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INTP doctors or dentists?

tibimihai

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Hey there
I am new here and I recently discovered that I am an INTP because ,usually, when I took the test the result was INTJ but I felt the description for that personality doesn`t fit me so here I am.
I have been working as a dentist for 4 years and I am thinking of a career change. Any practicing doctors or dentists here have had the same issue? Thanks
 

Yellow

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I might be in for a pleasant surprise, but I don't think we have any active members who are physicians or dentists. However, I believe that have a number of other professionals who have either changed careers, or are dissatisfied with their profession (or both!)

Either way, welcome!
 

Rook

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I attended high school with someone who went to study dentistry.

After a dogged inquisition, it was revealed that she always insisted on other kindergarten children brushing their teeth, and as a common practice always brushed her teeth until blood was visible.

Horrifying stuff, compounded by my father's tales of nazi-like men in the olden days forcing you to enter their mobile van, burly nurse keeping you down while the eyes wander towards the blood stains on the roof.

I once bit a dentist when I was a wee youngling, bald codger did not see that coming.
Gave me a lollipop afterwards.


Welcome to the forum.
 

Pyropyro

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Welcome tibimihai
 

Alias

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Welcome to the forum! I, for one, could never be a dentist. I can't stand teeth-things (mine are naturally sensitive), and I'm afraid I'd mess up or something. It's not an INTP thing, though, it varies more on personal experience. I still take good care of my teeth, I just couldn't do that or other people.

Congratulations for excelling in an area in which I'd be completely lost!
 

Inquisitor

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Hey there
I am new here and I recently discovered that I am an INTP because ,usually, when I took the test the result was INTJ but I felt the description for that personality doesn`t fit me so here I am.
I have been working as a dentist for 4 years and I am thinking of a career change. Any practicing doctors or dentists here have had the same issue? Thanks

Why are you looking for a career change? I presume you're not satisfied with dentistry, but can you explain why? Would be interested to know...
 

tibimihai

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Why are you looking for a career change? I presume you're not satisfied with dentistry, but can you explain why? Would be interested to know...

First of all thank you for your warm greetings. Secondly, even if I live in France, French is not my native language nor English so I would like to excuse myself if I make mistakes in writting. I think for me dentistry was always the easier choice of medicine(I wanted to do surgery, I still think of that). I am bored to do root canals, fillings and dentures every day. I feel that I am stuck in a rut, all is repetitive and I do not make as big a difference as I would have liked to. I took the personality test many times and I got INTJ and maybe that is more suitable for me, I do not know. But I find myself more in the personality of an INTP than an INTJ. So if you do have some inputs for me or some ideas, let me know. Thanks
 

Inquisitor

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First of all thank you for your warm greetings. Secondly, even if I live in France, French is not my native language nor English so I would like to excuse myself if I make mistakes in writting. I think for me dentistry was always the easier choice of medicine(I wanted to do surgery, I still think of that). I am bored to do root canals, fillings and dentures every day. I feel that I am stuck in a rut, all is repetitive and I do not make as big a difference as I would have liked to. I took the personality test many times and I got INTJ and maybe that is more suitable for me, I do not know. But I find myself more in the personality of an INTP than an INTJ. So if you do have some inputs for me or some ideas, let me know. Thanks

Have you taken the official MBTI test? The MBTI scores vary somewhat depending on nationality. If you haven't, I would highly recommend doing that.

https://www.cpp.com/en/mbtiitems.aspx?ic=6173

More importantly, it's necessary to understand the basic ideas of this field if you want to understand your own personality. To do that, you have to read the foundational works:
The foundational works of the Jungian type system are Jung: Psychological Types (1921), van der Hoop: Character and the Unconscious (1923) and Conscious Orientation (1939), Von Franz: Lectures on Jung’s Typology (1961/71), as well as Myers: Gifts Differing (1980). Together these five works form the outline of all interpretations of Jungian typology that rely on a psychodynamic foundation and use the popular four-letter type codes.

This means that other popular works, even bestselling works (such as Keirsey’s Please Understand Me II), are not seminal to the theoretical construct that underlies Jungian typology. Indeed, Keirsey and his son have, by their own admission, in the main moved away from using the four-letter codes that were invented by Myers, precisely because their interpretation of typology is different from that of Jung and Myers. Notably, Keirsey & son don’t use functions, and their approach is behavioral, not psychodynamic.

The point is not to say that Jung, Myers, von Franz, and van der Hoop were right about everything. But since people on the internet make up wild claims about the concepts involved in the theory, it is often practical to point to how all of the seminal authors were in basic agreement with regards to the nature of the functions as well as most other things besides. However, there are still disagreements between the four authors mentioned here. For example, Myers and Hoop say that the Si types tend to be practical, while Jung says that they tend to be impractical. As a rule, Jung and von Franz are appreciative of S types, while Myers and Hoop are more biased against Sensation, and so on.

Jungian typology is a deductive theory at its core. This means that it must ultimately rely on some measure of philosophical definition and elucidation of the concepts and constructs involved. Thus it is never enough to simply appeal to empiricism, or to what is “right before our eyes,” when discussing the matter of someone’s type or what the nature of a certain function is.
http://www.celebritytypes.com/blog/2014/06/8-things-that-are-wrong-with-online-typology/

I found Marie-Louise Von Franz to be particularly helpful. You can also try to go to a career center to see if they have a copy of this book:
https://www.cpp.com/en/mbtiitems.aspx?ic=6274

Alternatively, see this website:
http://elcie.com/
Click on "Careers 4 Me." This will give you a list of jobs that are "very strong" and "strong" fits for INTPs. It was developed by an INTP mechanical engineer.
 

tibimihai

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Have you taken the official MBTI test? The MBTI scores vary somewhat depending on nationality. If you haven't, I would highly recommend doing that.

https://www.cpp.com/en/mbtiitems.aspx?ic=6173

More importantly, it's necessary to understand the basic ideas of this field if you want to understand your own personality. To do that, you have to read the foundational works:
http://www.celebritytypes.com/blog/2014/06/8-things-that-are-wrong-with-online-typology/

I found Marie-Louise Von Franz to be particularly helpful. You can also try to go to a career center to see if they have a copy of this book:
https://www.cpp.com/en/mbtiitems.aspx?ic=6274

Alternatively, see this website:
http://elcie.com/
Click on "Careers 4 Me." This will give you a list of jobs that are "very strong" and "strong" fits for INTPs. It was developed by an INTP mechanical engineer.

Thank you very much for your suggestions. I will look them up
 

Rainer

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Save up a bunch of money with your high paying dentistry job, then retire once you have anywhere from $300,000 to $1,000,000 in the bank (divide your savings by 30, and that's how much you get to live on per year for the rest of your life) and live a low-cost lifestyle like INTPs/INTJs generally do not mind doing. Then you can spend your time doing What Really Matters to You.

That's my plan, except I'm going for a bookkeeping service to make my money.
 

Inquisitor

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Save up a bunch of money with your high paying dentistry job, then retire once you have anywhere from $300,000 to $1,000,000 in the bank (divide your savings by 30, and that's how much you get to live on per year for the rest of your life) and live a low-cost lifestyle like INTPs/INTJs generally do not mind doing. Then you can spend your time doing What Really Matters to You.

That's my plan, except I'm going for a bookkeeping service to make my money.

that`s a pretty good idea :)

It's actually a terrible idea in my opinion. I hear this thrown around mostly by very young people who have never worked or have any idea how much it actually costs to live comfortably. $1 million is a f*cking pittance to last you from age 30 -> death. Not even in the realm of adequate. You want to buy a house? Have kids? Survive any kind of major life problem? Any one of these will completely ruin your plans.

The goal for all INTPs in my opinion should be to find the one marketable occupation that pays at least a middle class salary (but potential for more) that you think you'll never get sick of and become an expert in it. No career will ever satisfy all the many intellectual interests we INTPs tend to have.

I'm studying computer science now. Do I LOVE it? No. But I am suited to it, and I think the probability is good that it will be satisfying and pay better than my last career as a teacher. I like the social sciences a lot more in general, but it's much harder to pull off. And maybe not even any more satisfying once you get down to the actual realities. I'm taking lots of math classes now, and may pursue an economics phd down the line, but again, with comp sci, I'm pretty much guaranteed a job that pays a middle class wage right out of school, and potentially up to six figures within a few years after that. An econ phd is at least another 5-6 years of grad student poverty, and then while the job itself itself may give me more intellectual freedom, it may not turn out to be any more satisfying. The only reason I'm even considering a phd in the social sciences is b/c at least with economics, the demand is there both in industry and academia...but philosophy, psychology, theology, anthropology? All fascinating fields with AMAZING job prospects...lol
 

Rainer

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It's actually a terrible idea in my opinion. I hear this thrown around mostly by very young people who have never worked or have any idea how much it actually costs to live comfortably. $1 million is a f*cking pittance to last you from age 30 -> death. Not even in the realm of adequate. You want to buy a house? Have kids? Survive any kind of major life problem? Any one of these will completely ruin your plans.
You clearly are unfamiliar with the concepts put forward by Jacob Lund Fisker [INTJ] of the Early Retirement Extreme blog. He answers just about every possible question you could have.

LOL. I am 27 and pay my own way in the world. I make $10.45/hr, work less than 40 hr/wk most weeks, live in a dangerous neighborhood of Chicago and pay $400/mo rent including utilities, to live in a house with 6 roommates who are weird, GREAT people. It is but a small price to pay for freedom. I'd never trade this for a middle class housing situation. Too lonely and boring, too many appearances to keep up. Call me crazy, but take a look and you'll find there are cheap housing opportunities in much (but not all) of the country if you're willing to live in unconventional places.

Don't have kids, though some people who early retire do so with kids. Just ask Mr. Money Mustache (another blogger).

Don't buy a house unless you're sure it's a damn good economic decision.

Most INTPs will be happier without kids, probably the majority will be happy without owning a home.
 

Inquisitor

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You clearly are unfamiliar with the concepts put forward by Jacob Lund Fisker [INTJ] of the Early Retirement Extreme blog. He answers just about every possible question you could have.

LOL. I am 27 and pay my own way in the world. I make $10.45/hr, work less than 40 hr/wk most weeks, live in a dangerous neighborhood of Chicago and pay $400/mo rent including utilities, to live in a house with 6 roommates who are weird, GREAT people. I'd never trade this for a middle class housing situation. Too lonely and boring, too many appearances to keep up. Call me crazy, but take a look and you'll find there are cheap housing opportunities in much (but not all) of the country if you're willing to live in unconventional places. It is but a small price to pay for freedom.

Don't have kids, and don't buy a house is a questionable economic decision unless you're getting it for next to nothing, and maybe not even then.

Though some people who early retire do so with kids. Just ask Mr. Money Mustache (another blogger).

Yeah I did that too when I was in my twenties. Even as recently as a few years ago. Now I don't feel the same. I want my own place w/o roommates. I don't want to have to deal with landlords and pay rent my whole life. That's freedom. On a budget it means living in a micro house or an RV in a trailer park or in a really inexpensive part of the country that nobody wants to live in. I may do any one or all of those things, but this guy Fisker is still in his 30s. I wonder if he'll be singing the same tune when he's in his 60s. Maybe. Or maybe not. No way to know.
 

Yellow

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Save up a bunch of money with your high paying dentistry job, then retire once you have anywhere from $300,000 to $1,000,000 in the bank (divide your savings by 30, and that's how much you get to live on per year for the rest of your life) and live a low-cost lifestyle like INTPs/INTJs generally do not mind doing. Then you can spend your time doing What Really Matters to You.

That's my plan, except I'm going for a bookkeeping service to make my money.

This is feasible with certain lifestyles, and in certain locations.

For example, I dream of having a residence far away from people. I want to be self-sufficient, and limit my contact with the world.

Now, with $1,000,000 in the bank, I could do that... If I wanted to move to a country or a state with very low property tax. I could buy land that isn't worth much, and fix it up to my liking and hope that the "gummit" doesn't notice the value increase. I could then retire, put my money in an account that made enough interest to pay my property tax each year, and then live off the land.

Of course, if I needed any money for anything, I'd be in trouble. Not at first, of course, but eventually. For every bit of the $1,000,000 I spend, the interest it creates decreases. As the interest decreases, and property tax increases, I'd have to spend more and more of it to cover the property tax.

As I slowly creep up in age, my distance from civilization will no doubt frighten me. I'll have increased need for medical attention, and aid in my daily chores. I'd have to sell my bit of land, and actively live off what little (with inflation) I have left. There's a good chance I'll run out before I die, and without any children to care for me in my tottering old age, I'll probably pass in a sub-par nursing home with $30/month allowance after the home as taken my whole SSI/SSDI check (if that kind of thing even exists when I reach that age).

Theory is all well and good, and I'm sure most plans will feel wonderful for most people until they're about 60. If all else fails, you can get a job, rough it a bit, whatever. At some point though, your energy will run out, your motivation to scrape by will be gone, and you'll wish you had put in a little more work when you were able-bodied.

At least that's the biggest regret I see among our aging homeless population.
 
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