I couldn’t have chosen a more imperfect career fit. Neither could my husband. I border on extreme introversion. He is an off-the-charts extrovert. My career fresh out of college involved tons of people, constant interruptions, lots of travel, and everything else an introvert could hate. My people-loving new husband was a farmer. He spent all day every day alone in a tractor cab or working among cattle that only communicated by mooing. I would come home at night ready to cocoon after the onslaught of the day. He would be gearing up and ready to go do something with people. The clash of needs was intense; however, at the time we really didn’t understand what was happening.
Here’s the interesting thing. We were both very good at what we did. His innovative farming practices were featured in the top farm magazine in the nation. My groundbreaking programs received awards at professional meetings. We were expertly doing what we were trained to do and everyone was applauding. Why were we so miserable with our choice of profession?
Several years into this mess, I discovered the Myers-Briggs personality assessment and things began to finally make sense. The heart of our unhappiness was the fact that we didn’t understand how God had hard-wired our individual personalities. As such, we had basically chosen career paths that violated who we were at the core of our being. While we were successful, the emotional price we paid was entirely too high.
Fascinated with this tidbit of knowledge, I began to try to understand the different personalities and what that meant for career choice. Because I had lived through the pain of unwise choices, I was determined that my children would not make the same mistake. As they grew and I continued to study, I discovered a book that has been foundational for my kids, for many of my clients, and for my young friends as they have contemplated what they want to do with their life.
Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger is a groundbreaking, easy to understand look at all the personality types. Each personality type has its own chapter with the following categories:
- profiles of real people in real jobs and why that career works
- common threads found between these profiled
- career satisfaction means doing work that . . .
- popular occupations for each personality type in the fields of counseling, education, religion, creative, health care, social services, business, computers/technology, finance, professional, academic, sales, service, clerical, etc.
- customizing the job search
- pathways to success using your strengths
- possible pitfalls
- advice on keeping or changing your job
This kind of self-awareness in budding teens can help channel their skill development, give them ideas for the kinds of professionals or tradesmen to job shadow, help them know where to focus their research of careers, pick the colleges or apprenticeships that specialize in training for those particular careers, and ultimately move into a world of work that validates who they are and allows them the best chance of being successful both emotionally and professionally.
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