[martin quinlan]

Hi there ,I recently took a personality test and scored INFP . i read the description of INFP and immediately realised how closely it descibed me . It seems from my browsing on various personality forums that INFP types have a tough time deciding what to do with their lives in that they must find a way to honor internal values , respect their introverted tendency , be creative and yet also avoid repetetive and menial tasks .I am currently working as a school teacher and I am suprised that it is featured on many lists of INFP jobs as it seems to be much more suitable for the extrovert and in my own experience I feel myself pushing against my natural introspective urges in this profession . I have been considering some other routes which would not be as exhaustive and have considered training to be a psychiatric nurse or a painter ( construction style not picasso ). My reasoning being that Psych nursing is a job where I would be able to work to help people (the healer) and also could use some of the infp compassion while painting would be a job where I would not be challenged to act unnaturally extroverted . Anyway sorry for blabbing , please let me know if you have any insight s or tips about wether or not these professions would gel with an infp personality type .

Thanks a lot ,

Jambo

[A Better Tomorrow]

I am not a nurse, but am considering going back to school because my current degree gets me rejected from even low-paying jobs. Just this morning, I opened my email to find six rejection emails saying that I don't qualify for a position as a mental health worker. I really don't understand how because I have a degree in human services along with work and volunteer work with people with disabilities. Needless to say, my self-esteem is at an all-time low. But anyways, I think that field of nursing would be good for an infp and if you able to, i'd do it. As for painting, I don't think it would be bad, but would you be able to find steady work?

[ponyjoyride]

I think mental health nursing is a perfect job for an INFP. I also tried teaching but speaking in front of a class and trying to maintain the pupils under some sort of control wasn't my thing. I think INFPs can be wonderful artists but trying to support yourself by painting may be too unsure.

[martin quinlan]

Well the painting I was thinking of doing was buildings as in part of the construction industry and not art . I was wondering if conflict and managment and repetition are big parts of mental health nursing as I think INFPs are to stay clear of those things .

[faeriegal713]

To OP:

I'm an INFP and am a nurse in outpatient psychiatry. I also work closely with some of the residential homes the center runs. I love my job, and while at times it can be stressful, it is incredibly satisfying. Especially since I work with the medicare/medicaid and indigent (meaning no insurance) people in the county the center takes care of. Basically these are the people whom no one else will take and who have had some of the most trauma and need the most help. The reward in helping them is incredible and really makes me feel like I'm actually doing something to help these more or less lost souls. It can also be very difficult when they are having a more difficult time because all I want to do is reach out and hug them and take care of them, which is pretty much a no-no. Even taking that into account though, there are so many more benefits than negatives due to knowing that I am one of the few caring people they will interact with. One of the best parts about working outpatient is that I get to focus on one patient at a time (usually) which helps to keep me from getting overwhelmed.

The biggest downside is that like any large organization, there is a lot of politics to maneuver around, but since I'm one of 6 nurses (which is completely not enough, but we do what we can) I don't have to worry about that as much as I would if I were a case manager/case worker or therapist.

Did I mention it's rewarding?

I wish you the best of luck deciding what to do. Nursing school can be hard and the clinicals can be brutal, but the end result is very much so worth it. Since you already have a bachelors degree, there are usually a lot of programs that are actually only a year long for you to get your Bachelors of Science of Nursing (BSN) once you get the pre-reqs out of the way.

I am not a nurse, but am considering going back to school because my current degree gets me rejected from even low-paying jobs. Just this morning, I opened my email to find six rejection emails saying that I don't qualify for a position as a mental health worker. I really don't understand how because I have a degree in human services along with work and volunteer work with people with disabilities. Needless to say, my self-esteem is at an all-time low. But anyways, I think that field of nursing would be good for an infp and if you able to, i'd do it. As for painting, I don't think it would be bad, but would you be able to find steady work?

Have you looked at outpatient mental health centers as either a case manager/case worker or with an agency that works with mentally disabled where you are basically a 1 on 1 care taker? I know a lot of people that get jobs in those positions w/a bachelors degree. They do prefer someone who has a psych or social work degree, but sometimes they will take others. Depending on what state you're in that could be more difficult. I know California is very stringent about that. Colorado (where I'm from) has a whole different problem in that everyone and their mother has a psych degree, so it's really competitive for even the lowest of jobs in the various mental health centers. It's not impossible to find a job with other degrees, but it is much more difficult because the centers can be picky due to the flood of applicants for every job opening. It doesn't help that there have been major funding cuts and people have had to be let go just due to the centers not being able to afford to keep them and with hospitals shutting down entire wards.

I do wish you the best of luck though. Try to maintain the thoughts that you will find the perfect job no matter what. Don't let the rejections keep you down, that just gives you more opportunity to find that perfect job. I know it's hard to think that way, but it truly is worth it.

[Sily]

I've been a psychiatric social worker for ..... well, since 1987. I currently work with ton o' nurses, doctors, therapists. Lots and lots and lots. Let me tell you... it's a good job (nursing is). It's life and death issues, for sure and you will make a difference. It's an interesting job. I watch them, hear them talk. Lots of icky stuff tho - cathing a patient. EWWWWW. Good benefits and I'll bet it will be easy to find a job. Nursing is one on one so being an introvert shouldn't be too bad.

Work as a nurse during the day and paint at night.

[Lad]

As someone who is going into policing, I'll apply some of the same general concepts I worry about myself in a somewhat related field.

First, while basically all INFPs follow that whole -improving- the world sort of ideal, you have to realize that many times when you deal with people with a mental illness there may be very little job satisfaction as it will be difficult to notice any changes. With this in mind, you may have lots of ups and downs as to whether you really are helping.

Second, you may experience some actions that you can't really share at the dinner table with others. Meaning, in some cases you will have to keep situations or stories private for the most part. What does this mean? It means you have very few people to lean on when times get tough. It also means you can "lose yourself" if you don't learn how to cope with it properly. Long story short, find something to keep you grounded (spouse, yoga maybe? writing? who knows).

I'll leave it there so I don't blab too much.

Overall though, I think it's a good and bad job for INFPs. Personally, I'd never do it for myself as I'd probably go crazy with trying to figure out a new approach to "fix" some mental issues. Kind of like the whole Beautiful Mind movie. In the end though, I doubt I would feel like I had enough of an impact.

All the power to you if you believe it's right for you though, truly.

[A Better Tomorrow]

Have you looked at outpatient mental health centers as either a case manager/case worker or with an agency that works with mentally disabled where you are basically a 1 on 1 care taker? I know a lot of people that get jobs in those positions w/a bachelors degree. They do prefer someone who has a psych or social work degree, but sometimes they will take others. Depending on what state you're in that could be more difficult. I know California is very stringent about that. Colorado (where I'm from) has a whole different problem in that everyone and their mother has a psych degree, so it's really competitive for even the lowest of jobs in the various mental health centers. It's not impossible to find a job with other degrees, but it is much more difficult because the centers can be picky due to the flood of applicants for every job opening. It doesn't help that there have been major funding cuts and people have had to be let go just due to the centers not being able to afford to keep them and with hospitals shutting down entire wards.

I do wish you the best of luck though. Try to maintain the thoughts that you will find the perfect job no matter what. Don't let the rejections keep you down, that just gives you more opportunity to find that perfect job. I know it's hard to think that way, but it truly is worth it.

I have a bachelor of science in sociology, so it a human services degree. Yes, I have tried those centers for caseworker, casemanager, and other jobs with no luck at all. I am trying to keep my head up, but i'm feeling beat down. Thanks for the advice though, I do appreciate it.

[faeriegal713]

I'm so sorry to hear that. I really hope you're able to find something. I know that right now it is especially hard due to there being so many budget cuts pretty much across the country, but I know that there will be someplace that will recognize how appropriate it will be to hire you. *hugs*

[faeriegal713]

As someone who is going into policing, I'll apply some of the same general concepts I worry about myself in a somewhat related field.

First, while basically all INFPs follow that whole -improving- the world sort of ideal, you have to realize that many times when you deal with people with a mental illness there may be very little job satisfaction as it will be difficult to notice any changes. With this in mind, you may have lots of ups and downs as to whether you really are helping.

Second, you may experience some actions that you can't really share at the dinner table with others. Meaning, in some cases you will have to keep situations or stories private for the most part. What does this mean? It means you have very few people to lean on when times get tough. It also means you can "lose yourself" if you don't learn how to cope with it properly. Long story short, find something to keep you grounded (spouse, yoga maybe? writing? who knows).

I'll leave it there so I don't blab too much.

Overall though, I think it's a good and bad job for INFPs. Personally, I'd never do it for myself as I'd probably go crazy with trying to figure out a new approach to "fix" some mental issues. Kind of like the whole Beautiful Mind movie. In the end though, I doubt I would feel like I had enough of an impact.

All the power to you if you believe it's right for you though, truly.

Many of these points are very true, especially if you were to work in a hospital or acute/intensive treatment center. You only see people at their worst and just as they're starting to recover a bit, you ship them off to somewhere else. Outpatient is a little different. I truly have seen remarkable turn arounds that reaffirm why I work here and how much I can do.

As for not being able to talk to a lot of people about what's going on, that is true to a certain extent. At the same time, making one or two friends who work in the same agency is incredibly rewarding (usually they're very like minded-my closest friend here is an INFJ and we're able to support each other really well.) It also makes you feel much less alone and can help you to bounce ideas off each other for helping particular cases.

In the beginning, it can be incredibly difficult to maintain boundaries and not let your patients trouble affect you. That's when it's even more important to make sure that you always have someone to lean on and talk with your co-workers. I wouldn't have survived my first year without Veronica and Shanna. I wouldn't have survived my second year without Mary Sue, Melinda and Charles. Now, my third year, I'm doing fairly well on my own and talk with other co-workers mainly to rant and whinge about the unfairness, but I can leave work at work and not carry it to job#2 or home. Except when I'm excited about a patient's progress, then I can't help but be happy and share how s/he has improved remarkably. I don't have to say anything more than that and it's okay (which also means I haven't broken HIPPA because if depressed pt A no longer feels depressed and got a job, well, there are a lot of depressed A's who get jobs every day.)