# Career Ideas - What am I good for?



## devoid (Jan 3, 2011)

I've been trying to find a career path with some amount of frustration, and I'd really appreciate some feedback from other people who are already out there in the world. For the last two years I was working on an AA degree in Visual Arts and Communications, and planning to transfer to a university. However, I recently realized that my original career path (graphic design) is not right for me! Although I found it challenging at first and I am very good at it, I've reached the point where I have to actually *do* graphics work (not just learn it haha) and I find the process very boring. It isn't challenging enough anymore, and I feel that I have a much greater potential that I could be using. Now I am going to re-enroll in the Fall, but I'm not sure what to pursue.

As an ENTP, my talent lies in improving systems. I am very analytical, quick on my feet and good at solving problems and seeing multiple sides of an issue. I like to improve on preestablished ideas and implement different ideas into a larger goal. I feel that the kind of work I enjoy is hearing other peoples' ideas and expanding or combining them. There must be something that I can apply this to in the real world!

Other information:
- I'm very gifted with writing, but can also excel in most science and math subjects
- I'm good at public speaking and improvisation
- I learn new subjects very quickly
- I'm very competitive
- I enjoy meeting new people and experiencing diversity
- I'm very hard working and driven when I set my eyes on something
- I have a strong sense of responsibility
- My short-term memory is not very good
- I like fast pace environments and multitasking
- I love change!
- I definitely plan to pursue a higher education


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## rainbowchelle (May 12, 2011)

I'd suggest:
-Marketing
-Teaching
-Information Systems
-Public Relations
-International Business
-Private Investigator

Also check out this link if you haven't already seen it:
Careers for ENTP Personality Types


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## lemonlemon (Mar 22, 2011)

Marketing/PR and IT/information systems can offer a lot, if novelty, challenge, problem-solving, feeling driven, and making connections are important - particularly in an agency/consultancy environment, vs. in-house. (Things get boring if you work for one organization/company; you wind up maintaining systems more often than not. Often, consultants or new hires wind up getting juicy projects - moving up often means moving out. Agencies deal with new clients and new problems all the time, and sometimes have more fluid upward movement.) In both those (very broad!) fields, you could expect a good salary in not too short a time - and neither marketing nor IS/IT can be expected to drop in value anytime soon.

You'd have to earn your stripes for a couple of years doing tech/craft tasks (e.g., copywriting; account management; market analysis; web design; programming; UI; etc etc), but could easily move to a role involving more 'strategic'/conceptual work in a relatively short time-span. Then, you get to consult, pitch, sell, plan, shmooze at conferences, maybe teach at a college/university level, etc. Obviously both fields are broad, but inevitably you'll be forced to specialize in something or other. Still, once you've got a hook, you can hang all kinds of stuff on it. 

In the public sector world, there's also knowledge transfer, public health, education policy, politics full stop... the first three anyway can move like molasses compared to the private sector, though, and it's awful to have to rely on funding. 

I'm even wondering if you might like economics or finance, but I know very little about those fields. 

There's always academia. If you've got the stomach for it. Now is the time to do it though, if you're drawn in that direction. It's intense and competitive, and the lifestyle (for the first few years out of a doctorate) favours youth. You've got to be obsessed with your subject for its own sake. It can be a sweet life, if you're lucky, talented, and driven, though. 

One thing though - with marketing, IS, business, etc, you have to be able to get excited about products or services that aren't necessarily thrilling in and of themselves. Would you be satisfied with the challenge of working out innovative ways to sell cat food or vacuum cleaners? (Not that you'd necessarily have to... you could specialize in doing any of the above for 'worthy' organizations, e.g., arts, education, health, but then you run into the funding problem again. And governments are moving rightward.) But if values are important to you, it's something to think about*. 

Oh yeah - had a thought about product design. I always thought that could be fun. There are people doing very cool stuff in biomimicry.

*That said, 'values' very often lead to boring, badly paid, insecure, day-to-day work. If you've got a world-saving impulse, you could get more done, honestly, and bore yourself less by working in, e.g., PR or marketing, and doing some pro-bono work every now and then, or starting up your own charity or social enterprise once you've got the cash and other capital to do it.


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## devoid (Jan 3, 2011)

lemonlemon said:


> Marketing/PR and IT/information systems can offer a lot, if novelty, challenge, problem-solving, feeling driven, and making connections are important - particularly in an agency/consultancy environment, vs. in-house. (Things get boring if you work for one organization/company; you wind up maintaining systems more often than not. Often, consultants or new hires wind up getting juicy projects - moving up often means moving out. Agencies deal with new clients and new problems all the time, and sometimes have more fluid upward movement.) In both those (very broad!) fields, you could expect a good salary in not too short a time - and neither marketing nor IS/IT can be expected to drop in value anytime soon.
> 
> You'd have to earn your stripes for a couple of years doing tech/craft tasks (e.g., copywriting; account management; market analysis; web design; programming; UI; etc etc), but could easily move to a role involving more 'strategic'/conceptual work in a relatively short time-span. Then, you get to consult, pitch, sell, plan, shmooze at conferences, maybe teach at a college/university level, etc. Obviously both fields are broad, but inevitably you'll be forced to specialize in something or other. Still, once you've got a hook, you can hang all kinds of stuff on it.
> 
> ...


I think that I'd be happy to sell something even if it was "boring" since I'd enjoy the challenge of selling it. I'm definitely not into saving the world. I've been seriously considering getting into business at least for now, because I think it's something I would do very well in and could lead to other fields.


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## lemonlemon (Mar 22, 2011)

If that's the case, it sounds like a great fit!


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## ukinfj (Apr 15, 2011)

Marketing and graphic design often go together. I'm a content writer, which verges on marketing (involves SEO), and I sometimes look at marketing roles. They are often multimedia now and ask for either graphic design or web design skills. Well-paid, project based, lots of talking to people.  That's what I'd say you should do!


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## johnfernandis (Jul 4, 2011)

As you like to update system and make the best and also like to analyse different point of view and you are sure for making your good career and also study higher then I want to suggest marketing option or IT field.Because in marketing by different techniques and research about market you can do the best and as in IT you can see many changes day by day which you like and know more things.So just try out in marketing or IT field.And in last choose which you like the most.


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## devoid (Jan 3, 2011)

johnfernandis said:


> As you like to update system and make the best and also like to analyse different point of view and you are sure for making your good career and also study higher then I want to suggest marketing option or IT field.Because in marketing by different techniques and research about market you can do the best and as in IT you can see many changes day by day which you like and know more things.So just try out in marketing or IT field.And in last choose which you like the most.


I actually have been looking into Marketing recently. n_n I'm leaning more toward advertising at the moment, but I just changed my major in community college to Business Administration. I already know that I have absolutely no interest in IT work; it bores me, and I don't feel that it utilizes any of my major strengths.


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