Do you like what you do?

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about career aspirations... which is funny, because I'm actually very happy in my job. But anyway, next week I'll be taking a work-sponsored training course called the Birkman Method, advance preparations for which required me to take an online personality test.

One of the questions was "Do you lie to get your way?" -- I mean: come on. Do you actually expect people to answer that question honestly if they're taking the test for work?? It's like that question people sometimes ask you in an interview: "What do you consider to be your greatest weakness?" Uh-huh, yeah.

Anyway, there's a pretty cool "MeMe" questionnaire going around that I saw on Stacy O's blog. And then yesterday, I stumbled on this page (but whatever you do, please don't click here! OK! I warned you...) It got me to thinking about whether the careers favored by my personality "type" actually fit me.

I'm assuming most people know about the Myers-Briggs personality test. I found a link to a very brief version (the full version takes at least an hour.)

So anyway, I'm an INFP (introverted, intuitive, feeling, perceiving). This type makes up .2% of the population (which makes sense, given that most people are the diametrically opposite type: ESTJs (extroverted, sensory, thinking, judging). The INFP is sometimes also known as "The Healer" -- awww... ain't that sweet?

Here are the careers supposedly favored by INFPs (along with my reaction to each):
poet: done it, not too bad. but no money in it ;-)
painter: would like to try
freelance artist: done it, liked it
musician: Hey! I'm learning bass! Does that count?
writer: Do it every day.
art therapist: Hmm... sounds a bit funky. I'd like to *do* art for therapy, sure... not sure if I want to oversee others doing art for therapy. They might throw paint at me.
teacher (art, music, drama): thought about it.
songwriter: eh. so-so.
art historian: sure, why not?
library assistant: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
composer: sure, if I can use GarageBand ;-)
work in the perfoming arts: did it (in college) - this seems *wide* open to interpretation. Kinda like: does being an usher at the local movie theatre count??
art curator: yeah!
playwright: tried it in college. it's hard.
bookseller: sounds good!
cartoonist: I'm not a good enough "draw-er," but I like *reading* cartoons!
video editor: done it, very fun.
photographer: do it as often as possible.
philosopher: um, I guess I'm pretty philosophical. But last time I checked, this is not a paid position.
record store owner: I'd love to have a shop like the one in High Fidelity... complete with Jack Black and that mumbly guy, Dick I think his name was.
digital artist: done it.
cinematographer: would love it!
costume designer: would have to be a better "sew-er"
film producer: this one seems out of place. i think you'd have to be all strong-willed, pushy and good with budgets.
philosophy professor: my friend/colleague is one of these. seems like something I'd rather do at the graduate level in France, rather than at the undergrad level in the US. But then I'd reall need to learn philosophy, and to speak French *much* better.
librarian: Nahhhh. Blech. Plus, I got LASIK, so no more sexy librarian look for me!
music therapist: Again with the creative therapy. What about good old regular therapy?!
enviromentalist: Requires cold-calling or going door to door, which I did one summer in college. I cried and quit after one day.
movie director: sure! but again, seems to require a lot of pushiness and yelling.
activist: I'm just not that *active* ;-)
bookstore owner: How is this different than "bookseller" -- would being a store owner make me "The Man?"
filmmaker: Yeah!!!!