Have you ever had a job or been assigned a task that just didn’t feel like you? The work was fine and others around you seem to be enjoying it, but for you, it was draining or tedious.
As you search for a career path that brings you meaning and purpose, your unique personality is an important factor. Your interests, how you behave in different situations, and how you think about life all contribute to your personality.
Even though your personality isn’t something you can easily change, there are key ways to elevate your skills and strengths while minimizing and overcoming your gaps and weaknesses. Knowing your own personal tendencies is impactful in many aspects of life, from careers to romantic relationships to friendships and where you find yourself in the community.
Discovering your personality
As something so foundational to who you are, your personality is worth discovering. With so many practical applications and scenarios in which your personality plays a role, understanding it can help you accomplish your goals.
There are a lot of personality assessments out there. These tests attempt to help you understand who you are.
One of the most popular personality tests is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®). This test was developed by Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother in the 1940s. Research has shown that this is one of the most valid and reliable personality tests to help you better understand yourself. It’s all based on your preferences.
After navigating through a series of questions asking whether you agree or disagree with a statement, and to what degree, you’ll get your results. Personalities are described based on four comparisons, ranked on a continuum scale. These comparisons are:
- Extraversion (E) or introversion (I)
- Sensing (S) or intuition (N)
- Thinking (T) or feeling (F)
- Judging (J) or perceiving (P)
Your result, you’ll discover, is a series of four letters corresponding to your preferences in those four areas. This combination represents which sides of the continuums you fall, such as ENFJ or ISTJ. Each four-letter combination of one of 16 possible results indicates a distinctive personality.
What is an ESTP personality?
You’ve made it through the Myers-Briggs assessment and discovered you’re an ESTP. Now what?
As an ESTP personality:
- You prefer extroversion (E). You focus more on your outer world than your inner world.
- You prefer sensing (S). You focus on the physical reality of what you can experience.
- You prefer thinking (T). You focus on logic and consistency in the world.
- You prefer perception (P). You focus on staying open to new information and ideas.
The ESTP personality comes with both strengths and weaknesses. Awareness of these can help you know how you can best serve yourself and others.
As an ESTP, you are a natural leader who is driven and motivated to get things done in a practical way. Called “dynamos” or “entrepreneurs,” ESTP types are energetic in their work and enjoy moving fast and staying active. They focus on staying in the moment and relying on their experience in their environment to move forward. They seek to take immediate action in crisis situations and are quick to solve problems.
Those with an ESTP personality have been described as seeking excitement, direct in their work and conversations, and spontaneous in living life. They are concrete and analytical in problem solving and approaching a situation.
As with all personality tests, these statements may not be 100 percent true for you in all situations. These indicators are built on a sliding scale, and you may be closer to the middle in some areas than others.
You may not find yourself bold, daring, and active in all areas of your life. There is bound to be some variation. Overall, however, you can use the MBTI® to help you understand your preferences and personality.
Especially in the area of navigating your next career opportunities, knowing where you fall on a personality scale like the Myers-Briggs test can help you understand what direction may be more suited for who you are than others.
As an ESTP, you’re equipped to explore a wide range of career fields, including ones in the technology industry.
Best ESTP careers
Once you identify yourself as an ESTP, you can be on your way to exploring career opportunities conducive to who you are.
Keep in mind that the result you get on the test is not an absolute determiner of what career you can or cannot pursue. It can be, however, a helpful resource in directing you toward something you’re more likely to enjoy.
While many roles in tech may be thought of as analytical, process-oriented, and structured, the field also needs innovators and new thinkers who are determined to push the boundaries of what’s always been done. If you’re interested in tech, there’s a spot for you.
To help you navigate your next steps in pursuing your career, here’s a quick list of top tech-related career options for active and engaging personalities like yours.
ESTP Best Careers List
- Web Developer
- IT Manager
- Mobile Application Developer
- Information Technology Project Manager
Web Developer
Web developers are responsible for designing and maintaining websites and applications that benefit both the organization represented by the website and visitors to the website.
Websites are the gateways to organizations. They help bridge the gap between the company and the client, fostering a crucial relationship. The innovative and hands-on requirements of a web developer make this role a great fit for someone with the ESTP personality type.
Web developers are in high demand in the tech industry. Because ESTP’s love excitement and action, creating new initiatives as a web developer can be a great next career opportunity for you.
IT Manager
Leading a team in information technology (IT) is an important role that helps organizations in meeting their objectives. An IT manager is responsible for meeting the tech needs of team members and equipping them with working technologies so those team members can be their most successful. An extroverted ESTP that enjoys interaction with people may find this role a natural place for them to stay active in their work and to promote their ideas and initiatives.
As with other types of managers, an IT manager can anticipate new challenges and situations on a daily basis. IT managers must be strong communicators as their jobs entail providing direction and leadership; as such, this career is one for which you, as an ESTP, may be well suited.
Mobile Application Developer
The field of technology is particularly dependent on creativity and innovation. ESTPs thrive on thinking ahead. A mobile application developer fulfills that passion well in the role of designing and implementing ideas into a product.
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The need for consistent problem solving is something that ESTPs may particularly enjoy as they take the lead with quick decision making and boldness in moving projects forward. They don’t get caught up in temporary concerns and are tenacious in bringing their ideas into reality. An adaptable, active, and hardworking approach makes ESTPs a great fit for development and innovation roles—particularly in mobile applications.
Information Technology Project Manager
Project managers are known for navigating teamwork and planning in order to accomplish goals on time and on budget. The strong people skills ESTPs often have can be highly beneficial in navigating conversations and working with different stakeholders regarding IT projects.
As a role rooted in projects, a manager can expect that each day may look different than the last. That exciting schedule is sure to intrigue and delight a personality type that likes things to be constantly changing and in motion.
Additionally, project managers are responsible for handling a lot of different components at once. An ESTP’s love for action and movement is an aspect of the IT project manager role that aligns well with this versatile personality.
Fuel your career as an ESTP
With your active and energetic ESTP personality, you’re well on your way to making a difference in your life and pursuing your passion. With a wide range of career options available to you, even in the tech industry, you can be ready for when that next opportunity comes knocking. Play to your strengths in leadership and activity in a career that keeps you on your toes and empowers your passion for innovation.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
