Top 8 ENTJ Career Matches + College Majors to Pursue

Whether you’re an ENTJ looking to land your first job or make a career change, you’re probably feeling somewhat stressed out.

We don’t blame you—after all, the general consensus is that ENTJs are supposed to have clear career goals and a five-year career plan.

While this may be the case with most Commanders, sometimes picking a career path isn’t that easy. This is because ENTJs have many unique skills that make them good candidates in almost any field.

The good news is that if you aren’t sure which career path to pursue, we’re here to help!

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about ENTJ careers to make the right choice, including the best and worst careers for ENTJs, the top college majors, and much more!

What Do ENTJs Look For in a Job?

Before we share the best ENTJ career ideas, it’s important to understand that career is a top priority for most ENTJs.

Because of this, they usually have specific requirements that a job should meet. Otherwise, they might decline the offer or feel like they are wasting their potential. Some of these requirements include:

• Career advancement. People with an ENTJ personality type are extremely ambitious. They’re constantly looking to outperform themselves and advance to higher positions. Naturally, being stuck in a dead-end job for years could lead them to depression, as seeing their career and potential go nowhere are some of their worst nightmares.
• Independence. Simply put, ENTJs don’t like following other people’s orders. They’re way too independent to be bossed around, so they usually look for jobs that allow them to make their own decisions and work on their own terms.
• Leadership opportunities. By nature, ENTJs thrive in leadership positions. Most ENTJs aspire to reach the top of the corporate ladder and become managers, executives, etc.
• Chance to utilize skills. ENTJ career skills range from public speaking to analytical thinking and beyond. Ideally, they look for jobs that enable them to not only utilize but also regularly enhance their skill set.
• Challenges. ENTJs are enthusiastic professionals who can take calculated risks and tackle complex challenges. In fact, they’d quickly get bored in a job that is too easy or repetitive!

8 Best Career Paths for ENTJs to Consider

Without further ado, the most suitable careers for ENTJ females and males include:

#1. Finance

Finance is an attractive career field for most people with an ENTJ personality type, and it’s not without good reason.

Jobs in finance offer these individuals an opportunity to be in charge, enabling them to make decisions that directly impact the bottom line. ENTJs are especially skilled at finding innovative ways to improve a company’s financial health, and you bet they enjoy this challenge!

On top of that, ENTJs are endowed with strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, which are must-haves for anyone working in finance. They also have a natural ability to see the big picture and make quick yet effective decisions.

That said, Commanders may feel bored in monotonous finance jobs. For this reason, the most suitable careers for ENTJs in the finance sector are:

• Financial Planner
• Financial Analyst
• Financial Manager
• Risk Analyst
• Underwriter
• Investment Banker
• Economist

#2. Business and Management

Thanks to extroverted thinking (Te), the dominant ENTJ cognitive function, Commanders have exceptional leadership skills. They enjoy taking charge and aren’t afraid of the responsibility that comes with it. Unsurprisingly, this usually makes them more drawn to careers in business and management than any other personality type.

It’s no secret that ENTJs care about their status in society, which makes business and management positions ideal for them. Whether they’re running their own businesses or working their way up the corporate ladder, ENTJs have the skills, assertiveness, and determination needed to succeed in the cutthroat business world.

As such, ENTJs often become successful:

• CEOs
• Entrepreneurs
• Business Owners
• Business Consultants
• Business Analysts
• Marketing Managers
• Project Managers
• Operations Managers
• Corporate Strategists
• Data Scientists

#3. Sales

Given that charisma and persuasion are some of the most prominent ENTJ strengths, it is no surprise that people with this personality type make great salespeople. These business-minded personalities are excellent at identifying people’s needs, which helps them close deals and convert prospects into customers.

However, since ENTJs can be rather blunt, they need to truly believe in a product to sell it. Otherwise, they might not be motivated to drive sales.

With all this in mind, some of the most suitable sales jobs for ENTJs include:

• Sales Manager
• Account Manager
• Account Executive
• Sales Engineer
• Real Estate Broker

#4. Engineering

ENTJs thrive in fast-paced, challenging environments that enable them to make good use of their problem-solving, strategic planning, and analytical skills. As ambitious personalities, they strive to use their natural gifts to make a difference in the world. Needless to say, this makes engineering one of the best ENTJ career paths.

ENTJs have a knack for finding and developing innovative solutions to complex problems. This makes them well-suited for jobs such as:

• Civil Engineering
• Computer Engineering
• Electronics Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Nuclear Engineering
• Software Engineering

#5. Science

Science is another ENTJ career that allows these driven individuals to leave their mark on the world. This career path allows them to use their two strongest cognitive functions—extraverted thinking (Te) and introverted intuition (Ni)—to understand and tackle global problems.

Ni enables ENTJs to see the grand scheme of things and spot patterns and trends that others might easily miss. This, coupled with analytical and logical thinking (courtesy of Te), allows ENTJs to build successful careers in the science field.

Because ENTJs are innovative and analytical people with a future-oriented mindset, they typically find their calling as:

• Biochemists
• Medical Scientists
• Environmental Scientists
• Epidemiologists
• Machine Learning Scientists
• Microbiologists

#6. Law

Law is an especially suitable career path for assertive ENTJs. Of course, this doesn't mean that turbulent ENTJs can't be successful in the field of law. Both assertive and turbulent ENTJs are charismatic, persuasive, and able to come up with logical arguments. However, assertive ENTJs are better at handling stress and pressure.

Although there are many law-related jobs in which Commanders excel, they tend to make outstanding lawyers. With their sharp minds and debating skills, ENTJs often build fulfilling careers as:

• Corporate Lawyers
• Personal Injury Lawyers
• Criminal Defense Lawyers
• Intellectual Property Lawyers
• Employment Lawyers
• Bankruptcy Lawyers
• Prosecutors

#7. IT & Programming

IT and programming are one of the most challenging and, at the same time, rewarding ENTJ careers. As visionary leaders, ENTJs are often drawn to this field because it gives them a chance to use their strengths, such as their ability to solve problems, juggle multiple projects at once, and analyze large amounts of complex data.

What makes ENTJs particularly great at IT and programming jobs is the fact that they are quick learners. Not only can they quickly grasp theoretical concepts and put them into practice, but they can also find shortcuts to maximize their efficiency.

So, here are some of the most suitable IT and programming jobs for ENTJs:

• Software Developer
• Web Developer
• Computer Systems Analyst
• Computer Programmer
• Programmer Analyst
• Information Security Manager

#8. Politics

Since ENTJs are excellent leaders and like being in positions of power and authority, it makes sense that many of them go into politics. Their persuasiveness helps them get others to see their point of view, which makes them highly influential. Also, their decisiveness and strong-mindedness help them establish trust with people and bring about positive change.

You might be surprised to find out how many politicians and political activists around the world have an ENTJ personality type. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Emmanuel Macron, Kim Jong-il, Nancy Pelosi, Al Gore, and Aleksei Navalny are just a few famous ENTJ political figures!

If you’re an ENTJ looking to enter the political arena, consider pursuing a career as a:

• Lobbyist
• Policy Analyst
• Political Journalist
• Political Consultant
• Political Commentator
• Political Risk Analyst

3 Worst Career Paths ENTJs Should Avoid

By now, you should have a pretty good idea of which career paths suit ENTJs the best. So, now you’re ready to learn about the worst ENTJ careers that people with this personality type should steer clear of—data entry, hospitality, and social work.

#1. Data Entry

Although ENTJs have great organizational skills and a result-oriented attitude that prevents them from missing deadlines, data entry tops our list of ENTJ careers to avoid. That’s because these jobs are extremely monotonous. They don’t offer much room for growth or challenges to keep ENTJs engaged and motivated.

This isn’t to say that ENTJs can’t excel in data entry jobs—quite the contrary, they have what it takes to succeed in them. However, they can't use their natural talents and reach their full potential in these jobs. Eventually, this can affect their results.

So, if you’re an ENTJ hunting for a job, feel free to scroll past listings that mention the following job titles:

• Data Entry Clerk
• Payroll and Timekeeping Clerk
• Medical Records Technician
• Data Transcriber
• Typist

#2. Hospitality

At first, the hospitality industry can seem like a good option for ENTJs. Most jobs in this field are fast-paced and require problem-solving skills.

However, they all have one huge disadvantage: small talk. Although ENTJs are outgoing, they despise shallow interactions and find them exhausting. On top of that, most Commanders lack patience and compassion when dealing with difficult clients, which can blow things out of proportion.

And, if that’s not enough, unless they land a managerial role, these jobs don’t give ENTJs the power and social status they desire.

Because of this, the following positions rarely bring ENTJs career fulfillment:

• Receptionist
• Bartender
• Housekeeper
• Waiter/Waitress
• Chef

#3. Social Work

While the above-mentioned careers can work out for ENTJs in some cases, social work is a field that people with this personality type usually shy away from, and it isn’t difficult to understand why.

Since introverted feeling (Fi) is their inferior function, ENTJs can lack consideration for others. Unlike NF personalities, such as INFJs and INFPs, they don’t have an inherent need to help people. Not only are they not interested in helping people with their emotional issues, but they also feel uncomfortable when they are forced to do so.

Logically, you won’t usually see ENTJs working as mental health social workers, school social workers, clinical social workers, and so on.

What Are ENTJs Like as Leaders?

As mentioned above, ENTJs have astounding leadership skills. Their strong sense of self-confidence commands respect and helps them get people to work toward a common goal. Although ENTJs are usually open to other people's ideas, their decisiveness and individualistic nature determine that they usually make decisions on their own, without consulting others.

These strategic thinkers are great at recognizing people’s potential, improving processes to maximize efficiency, and spotting different business opportunities. As leaders, they tend to be involved in every aspect of running the organization. In fact, many ENTJs are guilty of taking on more responsibility than necessary, which can lead to burnout.

With time and experience, most ENTJs learn to let go of their need to be in control and take a more hands-off approach, delegating tasks to their subordinates. This allows them to focus on the big picture while others handle the details.

Most importantly, while ENTJ leaders don’t tolerate inefficiency and laziness, they make sure to reward hard-working people who meet their standards. Because of this, ENTJs are generally regarded as fair and objective leaders.

How ENTJs Behave in Teams

ENTJs are domineering individuals, so they like to take charge when working in teams. As soon as they join a team, they scan their teammates to understand their strengths and weaknesses and how these qualities could help the team. Even when they aren’t designated as team leaders, they tend to point out ways to improve the team’s efficiency, productivity, and results.

That said, ENTJs are notoriously individualistic, and if they see that someone on their team isn’t doing their job, they’ll likely ask them to leave and take over their responsibilities. The truth is that ENTJs don’t have the patience to work with people they deem incompetent or lazy, but they thrive when collaborating with passionate, driven individuals they can call their equals.

ENTJ Strengths and Weakness at the Workplace

Due to the nature of their personality type, ENTJs bring a unique set of strengths and weaknesses to the workplace. Ideally, they should choose a career that helps them maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.

Besides analytical and leadership skills, the most prominent ENTJ strengths at work include:

• Innovation. ENTJs prefer innovation over tradition, which helps them solve problems in novel ways.
• Determination. Commanders are driven to succeed at any cost, which makes them rather competitive. No matter the industry, they’re committed to continuously improving their skills, products, etc., as they want their company to be the best.
• Self-confidence. ENTJs are naturally self-assured individuals, which makes them extremely decisive. They aren’t afraid to fail or make mistakes, as they believe there’s nothing they can’t recover from.

Despite their strengths, ENTJs also have some weaknesses that might impact their results. These include:

• Aggressiveness. In their relentless pursuit of success, ENTJs can come off as rather aggressive. Naturally, their forceful attitude can be intimidating for some people.
• Lack of sensitivity. ENTJs aren’t great at handling emotional matters, as they often lack sensitivity and genuine concern for others. This can make them seem unapproachable, cold, and callous, which can affect their work relationships.
• Impulsivity. Sometimes, ENTJs are too concerned with making decisions quickly to carefully consider their options. Ultimately, this can affect their productivity, forcing them to go back to deal with the consequences of their impulsivity instead of moving forward.

10 Best College Majors for ENTJs

ENTJs are known for taking their studies seriously—most of them know which major they’ll pick long before it’s time to apply to university.

However, if you struggle to pick the right college major, here are 10 options that’ll help you pursue one of the top ENTJ careers listed above:

1. Business Administration
2. Computer Engineering
3. Computer Programming
4. Computer Science
5. International Business
6. Economics
7. Finance
8. Legal Studies
9. Political Science
10. Criminology

ENTJ Careers FAQ

Key Takeaways

Congratulations—now you have all the information on ENTJ careers you need to pick the perfect career path!

The main takeaway is that ENTJs are goal-oriented, hard-working people. Because of this, they can excel in virtually any career path as long as they make it their goal. Nonetheless, pursuing a career in a field that lets their strengths shine—such as in law, business, or politics—can empower ENTJs to achieve greater success and make a positive impact on the world.

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