# INFP in need of Career Advice!!



## naturally baked (Aug 18, 2012)

I'll start by saying I've only gone to college for a year, took basic courses, and subsequently stopped attending. I'd say the problem was a combination of having a lack of maturity, depression, and a need for quick cash.

Fast forward a few years and here we are. Anyway, I'm a much more mature man now (I hope!) and depression isn't as bad as it used to be. So my question to you guys is, how do I go about tackling this college business? I have lots of things I love, but I can't seem to come up with one possible path to take. Should I just try everything out and see if the glove fits? Or do I blindly choose a single path and stick with it until the end?

These are probably the two subjects I'd find the most interest in pursuing:

Astronomy - I realize that this will probably be an extremely long and difficult career, however I'd be lying if I said that I wouldn't love spending the rest of my life studying this. I've lost count on how many sleepless nights I've had reading about the planets, stars, black holes, supernovas, quasars, nebula's, galaxies, etc. If there are any Astronomers here I'd love to hear your insight on your particular field of study.
Psychology - I find the human mind to be fascinating, to say the least. Having been through many ups and downs in my life, as well as having experimented with various drugs. I've learned a bit about the different perceptions, emotions, behaviors, and the different cognitive functions (I wouldn't be here if I didn't) that the mind is capable of having. As with Astronomy, if there are any Psychologists out there I'd also appreciate if you shed some light on your career and how your love for it began.

If you find this to be too vague, please let me know. I'd be happy to add more. Cheers!


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## jbking (Jun 4, 2010)

First, consider that there is something to be said for skills and subject matter when it comes to college. You'll get both though the former may be harder to deduce from your degree. For example, in getting my Math degree there were problem solving skills that were developed that I'm not sure how easily these would be seen by some people.

Second, consider that college is to give you a foundation and not be everything all in one package. It is a piece of the puzzle and something that can be used and leveraged. Thus, it isn't intended to be thought of as a silver bullet.

Third, there is a great chance that both you and the world will change over the next few years and thus what you learn may get updated at some point. Do you remember when Pluto was considered a planet and got re-classified? While that is a bit extreme there is something to be said for how things shift in the world and how do you handle these things.

Astronomy is a subject and not a career. There is researching and teaching about Astronomy but there could be other ways one could use knowledge of Astronomy as someone may yet want to make a reality show, "How are the stars tonight?" that looks at the state of various stars or something that while it may sound silly let's not forget that Bill Nye did have a Science TV show in the past at one point.

While there are professional Psychologists as one use of the degree, there can also be various consultants used to help improve HR functions and improve management efficiencies that could also make use of psychological knowledge.

Thus, there is a lot more here than meets the eye that I'd hope you see on some level.


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## Coldspot (Nov 7, 2011)

I am in the same kind of position, and have decided that I may go into university for criminology. I strongly suggest looking at your secondary school grades and the requirements for what you are interested in. Make sure that you have as good a chance as you can at getting accepted. Also keep in mind how competitive courses are and job opportunities upon graduating.


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## Sgt. Callahan (Feb 9, 2013)

You should try out Psychology. You will sure be able to have much better career opportunities with psychology than you would a subject such as astronomy. Psychology can be very broad and it has lot of uses in other industries as well.


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## SilentDreamr (Feb 8, 2013)

I've considered psychology as a possible career choice for myself, too.

There are so many different areas of it (forensic, child psychology, counselling, psychiatry, business, sports, research, and the list goes on). The good thing about this is that if you become bored of one area or it doesn't quite suit you, you can try something else. This is also a profession where you would be helping people on a daily basis (not necessarily direct communication though, if it doesn't suit) and it is something that is needed worldwide and will continue to be needed in the future, despite changes in technology.

Astrology would be an amazing career too, although it seems like it would be extremely difficult to get into. But I think you could get there if you tried really hard and committed to it.  Just go with whatever makes you happiest, and if it doesn't work out then you can always try something different. Good luck!


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## surgery (Apr 16, 2010)

You might also want to consider the lifestyle and specific career you want after college (and probably graduate school)? What makes you truly happy? What's unchangingly important to you--things like getting married, or lots of money, freedom, flexibility, location, etc? What skills do you objectively have and how can you incorporate that into a career? Depending on what degree you get, it's sometimes easy to start down a different career/academic path, so your bachelor's degree doesn't mean that your life will revolve around that one subject area forever.


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