College Student Irene Hwang Walks Us Through MBTIonline Careers
Vanessa, MBTIonline Contributing Writer
In a new video on the MBTI YouTube channel, college student Irene Hwang walks us through her experience with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI) assessment and what she learned from MBTIonline Careers. She explains how it’s helped her figure out what she wants to do in life – and how fun it’s been to learn more about herself.
Ever since an interesting trip to South Korea when she was seven, Irene has actively wondered about her potential career path:
“While visiting my family, my parents put me and my brother through KidZania, a kid-friendly ‘job world’ in South Korea where kids can essentially try out any occupation such as doctor, actress, archaeologist, and dentist. Absolutely no one expects a seven-year-old to know what they want to do in life, so KidZania was fascinating to me. I could try out anything for 15 to 20 minutes at each station. And I could do anything I wanted – all within a day. Now as a 19-year-old sophomore in college, I have a general idea of what my future will look like, but honestly most of the time I still feel like I’m at KidZania. Then my friend Jess texted in the group chat: ‘What’s everyone’s Myers-Briggs type?’ Completely random on a Friday afternoon. Most of my friends didn’t know, and only one of them did. We spent the entire afternoon arguing and guessing everyone’s MBTI type, but in the end none of us had the real results or data to back it up, which sent me on a mission to find my own.”
Once Irene’s friend started the MBTI conversation, it was “go time.” Irene dove deep into the world of personality type. First, she had to take the MBTIonline Careers assessment. This part takes anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes to complete. If you plan to take the assessment yourself, you can expect to be matched with one of 16 MBTI types. Each type is a combination of four letters (ex: ISTJ). Here’s a quick look at what each letter means:
- E = Extraversion – You’re energized by an outer world of people and experiences
- I = Introversion – You’re energized by spending time alone in your own inner world
- S = Sensing – You learn best when things are outlined in a step-by-step sequence
- N = Intuition – You learn best by looking at the big picture
- T = Thinking – You make decisions based on pros and cons
- F = Feeling – You make decisions based on how people will be affected
- J = Judging – You value structure, routine and to-do lists
- P = Perceiving – You value flexibility and spontaneity
What’s Irene’s MBTI Personality Type? Let’s Find Out . . .
Now back to Irene’s experience. She recorded the video of herself before she learned her type, so she shared these thoughts leading up to the assessment:
“When you take the MBTI assessment, you’re the one who ultimately decides what your MBTI is. It’s truly insight plus action . . . I read some basic online descriptions and I believe I’m an ENFP. I generally like being outside with friends and with people more than I like being alone. I definitely act based on my emotions rather than thinking logically. And I’m a very spontaneous and creative person who cannot stand long-term projects, but instead thrives on small, short-term ones. I’m pretty excited to see if I’m actually right . . . I’m also excited to see what this assessment will tell me in terms of which career paths might fit my personality type.”
Ok let’s pause for a second. Based on Irene’s description of herself and the previous list of what each letter means, what’s your best guess of her personality type?
The answer is . . .
ENFP!
Once Irene finished the assessment, the MBTIonline Careers portal led her to three learning modules. This section let her use a sliding scale for each of the preference pairs to make sure she got matched with the most accurate personality type. Plus, the “Your Type + Tips” section uncovered some potential blind spots Irene might face as she makes her way in the professional world. For example, ENFPs sometimes have trouble prioritizing all the projects they juggle, which can lead to burnout. In the future, Irene knows she’ll need to either limit the number of projects on her plate or learn how to prioritize several projects at once. Thanks to insights from the MBTI, she’ll have the self-awareness to support whichever method she chooses.
In her video, Irene shared which parts of the MBTIonline Careers portal she found most insightful. Here are a few of the sections that stood out to her:
Choosing a Career – This section guides you through four prompts that explain what kinds of careers your MBTI type is most likely to enjoy, which career exploration pitfalls to avoid, and more.
Your Job Search – This section offers ways your specific MBTI type can enhance your job search, how to deal with stress during the interview process, and more.
Career Development – This section shares ideas you can use to grow in the opposite direction of your natural MBTI preferences (because we should all be able to pivot every once in a while).
Your Career Matches – This section lists careers that align with your MBTI type. Each career includes salary expectations, education requirements, etc. so you can make informed decisions about next steps.
“As a college student who’s still figuring out what career path will be best for me, exploring my options through internships and classes, the MBTI assessment was super helpful. I now know more clearly what my strengths and weaknesses are and what career paths would be best aligned with those strengths. As I’m preparing for applications and interviews, knowing what type of work environment would be best suited to my MBTI type and how to prevent burnout during the job search process will be so useful . . .”
You can watch Irene’s video here
Want your own personalized career guide? Start here.
And here are a few other articles you might be interested in:
Which MBTI personality types are least likely to graduate college?
Career exploration for Introverted personality types
Career exploration and job search tips for extraverted personality types