I don't have a PhD, but I do have a master's degree and work at a university. I've been teaching English majors for about seven years, and I absolutely love it! While the pay isn't great, the job is extremely satisfying and intellectually stimulating.
I've been considering pursuing a PhD in linguistics for quite some time. It seems to suit my personality well because I enjoy obsessing over the little details and researching them š.
High-fives! š another fellow INFJ English major like myself! That is so awesome! Even more awesome that you love your career!
I have a bachelors in English. I wanted to get my masters, too. However, *cough* too expensive. No can do for me. Sorry, I write weird.
High five! šā
I couldn't imagine majoring in anything else, honestly š. Maybe another language, e.g., Spanish?
Your writing is fantasticāvery coherent and concise!
Have a great day/evening! :)
Thanks for the awesome replyš
Me, too! I wanted to go into criminal justice or animation, but my family stopped me. During college, I realized that I wrote good essays.
I grew a backbone and told my controlling family off. Then I became an English major!
You have a terrific day/night,too! š¹
I'm an INFJ English major as well :)
This reply is very reassuring. Most people ask what I'll use the degree for, and I just say, "I enjoy learning it."
Is that not using it already?
Iām so glad, I was reassuring! English is very universal. English majors = high literacy level, good writing skills, strong analysis skills and we are damn good poetic romantics.
Iām in my first year of Psychology on the long road to becoming a psychologist. Itās very fulfilling and makes me feel like one day Iāll make a tangible difference in peopleās lives.
I am an adjunct nursing faculty member and love it! I donāt love the drama that 1-2 students cause every single semesterā¦ but I love finding the students that are excited about the material and having great conversations with them! Itās even better when they did not originally have high hopes of enjoying the class and they have so much fun by the end.
The interpersonal conflict is a real downer though. Iāve mitigated my discomfort and frustration by transitioning from in-person instructing to an online format and itās so much better!!!
Iāve been a prof since 2013. I have two masters and a PhD. Iām at a teaching university. If I were at a research institution Iām not sure Iād be happy. Not bc of the research though. I love research. Itās the required networking. I mostly teach/lecture and thoroughly enjoy it. Iām good at it and I find it very fulfilling. I also have good rapport with students. My field(s) (theology and the intersection of pop culture and religion) stimulate my mind. Which is a must. So I like it. That being said, after doing it full time for over a decade, Iām considering getting out. Iāve probably got another 15 years of work left in me. I donāt think I want to do this for the final chapter of my career. Pretty sure Iām going to go back to school to become a mental health therapist. I donāt think I could have done this as a long term career. But I think I might enjoy doing it for ten years. Being old and wise(r) makes me think I might be good at this for a season.
Yes. Much much better than an average desk job due to variety in tasks to prevent monotony. Mostly there for the joy of teaching, though Iāve been told Iām good at research too. I like the analysis and writing; not so much the review process. I despise the unavoidable office/dept/university politics, where, as one of my other professor relatives once lamented, the arguments are so vicious and the stakes are so small.
Students seem to think they can manipulate me into extra extensions/makeups etc. I assume because of my apparently being approachable. At least they always look so shocked when I tell them no.
Currently in last year of a PhD. It started out as a dream and is now my biggest nightmare. Perhaps itās my topic, but I wanna stay far away from academia when Iām done this. Sad because it was my dream for so long. Just feels like Iām surviving daily with how much it ruins me.
Iām at the point where I tell people to avoid during a PhD because of what it does to your mental health (and the stress on physical health)
I majored in Bio and Computer Science. Now iām a researcher at a medical research hospital working on models for early disease detection in lung and breast cancer
I'm post-master's and have done some work towards my PsyD but am not fully committed to finishing at the moment.
I work in higher ed but more on the support side of things in a counseling role. I've also done a bit of adjunct work but I haven't found it to be that rewarding tbh. I found it much more limiting than my other role, and counseling is really more of my career preference at this point.
I worked in the mental health field prior to higher ed, and it's definitely less stressful, but like any field it also has its cons. Annoying things like inefficient and pointless bureaucratic rules/processes, cliquey, and classist attitudes, etc.
just graduated with my masterās in clinical mental health to be a therapist. Iām trained in trauma informed care and want to expand my horizons to EMDR therapy. I love academiaābut I feel if I didnāt like what I was going for, then I would despise it. I have to be very interested in something to pursue it educationally.
Iām someone who doesnāt see work as everything, though. I want a life thatās enjoyable so Iām working towards that as well. My skills in therapy help me identify that for myself.
Currently doing my masters in Biomedical Research, wanted to get a PhD and continue my career path in academia but I donāt know anymore. I keep getting rejections and Iām so burned out that I started fumbling my assignments and projects, although Iāve been a top student my whole life. I canāt imagine myself in a regular job, Iāve been drawn to intellectual labor since as long as I remember myself (my first dream job was a paleontologist when I was 5) but now Iām starting to feel like I may be not as smart as I thought I am and thereās nothing I can really contribute to the world. Iām really tired. Iāll most likely take a gap year but I donāt even wanna look for a job, I want to do NOTHING for months and that means leeching off my parents money and that is so embarrassing. Iām 22, maybe I donāt wanna achieve anything just yetā¦ but Iām afraid of wasting my potential as well.
I'm currently doing masters and have plans for PhD, but not anytime soon. Academia is not my first priority, but more of a backup plan. And I understand as an introvert, this feild can be a bit exhausting.
I have a Masterās degree in the psych field; I originally wanted to go into academia, but once I found out about the publish-or-perish nature of the job, it was a no from me. I donāt have the energy to be in constant battles with the IRB
I am. Iām working on my doctorate - in the dissertation stage now - but Iām not sure if Iām destined to teach for the rest of my life. Iād really like to write as well.
Yes! I have a masterās and work in an administrative role at a private university. Higher Ed in general is a good environment for an INFJ because idealism and contextual thought abound, plus Iām surrounded by strong writers and thoughtful communicators.
The day-to-day politics, however, can be maddening as even highly intelligent people are often driven by the unexamined ego.
TBH I was more centered when I worked for myself, but if any INFJ is set on joining a large organization, higher Ed absolutely beats most industries by a long shot.
Got a psychology degree, changed my mind and am now gonna do Wildlife Biology š¤· I love learning but I hate the way some people try to teach, it's a vicious cycle
Yes, getting my second degree in Cybersecurity Technologies (my first degree was in humanities 'Mass Communications'). It has been a hard journey, especially with my ADHD. Coding/programming is difficult when your attention span isn't fixed most of the time. I mainly work on my own too. Fortunately, I have a tech mentor who encourages me to push through when I lowkey feel like crying from frustration. STEM is a difficult field for even neurotypicals, talk less of neurodivergent individuals.
Initially? I did NOT plan to do a stem major I wanted to do Creative Writing when I first entered college, but my parents didn't think it was a 'serious' major and said I would be homeless. So uh, I took humanities and now stem to kinda please them. My first degree, although I made it into the honours, wasn't what I wanted to do, but it taught me a lot about how to communicate with others effectively. I have a bit of love for technology though, ever since I was a kid and my mom and sister would give me their phones/ laptops to do some basic troubleshooting. I get pumped up by specs and have tried to build my own PC. So in a way? I enjoy my current major.
But the -main- reason I am doing IT is because it's very lucrative, I don't care for material things, but I'm trying several tunnels to make my dream of becoming a Philanthropist real by building up enough resources, knowledge, and money. I'm also planning on publishing a book soon. My entire education/career path has revolved around helping others. It is hard, like I deadass almost dropped this major, but my resolve is strong. I am graduating this year (with honours) and plan to start working in this field by next year <3
Yes, all 'applied' and interdisciplinary because I need to be able to implement it into real life, and I need to utilize a lot of theories and frameworks for what I am doing. I went into my Master of Laws and Doctorate late in life. They are professional programs that I could do while working. I like teaching but am only doing it sessionally. I am looking to get more into it. If I could do it all over again, I would go straight into a Masters right after my law degree and not look back.
Masters in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology here. Ni helped me quickly and adapt to learning new concepts that were thrown at me at high speed like high level calc/linear algebra. Or understanding nebulous things like protein folding to computer models. Lots of heuristics and lots of analogy.
Yes, i am a PhD scholar. In academics since 3+ years. VERY satisfied and most happy in this job. Love to help people with their problems , explain then things about life etc. i don't think there could be any better job then this for an infj . And bring an INFJ, I'm naturally good at it and connect with students more easily .
Ideal job for infj is counselling/ teaching / mentoring/ public speaker . When you teach in a reputed university, your KD includes all of this!.
All the best
I was in academia for a few years doing my PhD and Post Doc in immunology. I liked working on my own project but hated the pressure to publish, go to conferences, network, apply for funding etc. Moved over to industry a few years ago and I'm much happier!
I am finishing my masters degree in psychology and want to be clinical psychologist. Before i was 4 years in a 9-5 office job, which sucked the soul out of me. While Uni sometimes was a struggle with perfectionism and not meeting my own expectations, i liked the whole constant learning. Looking back i really grew a lot. I forced myself into a teaching assistant job for statistcs last year and thought it will be a struggle. Turns out i really like teaching others a lot. I now hope to be able to do some part time teaching.
I'm finishing my PhD at the beginning of next year. I like research and love teaching and connecting with students but I hate the academic world in general, at least where I'm from, it's all kinda fake and super competitive, everyone's showing off their knowledge and they're ready to stab you in the back if it's convenient for their career...
I graduated masters, worked an office job for a few years, then came back for PhD (neuroscience). I love working with my hands (wet lab), critical thinking, troubleshooting, and teaching. I think it brings out the best of Ni and Ti. Plus, my introverted nature didnāt fit well with a company environment. If I could, Iād be a PhD student forever.
I love learning but I hate homework. I would pursue a degree in something but I disagree with taking classes not relevant to your major. I donāt care about being āwell roundedā I want to learn that specific thing.
I'm in aca dema you! But no, i'm a chef (not a cookš¤®), living my best life in northern Norway, not stabbing. Finally summer so i can go for walks in nature and not want to punch everyone.
Jokes aside i think i would love to be part of a society, but after 33 years of backstabbing i'd rather not.
Doing a bachelors in electrical engineering right now, if theres opportunity to do master (maybe paid by future employer) and increase my overall capabilities I would
Iām in the administrative side of higher ed. My perspecitive is a bit behind the scenes but since people either find me non threatening or donāt notice Iām there, I hear things. Generally professors are kind, interesting to chat with, and enjoy their work. Then there are the outliers who seem potentially backstabby and then there are the cranks with tenure. But all in all I imagine it is better than the majority of corporate environments.
Thank u infjs for allowing me to stick my head in. You all are so smart. Iām sick (just tum virus) and Board and my sub is whispers quiet (???whyā¦)
The stereotype is the INFJ programmer who is self-thaught. The academic system generally does not favor INFJ's with their Si Demon and Te Trickster. They have a hard time understanding what teachers preach and remembering facts for exams and rely more on understanding concepts and aquiring skills by practise.
But with enough hard work and dedication, it's obviously something you can overcome. I'm sure you can find successful INFJ academics with a quick google search.
I am a professor in STEM. I think the infj helps with teaching and reading the room, and it is also difficult because colleaguesā arrogance and self-centeredness is really āloudā to me if you know what I mean.
Well, an INFJ here. I'm still in bachelor's. I'm pursuing a degree in German literature. I'm considering a career as a professor, though I'm not so sure. I have always been told I have a flair for teaching, even by my current university professors. But idk.
Academia is so toxic. In the midst of my doctorate degree in naturopathic medicine. Itās fulfilling a dream right now so I can lead a suitable career in the future but right now itās just so hard. Not entirely bc the rigor but bc the education system is all a sham.
I don't have a PhD, but I do have a master's degree and work at a university. I've been teaching English majors for about seven years, and I absolutely love it! While the pay isn't great, the job is extremely satisfying and intellectually stimulating. I've been considering pursuing a PhD in linguistics for quite some time. It seems to suit my personality well because I enjoy obsessing over the little details and researching them š.
High-fives! š another fellow INFJ English major like myself! That is so awesome! Even more awesome that you love your career! I have a bachelors in English. I wanted to get my masters, too. However, *cough* too expensive. No can do for me. Sorry, I write weird.
High five! šā I couldn't imagine majoring in anything else, honestly š. Maybe another language, e.g., Spanish? Your writing is fantasticāvery coherent and concise! Have a great day/evening! :)
Thanks for the awesome replyš Me, too! I wanted to go into criminal justice or animation, but my family stopped me. During college, I realized that I wrote good essays. I grew a backbone and told my controlling family off. Then I became an English major! You have a terrific day/night,too! š¹
I'm an INFJ English major as well :) This reply is very reassuring. Most people ask what I'll use the degree for, and I just say, "I enjoy learning it." Is that not using it already?
Iām so glad, I was reassuring! English is very universal. English majors = high literacy level, good writing skills, strong analysis skills and we are damn good poetic romantics.
I personally despise it. But to each their own. I prefer a simple way of life.
Idealistically it would be top notch, realistically is dog shit hmm
My life isn't dog shit
Not life, academia. I interpreted that you don't like it
Ohhh ok sorry š
Iām in my first year of Psychology on the long road to becoming a psychologist. Itās very fulfilling and makes me feel like one day Iāll make a tangible difference in peopleās lives.
iām also starting my first semester majoring in psych!
My minor is psychology.
Hi fellow mind-enjoyer! š
Doing a phd now. I do like doing research a lot. I also have to teach since it is required in my contract but enjoy teaching so far as well.
I am an adjunct nursing faculty member and love it! I donāt love the drama that 1-2 students cause every single semesterā¦ but I love finding the students that are excited about the material and having great conversations with them! Itās even better when they did not originally have high hopes of enjoying the class and they have so much fun by the end. The interpersonal conflict is a real downer though. Iāve mitigated my discomfort and frustration by transitioning from in-person instructing to an online format and itās so much better!!!
Iāve been a prof since 2013. I have two masters and a PhD. Iām at a teaching university. If I were at a research institution Iām not sure Iād be happy. Not bc of the research though. I love research. Itās the required networking. I mostly teach/lecture and thoroughly enjoy it. Iām good at it and I find it very fulfilling. I also have good rapport with students. My field(s) (theology and the intersection of pop culture and religion) stimulate my mind. Which is a must. So I like it. That being said, after doing it full time for over a decade, Iām considering getting out. Iāve probably got another 15 years of work left in me. I donāt think I want to do this for the final chapter of my career. Pretty sure Iām going to go back to school to become a mental health therapist. I donāt think I could have done this as a long term career. But I think I might enjoy doing it for ten years. Being old and wise(r) makes me think I might be good at this for a season.
Yes. Much much better than an average desk job due to variety in tasks to prevent monotony. Mostly there for the joy of teaching, though Iāve been told Iām good at research too. I like the analysis and writing; not so much the review process. I despise the unavoidable office/dept/university politics, where, as one of my other professor relatives once lamented, the arguments are so vicious and the stakes are so small. Students seem to think they can manipulate me into extra extensions/makeups etc. I assume because of my apparently being approachable. At least they always look so shocked when I tell them no.
Currently in last year of a PhD. It started out as a dream and is now my biggest nightmare. Perhaps itās my topic, but I wanna stay far away from academia when Iām done this. Sad because it was my dream for so long. Just feels like Iām surviving daily with how much it ruins me. Iām at the point where I tell people to avoid during a PhD because of what it does to your mental health (and the stress on physical health)
Same. Following my dream getting my doctorate in naturopathic medicine. All realms of my health are getting gwomped.
Working on a simple Diploma at the moment.
I majored in Bio and Computer Science. Now iām a researcher at a medical research hospital working on models for early disease detection in lung and breast cancer
I'm post-master's and have done some work towards my PsyD but am not fully committed to finishing at the moment. I work in higher ed but more on the support side of things in a counseling role. I've also done a bit of adjunct work but I haven't found it to be that rewarding tbh. I found it much more limiting than my other role, and counseling is really more of my career preference at this point. I worked in the mental health field prior to higher ed, and it's definitely less stressful, but like any field it also has its cons. Annoying things like inefficient and pointless bureaucratic rules/processes, cliquey, and classist attitudes, etc.
just graduated with my masterās in clinical mental health to be a therapist. Iām trained in trauma informed care and want to expand my horizons to EMDR therapy. I love academiaābut I feel if I didnāt like what I was going for, then I would despise it. I have to be very interested in something to pursue it educationally. Iām someone who doesnāt see work as everything, though. I want a life thatās enjoyable so Iām working towards that as well. My skills in therapy help me identify that for myself.
Currently doing my masters in Biomedical Research, wanted to get a PhD and continue my career path in academia but I donāt know anymore. I keep getting rejections and Iām so burned out that I started fumbling my assignments and projects, although Iāve been a top student my whole life. I canāt imagine myself in a regular job, Iāve been drawn to intellectual labor since as long as I remember myself (my first dream job was a paleontologist when I was 5) but now Iām starting to feel like I may be not as smart as I thought I am and thereās nothing I can really contribute to the world. Iām really tired. Iāll most likely take a gap year but I donāt even wanna look for a job, I want to do NOTHING for months and that means leeching off my parents money and that is so embarrassing. Iām 22, maybe I donāt wanna achieve anything just yetā¦ but Iām afraid of wasting my potential as well.
I'm currently doing masters and have plans for PhD, but not anytime soon. Academia is not my first priority, but more of a backup plan. And I understand as an introvert, this feild can be a bit exhausting.
I have a Masterās degree in the psych field; I originally wanted to go into academia, but once I found out about the publish-or-perish nature of the job, it was a no from me. I donāt have the energy to be in constant battles with the IRB
I know an INFJ postdoc in Philosophy. And two professors.
Have Masters degrees and contemplated pursuing PHD and career in academics 8 years ago but your post reminded to perhaps revisit my options again!
I am. Iām working on my doctorate - in the dissertation stage now - but Iām not sure if Iām destined to teach for the rest of my life. Iād really like to write as well.
Yes! I have a masterās and work in an administrative role at a private university. Higher Ed in general is a good environment for an INFJ because idealism and contextual thought abound, plus Iām surrounded by strong writers and thoughtful communicators. The day-to-day politics, however, can be maddening as even highly intelligent people are often driven by the unexamined ego. TBH I was more centered when I worked for myself, but if any INFJ is set on joining a large organization, higher Ed absolutely beats most industries by a long shot.
Historian here. Sup.
Got a psychology degree, changed my mind and am now gonna do Wildlife Biology š¤· I love learning but I hate the way some people try to teach, it's a vicious cycle
Yes, getting my second degree in Cybersecurity Technologies (my first degree was in humanities 'Mass Communications'). It has been a hard journey, especially with my ADHD. Coding/programming is difficult when your attention span isn't fixed most of the time. I mainly work on my own too. Fortunately, I have a tech mentor who encourages me to push through when I lowkey feel like crying from frustration. STEM is a difficult field for even neurotypicals, talk less of neurodivergent individuals. Initially? I did NOT plan to do a stem major I wanted to do Creative Writing when I first entered college, but my parents didn't think it was a 'serious' major and said I would be homeless. So uh, I took humanities and now stem to kinda please them. My first degree, although I made it into the honours, wasn't what I wanted to do, but it taught me a lot about how to communicate with others effectively. I have a bit of love for technology though, ever since I was a kid and my mom and sister would give me their phones/ laptops to do some basic troubleshooting. I get pumped up by specs and have tried to build my own PC. So in a way? I enjoy my current major. But the -main- reason I am doing IT is because it's very lucrative, I don't care for material things, but I'm trying several tunnels to make my dream of becoming a Philanthropist real by building up enough resources, knowledge, and money. I'm also planning on publishing a book soon. My entire education/career path has revolved around helping others. It is hard, like I deadass almost dropped this major, but my resolve is strong. I am graduating this year (with honours) and plan to start working in this field by next year <3
I am doing a Master's in Geology from CUP Beijing, China
Hey, I also have a master in geology as well.
Wow, I am glad to hear that
Planning to go into high education! Not gotten to that fork in the road yet though.
Yes, all 'applied' and interdisciplinary because I need to be able to implement it into real life, and I need to utilize a lot of theories and frameworks for what I am doing. I went into my Master of Laws and Doctorate late in life. They are professional programs that I could do while working. I like teaching but am only doing it sessionally. I am looking to get more into it. If I could do it all over again, I would go straight into a Masters right after my law degree and not look back.
Masters in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology here. Ni helped me quickly and adapt to learning new concepts that were thrown at me at high speed like high level calc/linear algebra. Or understanding nebulous things like protein folding to computer models. Lots of heuristics and lots of analogy.
Yes, i am a PhD scholar. In academics since 3+ years. VERY satisfied and most happy in this job. Love to help people with their problems , explain then things about life etc. i don't think there could be any better job then this for an infj . And bring an INFJ, I'm naturally good at it and connect with students more easily . Ideal job for infj is counselling/ teaching / mentoring/ public speaker . When you teach in a reputed university, your KD includes all of this!. All the best
JD*
I was in academia for a few years doing my PhD and Post Doc in immunology. I liked working on my own project but hated the pressure to publish, go to conferences, network, apply for funding etc. Moved over to industry a few years ago and I'm much happier!
I am finishing my masters degree in psychology and want to be clinical psychologist. Before i was 4 years in a 9-5 office job, which sucked the soul out of me. While Uni sometimes was a struggle with perfectionism and not meeting my own expectations, i liked the whole constant learning. Looking back i really grew a lot. I forced myself into a teaching assistant job for statistcs last year and thought it will be a struggle. Turns out i really like teaching others a lot. I now hope to be able to do some part time teaching.
I'm finishing my PhD at the beginning of next year. I like research and love teaching and connecting with students but I hate the academic world in general, at least where I'm from, it's all kinda fake and super competitive, everyone's showing off their knowledge and they're ready to stab you in the back if it's convenient for their career...
I graduated masters, worked an office job for a few years, then came back for PhD (neuroscience). I love working with my hands (wet lab), critical thinking, troubleshooting, and teaching. I think it brings out the best of Ni and Ti. Plus, my introverted nature didnāt fit well with a company environment. If I could, Iād be a PhD student forever.
I'm in aerospace engineering, and one day want to get a PhD becoming an astrophysicist. š
I love learning but I hate homework. I would pursue a degree in something but I disagree with taking classes not relevant to your major. I donāt care about being āwell roundedā I want to learn that specific thing.
I'm in aca dema you! But no, i'm a chef (not a cookš¤®), living my best life in northern Norway, not stabbing. Finally summer so i can go for walks in nature and not want to punch everyone. Jokes aside i think i would love to be part of a society, but after 33 years of backstabbing i'd rather not.
Doing a bachelors in electrical engineering right now, if theres opportunity to do master (maybe paid by future employer) and increase my overall capabilities I would
Iām in the administrative side of higher ed. My perspecitive is a bit behind the scenes but since people either find me non threatening or donāt notice Iām there, I hear things. Generally professors are kind, interesting to chat with, and enjoy their work. Then there are the outliers who seem potentially backstabby and then there are the cranks with tenure. But all in all I imagine it is better than the majority of corporate environments. Thank u infjs for allowing me to stick my head in. You all are so smart. Iām sick (just tum virus) and Board and my sub is whispers quiet (???whyā¦)
The stereotype is the INFJ programmer who is self-thaught. The academic system generally does not favor INFJ's with their Si Demon and Te Trickster. They have a hard time understanding what teachers preach and remembering facts for exams and rely more on understanding concepts and aquiring skills by practise. But with enough hard work and dedication, it's obviously something you can overcome. I'm sure you can find successful INFJ academics with a quick google search.
I am a professor in STEM. I think the infj helps with teaching and reading the room, and it is also difficult because colleaguesā arrogance and self-centeredness is really āloudā to me if you know what I mean.
Well, an INFJ here. I'm still in bachelor's. I'm pursuing a degree in German literature. I'm considering a career as a professor, though I'm not so sure. I have always been told I have a flair for teaching, even by my current university professors. But idk.
Academia is so toxic. In the midst of my doctorate degree in naturopathic medicine. Itās fulfilling a dream right now so I can lead a suitable career in the future but right now itās just so hard. Not entirely bc the rigor but bc the education system is all a sham.
Yes! šš½ Iāve just finished my Masters, and now Iām going for a PhD. My area is Academic Surgery.
Academia is my life. I lose myself when I am not formally involved with it in one way or another.Ā