INTP boredom

[afton]

I hate this. This is the typical INTP 'weakness'. I get bored so
soon at anything. Like someone said before, I like to explore stuffs,
but after I "get" the idea and the concepts, I become reluctant
to pursue it further. I'm worried that I'll never be good and expert
at anything, merely "jack of all trades".
Any idea what kind of career guaranteed not to make an INTP bored?

[Hamro]

id suspect something that allows you to move on to doing different things all the time? maybe a man power company?

[Xander]

I found that databases are cool for keeping me focused.
Something about the exponential complexity growth of them. The more work I put in the more detailed a creation it is.
Plus there's usually enough bugs/ new things to add to keep me occupied. It also taps into the whole INTP problem solving part which is cool.
Other than that I'd say try any jobs where you can do lots of troubleshooting, no matter on what level, and you should find it at least in part engaging.

[RottenApple]

We get very bored when we understand the process.

I read somewhere that INTP's are often attracted to the arts because of this very reason. It's difficult to break down and completely comprehend what makes a good song or a fantastic piece of graphic design / art ...etc.

High end software development can also be sufficiently complex/obscure to keep you motivated.

Some insecure INTP's keep pushing through the boredom because they have 'something to prove'. .... but god help you if you already like yourself.

[gloryhog]

since i'm "studying" for exams now i'd say that this is the most difficult thing in the world to do. not because the material is challenging, but because why should i waste time to prepare to waste another 3 hrs of my life.

wow i'm pretty cynical right now.

the tough part about this issue is that if you want to you can say you know exactly how life works. You're born, you grow up, you get a degree, you work to survive, you have some kids maybe, you die. so then are you bored of life?

it's like if someone can write a book about a subject anyone can understand the subject. so why read the book?

obviously there are reasons to read the book and reasons to live. maybe as INTP you've got to search harder to find them.

[joecancer]

yeah, but you don't know how you're going to die, so that's something to keep you interested.

[RottenApple]

the tough part about this issue is that if you want to you can say you know exactly how life works. You're born, you grow up, you get a degree, you work to survive, you have some kids maybe, you die. so then are you bored of life?



It amazes me when I come here how I seem to read posts which could have been written by me.

We get bored when we understand the process, and life itself is a process... which can be understood.

Sometimes I just feel like I'm finished with life.... to live on is to just carry out the movements of a choreographed dance until death. ... f**king boring.

[Melody]

yea its rather depressing; recognize that there are subjects and places for us. it may just take some work to reach them

a friend of mine visited an IBM research center somewhere in california... and he met one of the scientists....

he said the scientist lived in the research center and was a slob. there were coffee stains and papers all over the place. an intp if i ever heard of one

when the scientists there get an idea, even if it's at 2 in the morning, a group of ppl is called in to get details so the idea is not lost

so there is at least 1 company that knows how to cater to and take full advantage of us http://forums.intpcentral.com/images/smilies/smile.gif


also some hard liquor + sprite every once in a while doesnt hurt

[coffeezombie]

You need to find a job where your intelligence is needed for situations that are always different. For instance, an INTP could be a pharmaceutical researcher since there are always new drugs to be discovered and new diseases that need to be cured.

[the_stumpycat]

when the scientists there get an idea, even if it's at 2 in the morning, a group of ppl is called in to get details so the idea is not lost



I've been working on a project for the last 18 months or so with a project leader who actually understands how I work - for example :


I haven't worked a 9-5 for the last 17 months largely because he knows and accepts that I rarely roll in before 10-11
I regularly wake up in the early hours of the morning and work when I feel the inspiration - if this means I don't make it in the next morning, see above
He accepts that I don't work until the deadline arrives - so is happy for me slacking off going off on tangents and doing nothing - as long as I put in 100 hours in the 5 days coming up to the deadline (when I am buzzing)
He accepts me missing the deadline by a couple of days most of the time (and builds this into the timetable for me)
He understands the phrase "I need some time to sort it" and is happy for this to mean I disappear for two days with no-one seeing me (as long as I come back having thought the answer through)


What has amazed me over that time is how much more productive I am working for him than for my regular boss - whos takes the approach of shouting and bullying to make sure I am in control and on schedule well in advance of the deadline (with the result I deliberately miss it to foul his plans)

Result : I actually think the job itself is less important than an employer who recognises your strengths and the way you work and reacts accordingly.

[afton]

I've been working on a project for the last 18 months or so with a project leader who actually understands how I work - for example :


I haven't worked a 9-5 for the last 17 months largely because he knows and accepts that I rarely roll in before 10-11
I regularly wake up in the early hours of the morning and work when I feel the inspiration - if this means I don't make it in the next morning, see above
He accepts that I don't work until the deadline arrives - so is happy for me slacking off going off on tangents and doing nothing - as long as I put in 100 hours in the 5 days coming up to the deadline (when I am buzzing)
He accepts me missing the deadline by a couple of days most of the time (and builds this into the timetable for me)
He understands the phrase "I need some time to sort it" and is happy for this to mean I disappear for two days with no-one seeing me (as long as I come back having thought the answer through)


What has amazed me over that time is how much more productive I am working for him than for my regular boss - whos takes the approach of shouting and bullying to make sure I am in control and on schedule well in advance of the deadline (with the result I deliberately miss it to foul his plans)

Result : I actually think the job itself is less important than an employer who recognises your strengths and the way you work and reacts accordingly.

Eh! Heavenly job environment for INTP. What is your job stumpycat?

[dziner]

Result : I actually think the job itself is less important than an employer who recognises your strengths and the way you work and reacts accordingly.

Not really...I have a nice boss who gives me freedom to do things the way I want. I have nice colleagues and a cool work place. But the job itself is crap. I find it hard to motivate myself.

[Sally]

Result : I actually think the job itself is less important than an employer who recognises your strengths and the way you work and reacts accordingly.

YES. I work a 9 - 5. I consider myself lucky that I"m not bored to tears by it. Yet.

But I love my boss. ENTJ. As long as she needs me, and I'm the only one who can get things done... I'm there.

And it pays the bills. And insurance. And yeah.

[Sally]

Also also - never forget the power of random positive award. A lot of times the days seem interminable, but I never know exactly WHEN an emergency will spring up that requires my immediate attention. Ergo - I'm there every workday. 9 to fucking 5.

[Geek Engineer]

I might say something in Electrical Engineering might be good too, but it is going to depend on the place and maybe even what type of boss you have. My previous boss I think understood me pretty well and had me doing all sorts of different things all the time. I was pretty much became the "fireman" problem solver for the whole group.

My old boss left maybe a year ago and my new boss is much more of an SJ and had a very hard time working with him at first. He seems to be learning that I work differently and treating me better lately. He still gets a little pushy sometimes about schedules and doesn't let me move around to different tasks as much. So I hope he will get better about using me more effectively, but we will see...

[Xander]

Perhaps its not really the boredom that is the INTPs achilles heel.
I reckon that we skip around so many subjects not because we are bored by the previous one but because we are aware of how much there is out there and feel compelled to look at it all.
In doing this we never stay very long with one thing because we believe that we can make more headway in the new subject.
Perhaps our ideal job is somewhere on the cutting edge where theory is important and we have to constantly push the subject into new territory?
I'd suggest computers because it is rarely limited by tradition or limited thinking. It is only limited by the language used and the capability of the computer to reproduce it.
I thought at one point about studying to do AI for computer games but, as is typical of the INTP, lacked the motivation to actually do it.