As a Type 4 woman, you want to find the ideal profession that supports your precise, serene, and reflective nature.
Many women have had experiences of frustration and failure in their profession because it didn’t align with their true nature.
Because of this, I’ve been asked many times, “How do I choose the right job for my Type 4 nature?”
I really believe that you can be successful in any career. But you need the freedom to move through it true to your bold, structured natural movement.
Before you accept your next job offer or decide to stick with your current one, consider a few necessities specific to your Type 4 energy.
Bottom line is you like to be your own authority. You don’t like being “bossed” around or told what to do day-to-day. You have a gift of seeing the weakness first, so make sure your job allows you to offer your critique. Otherwise, you will naturally offer your opinions and your uninvited critique becomes unwanted criticism.
I recently asked our Dressing Your Truth Type 4 Expert, Kalista, to share about her job experiences and what made them supportive. Here’s what she had to say:
“Two things come to mind: When I was about 13 years old I volunteered at our city library. I loved learning the Dewy Decimal System, repairing books, and putting the books away. It was so systemized and methodical. And everyone has to be quiet in a library, and we Type 4s love our peace and quiet.
“Currently, I am working as a copywriter. I very much enjoy the process of researching a topic, organizing the content, and writing in the most informative yet concise manner possible. I love knowing that what I’m writing will improve the lives of those who read my writing. This is also a job that is done in a solitary setting and provides me with the quiet alone time that I appreciate so much.”
You want to show up as your bold and stunning Type 4 self every day, so look for a job that provides…
- The chance to create structure in what is important to you
- An opportunity for you to give feedback as you see fit
- The ability for you to work independently and be seen as an authority of your job
- Or start your own business, Type 4 style!
Tips for Type 4 entrepreneurs
You are good at working well on your own—an important gift for an entrepreneur. You also excel at fixing flawed systems, so taking over for a business that’s struggling may actually be a better fit than starting a business from scratch. Your challenge is delegation because you see the best way to do things. Decide on what must be perfect and give your support team more freedom to accomplish the other tasks in their own way.
Why a job may not be best for Type 4 energy
Too much interaction or movement can wear on you when you naturally thrive on solitude and quiet. It’s also a common belief that in order to succeed in today’s professional world, you have to have a push and fast-paced goals. Since that movement can be too intense for your still nature, it could potentially make you sick if you live from that energy too much of the time. That’s why it’s important to learn to trust your bold and balanced movement. You can be ambitious and committed in your Type 4 way.
Kalista shares, “The job that was not supportive was being a preschool teacher. I don’t know why I thought this would be a good job for me. I am a trained and certified Montessori Early Childhood teacher. I taught for several years. I enjoyed the first year okay, and I loved what I was learning about respecting and supporting a healthy childhood. As I got into it a few years, it began to be draining and overwhelming. Interacting, not only with the students but mostly with the parents and other teachers, was overstimulating. I felt like there was never any downtime to be quiet and still. I do love education, but think that I would have been better suited for something in administration. I’m grateful to have had the experience and for what I learned, but I see that it isn’t for me.”
When you know your gifts and strengths, you can optimize your natural traits and expressions to create an amazingly successful career where you can feel respected!
Be true to yourself in choosing jobs and careers that honor your true nature. You’ll be much more balanced in your day-to-day work experience as a result.
I want to hear your story in a comment. What was your favorite (or least favorite) job you’ve had, and what made it so?
This is so spot on for me. Several years ago I left an employer I had worked for many many years. When I was asked why, my answer was – \”I did not feel validated\”. Yet another sign of my type 4 that I have added to my \”aha\” list.
T4 jobs true to my type: radio newscaster (from age 15!), Tv and Newspaper reporter, Public relations executive, corporate communications director, and now owner of my own Precise Write Communications! Writing and editing, developing strategic communications have always been supportive of my T4 nature. I\’m blessed to have always known it\’s an area of strength for me professionally. Interestingly, I happened upon a volunteer opportunity cataloging negatives from an old newspaper with the county archives in my area. Within the first few weeks I emerged as a volunteer editor of profiles of 54 historic women community leaders that will be used in an exhibit in October. The serendipity of it all makes me smile.
Oh and I\’ve even been complimented by two of the five writers whose work I am editing about the quality of my feedback and the way I give it so respectfully of what they\’ve tried to convey.
My background is in fashion retail management and some interesting things that I can see now as T4/sec 2:
I\’ve always excelled working one-on-one with clients- I could focus on them entirely.. it felt like I would go inside my head and analyze them, then offer my opinion. Clients seemed to be surprised that I could consistently pick the best things for them/ anticipate what they wanted.
On the contrary, special event atmospheres I hated because I had to juggle tons of people/ and felt the pressure to have a \”party\” energy- not my strength there. I would loose my strength. Spread too thin.
If someone asked an opinion about which items to buy, I would ALWAYs assert mine. Other stylists would often tell them to get both items, (esp Type 1\’s- more is more!) I found that it was always clear to me what the best choice for them was.
Also, as a T4/sec 2 I preferred working by appointment with clients for shopping… and so my clients responded. Although I had to do it very often with new clients, I didn\’t love being put on the spot to come up with something immediately…. however I think when you\’\’re really gifted at something you can do that naturally.
Before the client arrived, I would make sure I was prepared by reviewing my notes I\’d taken…. (my notes were incredibly detailed… I would even notate the DYT primary/secondary of the client and I found that helped me not have to include as much detail about their preferences.)
It makes sense that I\’ve always dreamed of working in a library or bookstore.
I taught 1st grade when I thought I was a T1. It was really not for me & had a poor impact on my health. I love children, I just can\’t work with them (& so many at once) all day every day. Teaching & prepping so many subjects a day, among other things, were draining too. I prefer teaching teenagers.
I\’m a freelance writer, ghostwriter, and editor. I work from home, so I control my environment and I\’m my own boss. It\’s perfect! If any client starts acting like my boss instead of my client, I can dump them and find others. I don\’t like the marketing aspect, but that\’s it.
I was an ESL teacher (for adults) for several years. I enjoyed it but it sucked my energy and I got burnt out.
I have spent nearly my entire working life as a secretary in one form or another. I liked the work, but not the demands of working for several people at once. It was only after I made a significant move and was looking for a new job that I realised exactly how much I actually hated that milieu. Preparing for interviews made me physically ill. My second, shortlived career was in the repair of computers, which I loved, because of the precise nature of the work, and because I worked for and with only one person. I am now pursuing a career as a genealogist, which is definitely right up my alley – solitary, structured, precise, and I can work to my own timetable.
I\’m a litigation paralegal. I\’ve done this the last 32 years in different settings. In researching the law and writing motions to apply it to the client\’s situation, I use T4 devotion to principle and wordsmithing to advocate for justice (another major T4 principle). I also use those principles controlling in the law to create case strategy and tasklines for myself and others to take a case to trial. Seeing the big picture – the pluses and minuses of the client\’s case, the potential defenses, what evidence will be necessary to prove the outcome I want – is another T4 skill that applies well to the job. T4 sense of judgment – i.e. when a case does not look like what it did originally; when a witness is not helpful; when a client has become unmanageable; or, when a risk is worthwhile – are all things that make me accomplished at what I do.