Best Careers for Your MBTI Personality Type

The Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a self-reported psychological assessment that sorts people into categories based on how they perceive the world and make decisions.

Today, many professionals use the MBTI to determine which careers they’re suited for based on their personality type. Around two million people reportedly take the test each year.

Companies such as General Motors and Procter & Gamble admit having used it to determine a job candidate’s suitability for a certain role, although critics claim that deciding on a career based on personality is pseudoscientific and should not be used in recruiting decisions.

Trying to find the best job for your personality type? Learn which tech careers may be ideal for you based on your Myers-Briggs personality type.

What Is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator?

During World War II, Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother, Katharine Briggs, developed the test to help women entering the industrial workforce for the first time find jobs that they enjoyed based on their personality type. The test builds on the personality theories of Swiss psychiatrist Dr. Carl Jung in his book, Psychological Types.

To find their personality type, test-takers select one trait they identify with the most across the following four categories, also known as a scale or dichotomy:

• Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)
• Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)
• Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)
• Introversion (I) or Extraversion (E)

One letter is taken from each category and coded into a four-letter test result, such as “ENFP” for “Extraversion, Intuition, Feeling, Perceiving.”

What Are the 16 MBTI Personality Types?

There are 16 possible letter combinations resulting in 16 personality types, and each combination of traits gives rise to different strengths, weaknesses, ways of perceiving the world, and interacting with others.

How Do You Find Your MBTI Personality Type?

There are a few different ways to find your MBTI personality type.

• Self-assessment. You can eyeball the four categories and judge which of the extremes you identify with to obtain your four-letter code. Then, you can decipher the meaning of your code by searching online for your personality type. While this method may deliver a less accurate result, it can give you a rough idea of which personality type you are.
• Take an online test. You can take the assessment online at MBTIonline.com through the Myers-Briggs company. A fee of $49.95 applies. Alternatively, you can take a non-official test for free through an online provider such as 16personalities.com, to find which of the 16 personality types you align with best. You’ll be presented with a number of statements and asked to indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each one.
• Go professional. You can take the MBTI assessment with personal feedback offered by the Center for Applications of Psychological Type, which includes an hour of one-on-one feedback from a certified professional by phone after you take the test.
• Rely on your career network. You can find certified MBTI professionals in your geographic area who can administer the test through the MBTI Master Practitioner Referral Network.

What’s the Right Career for Your MBTI Personality?

We’ve compiled a page for each personality type below. First, find out your personality type, and then click on the corresponding page below to find out what careers best fit your personality.

Step-by-Step Guide to Choosing Your Next Career

Choosing a career path may seem like a monumental, permanently binding decision. While finding the right job is a key determinant of your happiness and financial security, you’re under no obligation to stick with one career path for life. In reality, most people stumble into their “calling” through trial-and-error, after spending years in different roles and industries.

However, if you’re looking for a starting point or are transitioning into the tech industry for the first time, it may help to consider a few “objective” pointers to help you find the right job.

Different occupations call for a different mix of personality traits, technical skills, and soft skills to succeed. For instance, someone who buckles under pressure won’t perform well as an ICU nurse, while someone who craves variety might grow bored working as an accountant.

Selecting a career based on Myers-Briggs can be helpful, but there are also a number of other things you should consider.

Step 1: Consider your strengths and weaknesses

Interviewers ask job candidates about their strengths and weaknesses to assess their self-awareness and honesty, but also to predict whether they would perform well in the role, find satisfaction in their job and fit into the team. Remember, finding the right job is a question of mutual fit. Exploring careers based on Myers-Briggs personality types can help you find a job that makes the most of your strengths.

To identify your strengths, think about where you shine in stressful or challenging situations. Perhaps you can quickly brainstorm solutions—the mark of a creative mind. Or, you’re adept at managing the stress of those around you and restoring calm and order, which indicates leadership traits. Perhaps you adapt easily to changing situations, a sign of flexibility. Your strengths are a strong predictor of the type of work and workplace environment in which you’re likely to thrive.

Here are some examples of professional strengths:

• Taking initiative
• Focused
• Enthusiasm
• Trustworthiness
• Discipline

Weaknesses, on the other hand, signpost the type of work and workplace environment in which you’re likely to struggle. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t overcome your weaknesses or that you should renounce certain professions. For example, if you dread public speaking but you long to become a UX designer, you can alleviate your weakness by practicing your presentation skills.

Recognize which weaknesses are mutable and which ones represent blockers. For example, if you’re reluctant to delegate because you have trouble trusting others, you may be ill-suited for a managerial role until or unless you successfully overcome this. Perhaps you may even derive more satisfaction from remaining as an individual contributor, where you focus on hands-on tasks.

Here are some examples of professional weaknesses:

• Lack of confidence
• Discomfort with ambiguity
• Focusing too much on details
• Impatience with bureaucracies
• A tendency to take on too much responsibility

Step 2: Consider your goals

Your long-term goals and your values are often closely intertwined because most of us perceive our careers as a conduit for self-actualization. More specifically, think about the expectations you have for yourself as a professional. Is it to progress quickly up the corporate ladder? Surpass a certain earnings threshold? Make an impact on other people’s wellbeing? Strike a work/life balance?

Goals take time to achieve, but certain professions may be more conducive to your goals. For example, the banking industry is notorious for poor work/life balance, but the tradeoff is exceptional earning potential and fast-tracked promotions. If you’re hankering after a certain rank or job title, consider whether your chosen profession offers room for advancement and what are the requirements, such as additional licensure or continuing education.

Understanding your goals not only helps you designate the right career path, but also the industries and types of companies you’ll most enjoy working for. It will also help you find the best career based on your personality type. For example, if you’re a product designer who wants to create products that improve people’s wellbeing, you’ll feel more fulfilled at a healthcare company that produces wearable technologies than an entertainment company that sells streaming services.

Step 3: Consider your technical skills

Most people select a career path that aligns with their educational background or formal training. Technical skills are crucial for most jobs—you can’t become a software engineer without training, for example—but some technical skills are transferable. For example, a statistician or actuarial scientist can become a data analyst because they have the required statistical knowledge, and a software engineer can become a machine learning engineer.

If your technical skillset isn’t compatible with your dream job, make a list of what skills you’re missing. Some can be self-taught. Others may be learned through tutorials, short courses, or online bootcamps. Perhaps you elect to take an internship in the field or volunteer to gain on-the-job experience.

Finally, note that some of your “incompatible” technical skills can be reframed as soft skills. For instance, writing is considered a technical skill for a UX designer but a soft skill for a software developer.

Step 4: Consider your soft skills and natural aptitudes

Soft skills are important for any job. Most roles require varying degrees of teamwork, client interaction, problem-solving, and communication. In the tech industry, most recruiters look for leadership traits even when hiring for individual contributor (IC) roles.

This is because ICs in tech must deal with a lot of ambiguity, collaborate with numerous stakeholders and communicate solutions to people with non-technical backgrounds. Those who demonstrate initiative, a strong work ethic and composure in stressful situations are more likely to thrive in such conditions and remain in their jobs long-term.

Consider what soft skills you already possess and which soft skills are expected in your prospective workplace or chosen industry. For example, if you’re good at putting people at ease, you’ll be a shoo-in for a client-facing tech role, such as UX designer. If you’re an idea generator who excels at finding solutions, you might enjoy wading into legacy code and troubleshooting bugs as a software engineer.

Step 5: Consider your personality type

The easiest way to assess your personality type is by assessing who you are when you’re not working. Independent of workplace expectations and social mores of the office, what kind of person are you? Are you talkative or taciturn? Do you relish being the center of attention or do you prefer to let others lead the conversation? Certain personality traits predispose you to certain professions.

Taking a personality type test such as the MBTI helps, too, because it offers insight into your natural aptitudes, strengths, and weaknesses.

Springboard also has a Career Assessment Test built specifically for this purpose. Try the test here!

Step 6: Consider your interests

Your interests may or may not dovetail with your current skill set, but they’re definitely worth exploring if you’re looking for a fulfilling career. What are you naturally curious about? What are the topics you enjoy reading about on Quora or Reddit? What are your hobbies? Your interests give a strong indication of the type of work you’ll enjoy the most.

How Can Springboard Help You Switch Careers?

Now that you have a better idea of the kind of career you want, you’re ready to take the next step. Springboard can help.

• Whatever your personality type, there’s a job in tech waiting for you. Springboard helps mid-career professionals land jobs in tech through courses in UI/UX design, software engineering, machine learning engineering, data science, data analytics, and more. These online, self-paced courses can be completed in nine months while studying part-time.
• Get as much (or as little) help as you need. Each Springboard course matches you with a personal mentor who can guide you through your assignments and job search strategies and offer industry insights. Study at your own pace, and create portfolio-ready capstone projects that matter to you.
• Take Springboard’s Career Assessment Test. Working with our subject matter experts, mentors, and data from our 3,000+ students, we have built the Career Assessment Test, designed to help you identify the right career path for you based on your interests, goals, and experience. Try the test here!
• Have peace of mind with Springboard’s job guarantee. Most Springboard courses and bootcamps feature a job guarantee. If you don’t land a job in your chosen field within six months of graduating, you will get a full tuition refund.
• Learn from the best online resources. Springboard works with hiring managers and industry experts to curate a bleeding-edge curriculum for each course and bootcamp, making you job-ready upon graduation.
• Develop job-ready skills with a project-based curriculum. While you learn, build real-world projects that will help you stand out with potential employers and recruiters.
• Flexible payment options. For students looking for ways to finance their educations, Springboard offers multiple payment plan options. The deferred tuition plan does not require any tuition payments (after an enrollment deposit) until you secure your new job. Then, students can make small, monthly payments for a year after they start receiving their first paychecks. Unlike a Retail Installment Contract (RIC) offered by some bootcamps, Springboard’s deferred tuition option does not accrue additional security interest over time. Additionally, Springboard’s partnership with Climb Credit guarantees students a risk-free option for funding your courses via loan over time. To ensure transparency in that students know exactly what they’re paying for their courses, Springboard does not offer an Income Share Agreement option.

MBTI FAQs

Below you’ll find a list of frequently asked questions about the MBTI.

What are the best MBTI personality types for careers in tech?

WhileMyers-Briggs career matches are only suggestions, and should not be taken as definitive, there are a number of studies and sources to show that some personality types are better suited to careers in tech.

• One study published in theInternational Journal of Human-Computer Studies found that ISTJ was the most common personality type in software engineering, with INTJ ranked second (16%) and ENTP third (9%).
• ISTJs are practical, factual, and organized problem-solvers who thrive in careers that emphasize facts, numbers, and data.
• Meanwhile, INTJs are innovative, insightful, and logical. Their penchant for big-picture thinking and problem-solving suits them for technical careers.
• Finally, ENTPs are analytical and theoretical and can solve problems creatively.

Should I take a risk attitudes quiz in tandem with the MBTI to help guide my decision?

A risk attitudes quiz helps you assess your overall risk tolerance. Some people desire stability, order and safety. Others are driven by risk-taking and uncertainty. A risk assessment quiz can help you decide between various career paths, such as whether to start your own business or work for somebody else. It can also help you better understand what type of work environment and role suit you best. Do you want a job that is high-stakes and high-pressure, or low-stakes and low-pressure?

For example, to take a job at Netflix, you need to have a high-risk tolerance. The company’s notorious “keeper test” means that if management deems at any point that someone else could do your job better than you, Netflix will let you go (with a generous severance package). The same applies to working at an early-stage startup that isn’t yet cash flow-positive. On the contrary, working for an established tech company with no stack ranking promises job security, proven procedures and processes, and less of a need to take risks.

Can any personality type get into computer science or a career in tech?

In reality, personality types aren’t cut and dried, and human beings are complex creatures whose ways of perceiving the world and making decisions change over time. While there are certain personality traits that make it easier to succeed in the field of computer science such as an analytical mind and a love of problem-solving, people of any background can become programmers.

While a personality test like the MBTI can be a helpful jumping-off point for figuring out which career paths are right for you, don’t let it discourage you from exploring your interests or limit yourself to jobs based on Myers-Briggs.

Tech companies hire for a variety of technical and non-technical positions, from IT to marketing and finance, so there’s no shortage of opportunities for qualified professionals regardless of their personality type.

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