Learn which careers are ideal for you based on your Myers-Briggs personality type.
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INTP is one of 16 different personality types from the Myers-Briggs Type Indicators (MBTI). INTPs represent about 5% of the general population (5% of men; 2% of women). Famous INTPs include Albert Einstein, biologist Charles Darwin, and philosopher René Descartes.
On this page, we’ll help you get a better understanding of INTP strengths, weaknesses, and the best INTP career choices.
Doesn't sound like you? Learn more about the best careers for your MBTI personality here.
INTP stands for Introvert, Intuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving.
Also known as the Thinker, INTPs are philosophical beings who are fascinated by logical analysis, systems, and design. They spend a lot of time focusing internally, seeking to understand the universal law behind everything they see, exploring concepts, and making connections.
INTPs are articulate communicators who can discuss complex ideas with carefully selected words, creating numerous possibilities for INTP career paths. They insist on intellectual rigor even in casual conversations, and won’t hesitate to point out inaccuracies or inconsistencies. Most importantly, INTPs are eager to analyze and pick apart ideas that others take for granted, which leads to innovative thinking.
Strengths | Weaknesses |
---|---|
Ability to think abstractly | Insensitive |
Open-minded | Absent-minded |
Enthusiastic | Self-critical |
Objective | Condescending |
Honest | Withdrawn |
The best careers for INTPs enable them to devise solutions to interesting problems and find their own way of doing things rather than following the crowd. INTPs favor precision and intellectual rigor, so they’re drawn to careers where they test hypotheses and challenge the status quo. Architect, technical writer, computer programmer, and forensic medical examiner are the top INTP career options.
Data science involves a lot of experimentation and hypothesis testing, something INTPs naturally warm to with their love of exploring abstract concepts. While INTJ tends to be the most common personality type in data science, INTPs have strengths that set them up for success in the field.
Data scientists are required to challenge assumptions and recommend more efficient business practices that may fly in the face of how things are traditionally done—something INTJs relish. Working as a data scientist affords INTJs the opportunity to be innovative and communicate complex ideas to a non-technical audience— an ideal INTP career.
INTPs are uniquely suited to work in tech. You seek to understand how things work and their underlying systems, and you’re talented at communicating complex ideas in a simple way. Springboard’s online, self-paced courses can help you make the most of your smarts.
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