Calling all INTPs! Desperately seeking knowledge!!

[taylordg95]

So, I am 17 and I just found out yesterday that I'm an INTP. I've been homeschooled since freshman year of high school (too rebellious and obsessed with autonomy and generally a control freak for public school) and I CAN NOT FIND A CAREER. I have been so depressed lately because I just didn't understand what was wrong with me. I have such broad interests and I get so excited when I learn something new (seriously, it's better than any drug), but as soon as it's no longer new and shiny I just kind of drop it. I am excellent at math, enjoy crafts (knitting, polymer clay, painting), great with computers, love psychology (super fascinated with the Jungian system and Myers-Briggs), sociology, cultural phenomenons, some anthropology, and I love just tinkering with stuff in general. My most recent obsession has been van-dwelling and the tiny house movement, so I've been leaning toward construction and architecture. But then I go back to psychology and computer programming and all this other random stuff.

So this has been kind of rambly (sorry) but I'm just looking for ANY good books pertaining to ANY of the type of interests suitable for an INTP. Chemistry, Physics, Architecture, Computer Programming, Psychology, Economics; ANYTHING. If it's interesting to you, hit me with it. Thank you!!!

 

[skip]

Not sure where you are but if there's a community college nearby you could go there and do some career testing, like the Strong Interest Inventory.

 

[hurricanejane]

Hey! I'm in a very similar situation. The only thing that has helped me so far is just getting out there and finding careers that sound interesting to me. I know that isnt very helpful advice.....
So here is what i would do in your exact situation. I would just go into college and my first 2 years take as many classes that are interesting as possible. Take art, science, math, economics courses. And really just see which one sticks with me and interests me the most

I hope this helps a bit. And career testing is helpful too

 

[Vrecknidj]

So, I am 17 ... and I CAN NOT FIND A CAREER.

It's much worse for people who are 57 and can not find a career. Find a way to enjoy your late adolescence. You've been a child for roughly 100% of your life. If you live an average life, you might end up being an adult for maybe 70% of your life. So, for most of what your life will be, you have roughly no practice yet. And you're worried about a career?

The horse is in front of the cart here.

Dave

 

[SpaceYeti]

You're never going to find a career. I was idealistic when I was younger, but the fact of the matter is that if there is an ideal job out there for you, finding it is hard and the pay will blow. Just get a job that pays your bills. Be happy on your own time.

I'm not saying to give up, just trying to make sure you understand careers are just jobs you stay in a long time. You're not going to like your job no matter what it is. Unless you're your own boss, but to do that, you'd need to start your own business... which requires money, which requires a job.

 

[EditorOne]

"I just didn't understand what was wrong with me"

There is nothing wrong with you. You are INTP and being interested in new things until you get competent at them, and then getting bored with it, is iconic.

As noted, you aren't going to have a career. You're going to have several. Don't worry about it.

 

[taylordg95]

Thanks guys. You're definitely right about not getting too obsessed over finding a career, my parents have been saying about the same thing. I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out.

I would just go into college and my first 2 years take as many classes that are interesting as possible. Take art, science, math, economics courses. And really just see which one sticks with me and interests me the most

I hope this helps a bit. And career testing is helpful too

This sounds the most appealing to me. Sometimes I wish I could just be a professional student.

 

[pjoa09]

NO!!!! I want one damn thing to do. It's fucking depressing to spend your entire life not being able to answer the question "what is my passion?'.

 

[Da Blob]

One simply needs to learn how to "Play The System" like one was playing a video game.

For example, a college graduate stands a better chance of accessing opportunity, so buy or print out a degree. They are handing out degrees to just about anyone nowadays. When I decided to return to school, I 'earned' 100 credits in one year, via CLEP & Advance Standing tests, internet courses and just a few classes taken in actual classrooms. The government paid for all of it (almost)

If one is intelligent, one might as well get some documentation that one knows something about a subject.

Self employment can seem like an ideal solution, but it seems to me that it is really a headache, because one has to attend to every single niggling detail of running a business...

 

[Milo]

I think @SpaceYeti is pretty accurate on this one. Not very many people can find the career that they like forever. It is sort of a choice to like it or not. I mean, if you're not so much of a people person like many of us, then just don't get into job positions that require being too social.

I would just do what you do best at, then you have a better chance of climbing that promotional ladder.

Do NOT chase the money though. It will only have you working too hard and you'll lose all the time you have.

 

[SpaceYeti]

I doubt INTPs are capable of "chasing the money". I could be wrong about that.

 

[taylordg95]

NO!!!! I want one damn thing to do. It's fucking depressing to spend your entire life not being able to answer the question "what is my passion?'.

YES, YES THIS IS MY PROBLEM! There is something out there that I am meant to do, I am too damn smart (sorry, arrogance is a part of being INTP) to waste my intelligence on some random menial job.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

You're never going to find a career. I was idealistic when I was younger, but the fact of the matter is that if there is an ideal job out there for you, finding it is hard and the pay will blow. Just get a job that pays your bills. Be happy on your own time.

My perspective:

I'm not exactly looking for an ideal, well not one that doesn't exist. Just the most appropriate career/ job / profession that fits best with how I am, my skills & interests, and my preferences. If I knew it was the most appropriate, I'd actually have some motivation towards obtaining it, knowing it would be the best way to make use of myself.

 

[taylordg95]

My perspective:

I'm not exactly looking for an ideal, well not one that doesn't exist. Just the most appropriate career/ job / profession that fits best with how I am, my skills & interests, and my preferences. If I knew it was the most appropriate, I'd actually have some motivation towards obtaining it, knowing it would be the best way to make use of myself.

Exactly.

 

[Cheeseumpuffs]

I'm just looking for ANY good books pertaining to ANY of the type of interests suitable for an INTP. Chemistry, Physics, Architecture, Computer Programming, Psychology, Economics; ANYTHING. If it's interesting to you, hit me with it. Thank you!!!

http://bookboon.com/en/textbooks

 

[EditorOne]

"what is my passion?'.

Well, what day of the week is it?

 

[BigApplePi]

You've named your interests. So be a student for a while. If you don't happen on a career now, pick something among those interests and get a job doing that. It will give you experience. If you find that doesn't give you satisfaction, go to the next opportunity. The more experience you have and the more contact you make, the better the chance for you to narrow down the possibilities.

 

[taylordg95]

"what is my passion?'.

Well, what day of the week is it?

This, also, is true...

 

[taylordg95]

http://bookboon.com/en/textbooks

Thank ya! I was waiting for that.

 

[Words]

Architect would probably suggest "Computer Science", and I would agree with him. But your interest in crafts is a bit strange to me in relation to your claim of your type. Can I assume that this activity is motivated by pure creativity?

On the subject of interests and knowledge and not of career, knowledge is inter-related. One area of knowledge is necessarily related to another. (Please, I don't want to give examples for this. It hurts. T-T ) I know! I'll make a knowledge map of your interest so you can see what I mean.

Let's see...hm...wait, you use different words in expressing your attitudes towards the fields. "Excel at Math" and "Great with computers" as opposed to "Enjoy crafts" and "Love psychology and love tinkering." Does this observation mean anything?

Regardless, here is how I see their relationship:

Math=Computers>Psychology>Sociology(Anthropology, Culture)>Van-dwelling=Architecture(Small house movement)=Crafts

The arrangement allows you to gain greater understanding of the more specific, e.g. van-dwelling, by utilizing the more general, which, in this case, is the maths. Van-dwelling and Architecture here is viewed as human-socio forms of behavior/preference. Studying sociology and psychology will allow one to gain an understanding of what exactly matters to people and to yourself and thus, how it affects the preferred structure and way of housing one's self. Is housing even necessary? Understanding of these motivations also helps one gain insight on the meaning behind the textbook procedural aspects of conventional architecture. And computers are just extensions of one's logical system similar to mathematics, and because psych-soc are logical, usage of maths and computers as tools for psych-soc is highly beneficial. Actually, programming is beneficial in systemizing anything really.

As a general rule, the more general something is, the more "stuff" you can do with it. (Especially with Ne-types i think) So study the general things first, and then the rest becomes as easy as 3.141592653589.

I don't know if that helped, and to be honest, i don't really care. I just wanted to write something somewhat lengthy today.

 

[taylordg95]

Architect would probably suggest "Computer Science", and I would agree with him. But your interest in crafts is a bit strange to me in relation to your claim of your type. Can I assume that this activity is motivated by pure creativity?

Yes, I have an overall unquenchable need to create things and the most convenient way to do that is through crafts.

Let's see...hm...wait, you use different words in expressing your attitudes towards the fields. "Excel at Math" and "Great with computers" as opposed to "Enjoy crafts" and "Love psychology and love tinkering." Does this observation mean anything?

Lol, not really, but I do the same thing. I'm a writer, and so I find saying that I "love psychology and love tinkering" is redundant and poor use of syntax (despite the fact that normal people do this in casual conversation). In other words; I like to be fancy.

Regardless, here is how I see their relationship:

Math=Computers>Psychology>Sociology(Anthropology, Culture)>Van-dwelling=Architecture(Small house movement)=Crafts

The arrangement allows you to gain greater understanding of the more specific, e.g. van-dwelling, by utilizing the more general, which, in this case, is the maths. Van-dwelling and Architecture here is viewed as human-socio forms of behavior/preference. Studying sociology and psychology will allow one to gain an understanding of what exactly matters to people and to yourself and thus, how it affects the preferred structure and way of housing one's self. Is housing even necessary? Understanding of these motivations also helps one gain insight on the meaning behind the textbook procedural aspects of conventional architecture. And computers are just extensions of one's logical system similar to mathematics, and because psych-soc are logical, usage of maths and computers as tools for psych-soc is highly beneficial. Actually, programming is beneficial in systemizing anything really.

This is pretty much right on target. Frankly, I've never met a subject that didn't interest me, but I do tend to gravitate towards subjects that produce something useful whether in the form of information or an actual physical product (hence my interest in architecture and crafts)

 

[Cheeseumpuffs]

Thank ya! I was waiting for that.

Yeah, no problem. Also browsing the e-book section of The Pirate Bay lends to some pretty interesting book finds.

(Also I feel obligated to say (so people don't get pissed at me) that stealing is wrong.)

 

[taylordg95]

(Also I feel obligated to say (so people don't get pissed at me) that stealing is wrong.)

I'll keep that in mind.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

http://bookboon.com/en/textbooks

This is pretty cool.