photo: Alex E. Proimos

I am going to reiterate my stance on introverts and jobs, and all that goes with the preoccupation we have with occupations.

Again, this is my stance. Everyone is welcome to, and should have, their own whether it matches mine or is the exact opposite.

• No one should choose a job based only on the introvert/extrovert part of their personality. To do so would be misguided.
• Career counseling and testing is a tool. I happen to think a valuable tool, but a tool nevertheless, and no one should rely only on that to make a decision for them. A tool is a helper, not a decision maker. I do feel that career counseling and testing has helped me immensely, and can help others.
• I know school teachers who are extremely introverted and who also love their job. I know a librarian, (a job often judged to be a job for introverts) who is extremely extroverted. I know a shy introvert who is studying to become a minister (I think he’ll make an excellent minister). I know two people who are counselors, both extreme introverts, who find their jobs very rewarding. What I’m trying to point out is that people have other aspects to their personality than their introversion. They have strengths and weaknesses, they have their own set of values, they have interests and skills that have to play a part in choosing a career.
• I am absolutely certain that someone could hold a certain type of job within one company, in one type of situation and atmosphere, and love it. But that same person could hold the same job at another company, in another situation and atmosphere, and hate it.
• There is no black and white here. It’s all gray. Even when it comes to working as a cashier at Walmart (there’s an extreme…)
• I do believe that it is ideal for a person to be able to try things out before they commit. That’s not always the easiest thing to do (think about it for a minute). So it is necessary to use all the available tools and helps, and to talk to as many people as possible, before spending hard-earned cash on an education in a certain field.
• In the end, each individual has to use his or her brain to figure out and understand that he or she ultimately responsible for this decision. Not anyone else. I think most of us know that already.

As far as my own career search goes: I’m 47 years old, and have been around long enough to know that one doesn’t just pick a job based on a test and then go for it. I am in the process of interviewing people (both introverted and extroverted) who have been working in the fields that I am interested in. I am visiting colleges. I am doing more research and reading anything I can get my hands on. I am doing what I need to do to make an informed decision.

With regards to career counseling, a good career counselor will encourage that you take the results of your testing and do thorough research – he will offer to help you do that research, or give you good tips on how to do it. No respectable career counselor would say, “This is what you’re meant to do”, and leave it at that.

Will my introverted personality affect my job choice? You bet it will. But so will my creative side and the part of me that is naturally curious and that wants to figure things out. My problem solving skills will have a say in my career choice, along with my desire to work autonomously. And there are other factors that will be a part of my decision.

Is the job I choose going to be perfect. Doubtful, but I bet it will be pretty decent.