[Filigeedreamer]

The problem

Right my insightful brethren...I need some advice.

I don’t know what to do with my life, I know, who does? But what sort of career route to go down?

....

The details.

I have always wanted to be a writer, since I was about six years old. It’s all I have ever wanted to be and I am very determined to do this. Yet, I know this might not work out, and I need a job alongside this. As wanting to write has always been a key focus I am unsure what sort of job I should look into.

I’ve recently graduated university, I have a degree in English and Creative Writing. I felt this was a good move, as it progressed my ambition of being a writer, and it will help me career wise.

Before I chose my course I had a lot of people telling me what I should do...go into law, as I have a natural talent with verbal language and it pays well, get a graduate job with a bank, go into publishing, speech therapy as it pays well and it is helping people...I thought if I did English I could always do a conversion course afterwards if I wanted to do law or something like that.

I’ve been doing a part time job in a bookshop for the last few months while I figure everything out, and I have decided I would like to go and do further study.

The original plan was to do a Masters in Creative Writing, thing is now I don’t know if this is the best move for me. I feel my writing is already up to a good standard and it is something I can continue to improve on my own. Plus I write fantasy, and that isn’t highly compatible with most creative writing courses I have looked at, or lecturer interests. I don’t want to spend a considerable amount of money and not be able to write what I love. Doing a course like this is following my heart, as it isn’t necessarily going to improve my job prospects, so if it isn’t going to help me with the thing I love...why do it?

I do want to do a Masters I think, as I had a really bad university experience. I’d like to be able to go to university and enjoy it this time. I feel like I really missed out, and it would help me meet new people, new friends, maybe even a new love interest. Going to uni would mean I could join societies, and meet people around my age with similar interests and get to know them properly, people on my course too. Yes I’d need to wait until next year, and this is not a great reason on it’s own to do it, but it does feed into why I am considering this.

I know I don’t want to do a normal office job, and I am not sure that the lack of stability of journalism/publishing is for me. I don’t want to go into law, as I feel my morals are too strong and I would find it very difficult from that point of view. I’d rather die than be a teacher, as I had an unhappy educational experience, and don’t want to revisit it.

One option is to go into psychology, and become an Educational Psychologist...that would mean helping children with special needs. This is a subject very dear to me as I am dyslexic, and I feel I need to help people with similar problems. But do I want to be involved in that world everyday? It’s pretty draining emotionally. I know I need to do something to help people with dyslexia and similar conditions, but I could easily do this in a voluntary fashion, which is what I have been doing since my teens in one form or another. I’d also like to help by doing well with literacy, and inspire dyslexics to believe in themselves.

It also involves a LOT of extra study (masters, year working with kids, then 3 year phd), and I am not sure it will leave me much time to write or do other things, and it isn’t very creative. I’m a fairly creative person and I feel a job that doesn’t let me be creative will suffocate me.

One of my lectures suggested that I become a professional public speaker as she noticed how well I handled group discussion, but getting into that means you need to be something special, say have written a book or have a phd...and I need a job that I can do to support my writing, not one dependant on it. The same goes for lecturing, which I know I would be good at and would enjoy.

....

Summary

So, any suggestions for an INFJ girl who is good with words, wants a stable job to support her writing, and who wishes to be creative?

Maybe even just some useful questions to ask myself to help me make up my mind, or gain a bit more clarity?

 

[MissNobody]

The problem

Right my insightful brethren...I need some advice.

I don’t know what to do with my life, I know, who does? But what sort of career route to go down?

....

The details.

I have always wanted to be a writer, since I was about six years old. It’s all I have ever wanted to be and I am very determined to do this. Yet, I know this might not work out, and I need a job alongside this. As wanting to write has always been a key focus I am unsure what sort of job I should look into.

I’ve recently graduated university, I have a degree in English and Creative Writing. I felt this was a good move, as it progressed my ambition of being a writer, and it will help me career wise.

Before I chose my course I had a lot of people telling me what I should do...go into law, as I have a natural talent with verbal language and it pays well, get a graduate job with a bank, go into publishing, speech therapy as it pays well and it is helping people...I thought if I did English I could always do a conversion course afterwards if I wanted to do law or something like that.

I’ve been doing a part time job in a bookshop for the last few months while I figure everything out, and I have decided I would like to go and do further study.

The original plan was to do a Masters in Creative Writing, thing is now I don’t know if this is the best move for me. I feel my writing is already up to a good standard and it is something I can continue to improve on my own. Plus I write fantasy, and that isn’t highly compatible with most creative writing courses I have looked at, or lecturer interests. I don’t want to spend a considerable amount of money and not be able to write what I love. Doing a course like this is following my heart, as it isn’t necessarily going to improve my job prospects, so if it isn’t going to help me with the thing I love...why do it?

I do want to do a Masters I think, as I had a really bad university experience. I’d like to be able to go to university and enjoy it this time. I feel like I really missed out, and it would help me meet new people, new friends, maybe even a new love interest. Going to uni would mean I could join societies, and meet people around my age with similar interests and get to know them properly, people on my course too. Yes I’d need to wait until next year, and this is not a great reason on it’s own to do it, but it does feed into why I am considering this.

I know I don’t want to do a normal office job, and I am not sure that the lack of stability of journalism/publishing is for me. I don’t want to go into law, as I feel my morals are too strong and I would find it very difficult from that point of view. I’d rather die than be a teacher, as I had an unhappy educational experience, and don’t want to revisit it.

One option is to go into psychology, and become an Educational Psychologist...that would mean helping children with special needs. This is a subject very dear to me as I am dyslexic, and I feel I need to help people with similar problems. But do I want to be involved in that world everyday? It’s pretty draining emotionally. I know I need to do something to help people with dyslexia and similar conditions, but I could easily do this in a voluntary fashion, which is what I have been doing since my teens in one form or another. I’d also like to help by doing well with literacy, and inspire dyslexics to believe in themselves.

It also involves a LOT of extra study (masters, year working with kids, then 3 year phd), and I am not sure it will leave me much time to write or do other things, and it isn’t very creative. I’m a fairly creative person and I feel a job that doesn’t let me be creative will suffocate me.

One of my lectures suggested that I become a professional public speaker as she noticed how well I handled group discussion, but getting into that means you need to be something special, say have written a book or have a phd...and I need a job that I can do to support my writing, not one dependant on it. The same goes for lecturing, which I know I would be good at and would enjoy.

....

Summary

So, any suggestions for an INFJ girl who is good with words, wants a stable job to support her writing, and who wishes to be creative?

Maybe even just some useful questions to ask myself to help me make up my mind, or gain a bit more clarity?

Become a psychologist! As you said it is very dear to you. I agree that it would be very draining but perhaps you could do it part time? And then try to get work through your writing as a freelance writer?

Perhaps you could use your experience as a psychologist and write about it? Find magazines that talk about topics that interest you and write articles for them?

I'm about to start a degree in creative writing and I have no clue what I'll end up doing at the end of it. I am thinking of going into teaching but this is more of a back up plan as I'd like to earn a living through writing.

 

[zwanglos]

Why not just write something? You don't need a masters to get something published - whether or not it gets published is determined by the quality of the actual writing, not the academic credentials of the writer.

Going to grad school is just going to involve you getting more debts and more studies, but no experience.

 

[Filigeedreamer]

Why not just write something? You don't need a masters to get something published - whether or not it gets published is determined by the quality of the actual writing, not the academic credentials of the writer.

Going to grad school is just going to involve you getting more debts and more studies, but no experience.

I am writing all the time, and I’ve started on a novel. The trouble is that won’t get me out of my parent’s house, even if I do publish. Most writers can’t live off what they do.

The academic credentials do help a bit, as you are more likely to get your work read by publishers if you put in your query/cover letter you have a degree or masters in a relevant area. Being taught by other writers (assuming it is creative writing) also naturally helps improve your writing faster than someone who doesn’t get that support.

I won’t get into additional debt if I do further study for an MA in anything, or if I go on to do a Phd in Educational Psychology. Even if I did get into more debt, the money you earn as an Educational Psychologist would be worth it. So it’s viable financially at the moment.

The cost of getting qualifications isn’t the issue, it’s what sort of job might be a good fit for me, that will dictate if I go and do more studying. The trouble is I’m not sure on all the jobs there are out there, (though I did buy a book full of suggestions) and I’m worried I am limiting myself.

I know what my talents and interests are, but I don’t know of a job that fits them which is a viable option.

Maybe Educational Psychology is the answer, but I wanted a second opinion. As soon as I tell people it is well paid I get told to do it, but that’s not my biggest concern. It’s will I be happy doing it?

 

[zwanglos]

Well, I recently had the same conundrum - I've been studying / am studying languages (German, Chinese) with the goal of becoming a translator, though I also seriously doubt that that's going to get me out of the parents' house / pay the bills. (Chinese people here in Taiwan would argue that one should show filial piety by not moving out the parents house, though, but that's a different story.)

You may want to cast a wide net and consider jobs completely outside of the spectrum you've henceforth been considering. With worries on my mind about 'how will I pay for the air I breath' I've decided to go into nursing. Everyone I know says I'd be 'a good fit for it' and, hey, it's probably something that would generally fit an INFJ.

Having already gotten an undergrad, I can probably be through the whole thing in about 2-3 years after I finish my year of studies here in Taiwan.

Whether or not I'll enjoy nursing is another thing... I had independently decided I wanted to be a medical translator, though, so I figured that at this point, my languages make me a better nurse (extra languages make you a better anything, to be honest), while the medical/nursing expertise enables me to be a medical translator.

One can start a nursing job in the US with a salary anywhere from $48k to $60-something-k a year, though if one goes on into the MA/PhD area of nursing (they have those), one can work towards being a nurse/anesthesiologist, making about $130k-150k.

The conclusion I came to is that I have to keep doing what I love, which is learning/using languages, but I'm also going to need a 'bread-and-butter' job to make that a reality. Nursing seems to fit the bill, and nurses are in huge demand.

Whether or not that info is helpful, I dunno.

For you, I'd seriously consider what kind of writing it is you want to do so badly in the future, and perhaps get a job in the general sector of that interest, which precludes 'fantasy' writing, of course.

Or who knows, maybe you should just go ahead and get a multitude of odd jobs, doing everything. Some of the best writers have had experience doing a very wide variety of jobs, my favorite example being Frank Herbert, the writer of the original Dune series.

 

[Daveman]

The problem

Right my insightful brethren...I need some advice.

I don’t know what to do with my life, I know, who does? But what sort of career route to go down?

....

The details.

I have always wanted to be a writer, since I was about six years old. It’s all I have ever wanted to be and I am very determined to do this. Yet, I know this might not work out, and I need a job alongside this. As wanting to write has always been a key focus I am unsure what sort of job I should look into.

I’ve recently graduated university, I have a degree in English and Creative Writing. I felt this was a good move, as it progressed my ambition of being a writer, and it will help me career wise.

Before I chose my course I had a lot of people telling me what I should do...go into law, as I have a natural talent with verbal language and it pays well, get a graduate job with a bank, go into publishing, speech therapy as it pays well and it is helping people...I thought if I did English I could always do a conversion course afterwards if I wanted to do law or something like that.

I’ve been doing a part time job in a bookshop for the last few months while I figure everything out, and I have decided I would like to go and do further study.

The original plan was to do a Masters in Creative Writing, thing is now I don’t know if this is the best move for me. I feel my writing is already up to a good standard and it is something I can continue to improve on my own. Plus I write fantasy, and that isn’t highly compatible with most creative writing courses I have looked at, or lecturer interests. I don’t want to spend a considerable amount of money and not be able to write what I love. Doing a course like this is following my heart, as it isn’t necessarily going to improve my job prospects, so if it isn’t going to help me with the thing I love...why do it?

I do want to do a Masters I think, as I had a really bad university experience. I’d like to be able to go to university and enjoy it this time. I feel like I really missed out, and it would help me meet new people, new friends, maybe even a new love interest. Going to uni would mean I could join societies, and meet people around my age with similar interests and get to know them properly, people on my course too. Yes I’d need to wait until next year, and this is not a great reason on it’s own to do it, but it does feed into why I am considering this.

I know I don’t want to do a normal office job, and I am not sure that the lack of stability of journalism/publishing is for me. I don’t want to go into law, as I feel my morals are too strong and I would find it very difficult from that point of view. I’d rather die than be a teacher, as I had an unhappy educational experience, and don’t want to revisit it.

One option is to go into psychology, and become an Educational Psychologist...that would mean helping children with special needs. This is a subject very dear to me as I am dyslexic, and I feel I need to help people with similar problems. But do I want to be involved in that world everyday? It’s pretty draining emotionally. I know I need to do something to help people with dyslexia and similar conditions, but I could easily do this in a voluntary fashion, which is what I have been doing since my teens in one form or another. I’d also like to help by doing well with literacy, and inspire dyslexics to believe in themselves.

It also involves a LOT of extra study (masters, year working with kids, then 3 year phd), and I am not sure it will leave me much time to write or do other things, and it isn’t very creative. I’m a fairly creative person and I feel a job that doesn’t let me be creative will suffocate me.

One of my lectures suggested that I become a professional public speaker as she noticed how well I handled group discussion, but getting into that means you need to be something special, say have written a book or have a phd...and I need a job that I can do to support my writing, not one dependant on it. The same goes for lecturing, which I know I would be good at and would enjoy.

....

Summary

So, any suggestions for an INFJ girl who is good with words, wants a stable job to support her writing, and who wishes to be creative?

Maybe even just some useful questions to ask myself to help me make up my mind, or gain a bit more clarity?

Wow! You sound a lot like me. I was writing as a small child too.

I am going into psychology, but I also plan to write. I plan to write about INFJs- as a matter of fact.

I used to write scripts for movies. I have always liked movies, and I have the ability to see beyond the surface level. I might do this from time to time as a hobby. I have scriptwriting software, and there is an amature website called simplyscripts.com.

 

[Filigeedreamer]

Well, I recently had the same conundrum - I've been studying / am studying languages (German, Chinese) with the goal of becoming a translator, though I also seriously doubt that that's going to get me out of the parents' house / pay the bills. (Chinese people here in Taiwan would argue that one should show filial piety by not moving out the parents house, though, but that's a different story.)

You may want to cast a wide net and consider jobs completely outside of the spectrum you've henceforth been considering. With worries on my mind about 'how will I pay for the air I breath' I've decided to go into nursing. Everyone I know says I'd be 'a good fit for it' and, hey, it's probably something that would generally fit an INFJ.

Having already gotten an undergrad, I can probably be through the whole thing in about 2-3 years after I finish my year of studies here in Taiwan.

Whether or not I'll enjoy nursing is another thing... I had independently decided I wanted to be a medical translator, though, so I figured that at this point, my languages make me a better nurse (extra languages make you a better anything, to be honest), while the medical/nursing expertise enables me to be a medical translator.

One can start a nursing job in the US with a salary anywhere from $48k to $60-something-k a year, though if one goes on into the MA/PhD area of nursing (they have those), one can work towards being a nurse/anesthesiologist, making about $130k-150k.

The conclusion I came to is that I have to keep doing what I love, which is learning/using languages, but I'm also going to need a 'bread-and-butter' job to make that a reality. Nursing seems to fit the bill, and nurses are in huge demand.

Whether or not that info is helpful, I dunno.

For you, I'd seriously consider what kind of writing it is you want to do so badly in the future, and perhaps get a job in the general sector of that interest, which precludes 'fantasy' writing, of course.

Or who knows, maybe you should just go ahead and get a multitude of odd jobs, doing everything. Some of the best writers have had experience doing a very wide variety of jobs, my favorite example being Frank Herbert, the writer of the original Dune series.

Thank you,

That was very useful actually.

It mirrors my thought process slightly in terms of psychology and writing. As to odd jobs, I'd be up for it, but I think my parents would never forgive me. :laughing:

Some good questions to think about too.