit hours from Eng 319 and 330 along with the Education Certification requirements (37 credit hours + 6 from 319 and 330 for 43 additional credits total). 43 credit hours would take just a few extra semesters. At least, that is how it appears on paper - I plan on going to the school Monday to see what other parts of the program there are that might not be indicated on that web page.

If you got that, you could teach ESL at government schools in Hong Kong and make 3-5,000 bucks a month plus free apartment.

Just saying...

 

[Rouge]

kdm, I'm very sorry to hear about your job loss. If it helps, I considered becoming a lawyer when I was 17-18 but decided against it after a 2 week internship at a law firm. I didn't like the work because it was too deskbound, tedious and involves little positive interaction with others. I eventually did well enough in my university entrance exams to make it to law school. But I turned down the option. My ISTJ father was really reeeeeeally upset with me for doing that.

I know myself. I need a job that allows for some creativity, independence and interaction with others. I also suck at repetitive administrative work- they bore me out of my mind and I start screwing them up after a while. I'm now in Marketing & PR. I write a lot on the job, which is something I enjoy, and liaise with all sorts of people (senior management, journalists, ad & PR agencies, event organisers, marketing partners, NGOs my company sponsors etc). I'm an introvert but I'm good at persuading people because I can often see where they're coming from and what they want from my organisation. My work also involves creativity (I work with agencies on producing websites, brochures, direct mailers, corporate videos ertc) and variety. Once in a while, I get to travel when I organise an exhibition or seminar overseas. Starting salaries in Marketing are low but if you're good, you can be paid very well after 5 years in the industry.

I'm not sure whether you'd enjoy the same kind of work. But this is an option you can consider as well.

 

[kdm1984]

amanda32 - I'd heard about similar opportunities, but I don't know how well I'd do overseas..I'd hate to invest all that moving and end up being poorly acclimated.

Rouge - Thanks. Your job sounds like a nice mix of interaction and imagination that doesn't get too bogged down with tedium. What kind of qualifications did it entail? Most of the Marketing & PR stuff I see advertised in the local classifieds require a journalism background rather than English.

 

[Rouge]

My degree is in Communications/Journalism. But I've had colleagues who majored in Economics, Chinese, Business Administration etc in university. My impression is that the qualifications don't matter as much as interpersonal and writing skills (I had to pass writing tests at some places to get in, despite my degree). Marketing & PR is quite a generalised profession. In my country(Singapore), the barrier to entry is low. No sure about your state but it could be worth trying.

P.S: I have to warn you that you'd have to deal with politics in Marketing however. But that's true of most corporate jobs.

 

[Slider]

amanda32 - I'd heard about similar opportunities, but I don't know how well I'd do overseas..I'd hate to invest all that moving and end up being poorly acclimated.

Rouge - Thanks. Your job sounds like a nice mix of interaction and imagination that doesn't get too bogged down with tedium. What kind of qualifications did it entail? Most of the Marketing & PR stuff I see advertised in the local classifieds require a journalism background rather than English.

I'll go with you. I need someone to help push me out the door, anyway.