INTP Career Counselor/Useful Advice

[Inquisitor]

I believe this guy is an INTP. He is a 60-70 something career counselor in San Francisco. He also has a radio show on an NPR-San Francisco affiliate in which he offers "workovers" for people who want to start a new career/change jobs/improve their work situation. Very smart guy. Prolific writer. In my opinion, he offers sound career advice for everyone, INTPs included. I've read all of his books and highly recommend them. I'm certain INTPs will appreciate his advice because it's much more practical and realistic than the most popular books like "What Color is Your Parachute?" His suggestions are often quite contrarian.

Website:
Marty Nemko

Blog:
Marty Nemko's Blog


Here are a few articles that sum up his counseling philosophy:
What the hell is the meaning of life?

A Practical Guide to Life: Advice I'd Give My Adult Child

A couple more:
Commencement Cliches Debunked

Nemko's Rules: A Contrarian Approach to Finding Career Contentment

 

[Architect]

Being from the area my wife has known them (his and his wife) peripherally for a long time. Attended lectures they were at, so on and so forth. Anyhow she's pretty sure he's an INFJ actually, and while at one point she thought he was on the ball with the career stuff, she eventually decided that he's really too isolated and sits at home and stews too much. She thinks he's not challenged enough in his life (a typical INFJ problem I think) and so now is on a thing to help other people, but he really should figure out his own thing first.

FWIW random thoughts I jotted down, if you get value out of his writings then that's a good thing obviously.

 

[Inquisitor]

INFJ? Really? I don't think so. I see INTP written all over him. He's been overly guided by his inferior and auxiliary me thinks. That's why he seems so dissatisfied in his writings. I do agree with your wife that he is too isolated/stews at home/isn't challenged enough. But I think his baseline advice is still sound for young people. It's likely too general/basic for people in middle age. He approaches people's emotions exactly like an INTP, using psychology. Not at all intuitive regarding people's emotional states and motives. In his radio show, the whole thing is one giant Ne fest. He comes up with a million different ideas/solutions to people's problems. In his books, he's always talking about how to construct a better America. Frequently found critiquing various social norms and finding flaws in the way people live their lives. Like you said in another post, Ne-dom INTPs are probably going to be less satisfied in the long run. I didn't believe you initially, but now I'm convinced you're right. He's a poster child for that.

He's been "on a thing to help people" his whole career, and look where it's gotten him. He's very good at argumentation, and he does it based on statistics and evidence. He expounds on the merits of driving dirt cheap Toyotas until they drop dead and the virtues of living in cheap housing. Consistently argues against consumerism/materialism. Loves to talk about how living cheaply affords greater freedom and satisfaction. Doesn't sound very INFJ to me, but you're married to one so maybe you know better.