career advice for people with estp personality type
Career Advice for People with ESTP Personality Type
People belonging to the ESTP personality type can be characterized as energetic, optimistic, and full of life. Buzzle offers some career advice for people with the ESTP personality.
Fast Fact
Renowned American psychologist, David Keirsey, vouches that ESTPs are one of the most suave, sophisticated, and polished personalities; not to forget, they are manipulators of the people around them.
The noted psychiatrist, Mr. Carl G. Jung, had discussed the concepts of personality identification in one of his renowned works. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is an effective assessment tool that was developed using his theory as an aid to identify your personality type. Though there are psychological typologies, the MBTI is arguably one of the best. The ESTP personality type is one of the sixteen personality types as indicated by the MBTI. They have a unique sense of observation and incredible enthusiasm. They need to assess their personality traits very carefully to choose the right career path, since they are the kind who seldom plan - they take life as it comes. Therefore, a list of ESTP careers is compiled below.
A Background
- ESTP stands for Extraversion, Sensing, Thinking, and Perception.
- They have an enormous amount of energy and a brilliant memory. This explains the extraversion and sensing capability.
- They have quick decision-making abilities. This is an essential quality that helps them choose appropriate career paths.
- They have brilliant perception; in this case, they have great people skills. They can manipulate people to a great extent, and if they use the gift in a positive way, they can make brilliant entrepreneurs.
- In a nutshell, they are enthusiastic, outgoing, and intelligent, coupled with a talent to entertain people and a wit that is hard to match.
- Reportedly, they make up 4% of the general population.
- Some of the best career choices for the ESTP personality are enlisted in this article.
Personality Traits
Strengths
- Highly fast-paced and full of energy
- Flexibility
- Excellent observation
- Brilliant memory
- Outgoing and vivacious
- Very good people skills
- Witty and great fun to be with
- Charming social etiquette
- Prefer action to thoughts
Weaknesses
- Impulsive nature
- May seem cold at times
- Highly impulsive
- Unpredictable
- Do not think before taking a decision
- Easily bored
- Do not follow up after initiation
- May seem like trying to show off
- May appear snobbish (at times)
Careers to Choose
Paramedic
- Paramedics are the ones who provide emergency medical aid.
- Their work is centered around emergencies, and they are always in a hurry, trying to save the lives of patients in critical situations and administering prompt medical procedures.
- There are two traits that a paramedic needs to possess - one, he/she has to remain calm and think logically, and two, he/she has to have quick decision-making skills.
- The reason is, in the face of a crisis, an emergency medic has to keep his senses calm so that he may be able to think properly regarding what kind of treatment the patient needs. Also, he has to avoid getting paranoid and think straight.
- He does not have ample time to make up his mind regarding the patient's condition. He has to administer initial first aid, normalize the patient's vital skills, and then quickly decide the next step. This requires quick decision-making.
- Both these qualities are the signature traits of an ESTP, which is why he/she will make a great paramedic.
Systems Analyst
- A systems analyst needs to have an extensive knowledge of computer systems - not just in theory, but more of a practical application.
- He has to analyze the system, troubleshoot problems, and come up with suitable solutions.
- An ESTP will make an excellent technical analyst. One of main reasons for this is that he loves applications that demand critical thinking.
- He loves the practical usage of machines and appliances, rather than abstract knowledge.
- In fact, his analytic capabilities can be suitably honed to suit other similar professions - data analyst, research analyst, business analyst, etc.
Fitness Instructor
- This is one of the best-suited careers for an ESTP.
- A fitness instructor is expected to be in perfect shape himself so that he can encourage his clients to maintain fitness.
- Apart from possessing knowledge on how to sculpt your bodies, a fitness instructor is normally expected to have plenty of enthusiasm and sportsmanship.
- He also needs to have sufficient information about games, regular sports, as well as adventure sports.
- An ESTP has an unending thirst for adventure; he loves to try daredevil activities, and looks forward to a new adventure everyday.
- He also has a, 'let's not worry about the future, enjoy the present' attitude.
- He would certainly enjoy his work as a fitness coach, which is why it is one of the best career choices for him.
- Similar careers would include personal trainer, strength and conditioning coach, sports trainer, etc.
Detective
- One of the adjectives that best personifies an ESTP is 'action-oriented'. Well, calm down, do not start conjuring up an image of Jackie Chan or Arnold Schwarzenegger. 'Action-oriented' does not necessarily mean initiating a fight.
- In this context, we can say that ESTPs prefer acting on something rather than dwelling on a thought process. This is what makes them perfect for police or detective work.
- What's more, they have a strong sense of perception - they think in a logical, concise manner to arrive at a solution. This kind of nature helps them investigate and fit pieces of the jigsaw puzzle (in police cases, of course).
- They hate monotonous tasks; they enjoy fun and sport, and need a similar work atmosphere to keep them going.
- They also require change in work; they get bored with repetitive tasks. This is the reason why a detective career would work well for them; they will have a different puzzle to solve every day.
Careers to Avoid
Listed below are a few careers that an ESTP should avoid.
Writer
- A writer needs to be a creator at heart. He has to create worlds of his own, a world in which others may be lost.
- Even though there are different types of writers (travel writers, technical writers, novelists, etc.), every one of them, at some point, has to sit down and pen their manuscript.
- Some even prefer locking themselves for a few days to concentrate on their project.
- This kind of atmosphere does not suit an ESTP. He cannot stay confined to one job for long, nor can he stay isolated. He needs people and fun and crowds to work well.
- Thus, a writer's job is not very well-suited for him.
Psychologist
- It is one of main ESTP careers to avoid.
- To begin with, psychologists are trained to understand the 'psyche' of a person. This requirement itself excludes an ESTP from this profession.
- It is not the fact that he is not caring or good-natured, but he is more logical in his thought process.
- Secondly, he is also not very sensitive in expressing his emotions, this may make him seem like a cold person; in reality though, his analytic approach prevents him from dwelling on the myriad mysteries of the human mind.
- Lastly, though he is a people's person, it has more to do with spending good times with friends and family rather than discussing emotional problems. Do you remember a line from Sidney Sheldon's famous novel, 'Tell me Your Dreams', that was the tag line of Toni Prescott? Her solution for anything was, "Let's go and have some fun!". Well, that is marginally similar to what an ESTP thinks.
- He should also avoid related careers, like psychiatry, art therapy, etc.
Curator
- For reasons similar to that of a writer's career, an ESTP is not very suitable for a curator's job.
- A curator works at museums and art festivals. His job is to take care of the precious artifacts and antiques, and have sufficient knowledge about them.
- An ESTP does not enjoy elongated conversations about how and where a precious item originated, its back story, sentimental value, etc.
- Nor will he be remotely interested in being the custodian of those items.
- Any career that does not involve logical analysis is a strict 'no-no' for an ESTP.
- Moreover, a curator's job is not very exciting (unless you love art, history, and culture), and may bore him to death after a while.
Clergy
- It is another one of those worst careers for an ESTP. Religion and an ESTP do not go hand-in-hand.
- Do not misunderstand this sentence; it does not indicate that an ESTP does not believe in religion or the Almighty, nor does it indicate that he is insensitive or harsh. It simply means that he would prefer laughing and cracking jokes and having fun, rather than being a clergyman.
- Of course, clergymen also have their own fun activities, however, you need to have a serious nature and very strong humanitarian values and ethics to be a part of the church so that you can spread the right message to people.
- An ESTP is way too practical, loves adventure, hates monotony, and is very impulsive. He would rather be scuba-diving than attending church. Therefore, a career as a clergyman is not a very apt choice.
Famous ESTPs
- Madonna, the world-famous singer and entertainer
- Businessman Donald Trump
- George Bush, former President of the U.S.
- American radio host and writer, Bruce Williams
- Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister, U.K.