Top 8 INFP Career Matches and Best College Majors to Pursue

Choosing the right career path for an INFP is no walk in the park. It’s not uncommon to see an INFP struggling with career choices, facing a dilemma of which option to pick—an emotionally fulfilling career or one that doesn’t leave them counting pennies at the end of the month.

What if we told you that there are some INFP jobs that both pay well AND are emotionally rewarding?

That’s right!

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about INFP careers to pick the ideal career path for your personality type, including:

8 Best Careers for INFPs to Consider
3 Worst Careers INFPs Should Avoid
INFPs’ Strengths and Weaknesses at the Workplace

And more!

Without further ado, let us introduce you to the best careers for INFP females and males:

Art is perhaps the most obvious career choice for INFPs—after all, their dominant introverted feeling (Fi) and auxiliary extraverted intuition (Ne) functions bless them with a unique creative vision. Since childhood, most INFPs are very imaginative and dabble in different types of art: drawing, painting, photography, and others. So, why not make a living out of it?

The truth is—many INFPs feel like sellouts when they start to make money from their art. A prime example of this is Kurt Cobain, one of the most famous INFPs, who was torn between desiring fame and money and loathing them.

That said, if they get around this limiting mindset, INFPs can turn their art from a hobby into a fulfilling career that allows them plenty of space for creativity, individuality, and self-expression.

So, here are some of the most popular artistic jobs for INFPs:

Composer
Photographer
Illustrator
Musician
Sculptor
Performance Artist
Fine Artist
Ceramicist
Potter
Architect

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The ideal career for INFPs is one that is in harmony with their inner values and gives them a sense of purpose and fulfillment. So, it’s only natural that many people with this personality pursue careers in education.

However, unlike their extroverted counterparts, ENFPs, INFP personalities don’t usually enjoy teaching large groups of people. Instead, they prefer to work with smaller groups or individuals since this allows them to get to know their students on a personal level.

Some of the best education jobs for INFPs include:

Tutor
Special Education Teacher
Learning Specialist
School Counselor
Speech Therapist
Academic Advisor

You may think that INFPs aren’t cut out for the corporate world, but that isn’t entirely true—at least, not always. Sure, they are idealistic and nonconformist, but that doesn’t mean that there are no career options in business that would suit INFPs.

The key to finding the ideal INFP career in business is to look for a company whose values and mission align with your beliefs. From there, the best jobs for them will likely be those that involve guiding people and instilling these values in their minds or helping the company achieve its goals.

And, as a general rule, INFPs should stay away from jobs in finance (e.g., bookkeeping), as they may find them tedious.

Here are some of the most suitable jobs for INFPs in the business field:

Human Resource Specialist/Manager
Public Relations Specialist
Business Psychologist
Fundraising Manager
Training and Development Manager

Since many Mediators don’t particularly enjoy traditional education and are self-taught, you’re probably interested in INFP careers without a degree.

The good news is that most jobs in design—a career path that perfectly suits the INFP personality type—don’t typically require any formal education! Not to mention, it’s another field that allows INFPs to put their creativity to good use.

Moreover, INFP personalities enjoy change and can feel stuck in monotonous jobs. As design enables them to work on different projects, it is one of the most appealing career paths for INFPs that keeps them engaged and inspired.

Some of the best jobs for INFPs in design include:

Interior Designer
Graphic Designer
Fashion Designer
UI/UX Designer
Architectural Designer
Information Designer
Product Designer
Motion Designer
Web Designer
Video Game Designer

Although INFPs are generally artistic individuals, many find themselves fascinated by scientific matters later in their lives. Typically, this happens when extraverted thinking (Te)—the inferior INFP cognitive function—becomes stronger.

That said, more often than not, they are interested in social, healthcare, and other soft sciences that enable them to learn about people or, better yet, help humanity in one way or another.

With that in mind, here are some of the most common jobs among INFPs in the science field:

Psychologist
Anthropologist
Sociologist
Archeologist
Genetic Counselor
Clinical Psychologist
Ecologist
Environmental Scientist

By nature, INFPs are sensitive and empathic individuals. Not only do they feel other people’s pain, but they also want to help people feel better. Needless to say, nothing brings INFPs as much pleasure as seeing that their care and compassion brighten someone’s day!

As individuals who always root for the underdog, can’t stand injustice, and wish to leave a mark on the world, INFPs often feel drawn to jobs in social services. Of course, these professions aren’t easy, require a great deal of patience, and aren’t always well paid. Still, the emotional fulfillment that overflows them from helping people in need is priceless.

So, if you’re an INFP interested in a career in social services, here are some job options you should consider:

Social Worker
Substance Abuse Counselor
Child Welfare Worker
Human Services Specialist
Behavioral Management Aide
Mental Health Counselor
Social and Community Service Manager

INFPs have excellent communication skills, and, more than any other personality type, they can tailor their communication style to the people around them.

This flexibility and ability to feel other people translates well into their professional lives and is the key reason why media and communication belong to the list of the best INFP career paths. For example, INFP copywriters immediately understand which words and style to use to get the message across and ensure it appeals to the audience.

Still, it’s important to remember that no INFP will feel happy and proud of themselves when going against their values (e.g., promoting products or brands they don’t believe in).

Most commonly, INFPs build successful careers in media and communication as:

Editors
Film Editors
Multimedia Artists
Copywriters
Digital Marketing Specialists
Social Media Managers
Art Directors
Brand Strategist

As intuitive feeling personalities, most INFPs are interested in learning languages and have a natural gift for it.

Although there are some exceptions, they tend to easily notice differences not only in grammar but also in the tone and body language of native speakers. This allows them to master foreign languages and use them as effortlessly as their mother languages.

Unsurprisingly, INFPs often choose careers that allow them to practice, use, share, and improve their language skills and knowledge, such as:

Translator
Interpreter
Foreign Language Teacher

Now that you know about the best INFP careers, it’s important to remember that there are many other career options, most of which fall into a gray area. While they may not come as naturally to INFPs as the ones mentioned above, they can still build successful careers in those fields.

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That said, some professions just aren’t compatible with INFPs. So, here are 3 INFP careers to avoid at all costs:

In short, being a sales manager sounds like a nightmare scenario to most (if not all!) INFPs. Even more so to INFP-T personalities that certainly wouldn’t be comfortable carrying tons of responsibilities in a fast-paced environment.

INFPs generally aren’t thrilled about working in sales. If they don’t believe in the company’s mission and product, they’re bound to feel as if they’re betraying themselves and their values.

Not to mention, sales management can be a rather stressful job, and most INFPs would rather decline the job offer regardless of the high pay than deal with customer complaints.

Being a police officer is another stressful job that INFPs wouldn’t feel comfortable doing. As peace-loving individuals, they’re typically soft and gentle. Instead of giving commands, they prefer to guide people, but that’s not something you can always do as a police officer.

On top of that, INFP personalities often fear confrontation and upsetting others. While they’d certainly be the “good cop,” objectively speaking, most Mediators don’t have the assertiveness and conflict resolution skills required to be a well-respected and successful police officer.

Thanks to having Fi as their dominant cognitive function, INFPs can be quite biased (even if they don’t want to admit it!). They prioritize their personal values, tastes, and preferences over universal values or societal rules, which explains why they can sometimes be partial.

Not to mention, sometimes INFPs struggle to decide what to eat for breakfast, whereas judges must have top-notch decision-making skills.

As expected of introverts, INFPs thrive when they work alone or in smaller groups with shared vision and values. They put a lot of emphasis on team harmony and may feel too uncomfortable to share their thoughts if they’re surrounded by hostile, highly competitive teammates or an overly domineering team leader.

Nonetheless, INFPs make warm, supportive, and helpful teammates. They’re happy to lend a hand to their teammates but can sometimes forget to assess whether they’re capable of taking on more work. Unfortunately, when they’re overwhelmed, they don’t always openly ask for help, which can lead to occupational burnout.

In most teams, INFPs take on the role of a creative problem-solver. They can analyze problems from diverse perspectives, which helps them contribute to the team with unique solutions. Since they tend to have an unconventional approach, they work best in teams that value innovation over tradition.

Although INFPs often shy away from leadership positions, that doesn’t mean they don’t have what it takes to be a great leader. In fact, INFPs tend to be transformational leaders—they aim to inspire people to follow their vision, in addition to helping them reach their potential and ignite positive changes.

Most importantly, INFPs are fair leaders—they treat everyone equally regardless of their position, which creates a sense of unity in the group. Their approachable nature helps them build trust with their subordinates, especially since they’re genuinely concerned about everyone’s well-being.

That said, INFPs can feel uncomfortable expressing criticism and lack the organizational skills to ensure all processes are running smoothly. Still, if they work on these areas, they can grow into powerful, effective, and inspiring leaders.

INFP strengths and weaknesses are paramount to their career success. Ideally, you want to choose a career that emphasizes your strong points and downplays your weak points (or, alternatively, helps you improve them).

So, here are the key strengths INFPs show at work:

Creativity, which enables them to offer innovative approaches and solutions to problems
Independence, as they’re more than happy to work with little to no supervision
Emotional intelligence, which helps them create a pleasant work atmosphere
Dedication, but only when the company and the job match their values
Cooperation, which means they’re easy-going and eager to help

Meanwhile, the main INFP weaknesses at work include:

Selflessness, which can cause INFPs to take on more responsibility than they can handle
Sensitivity to criticism, which makes it difficult for them to accept and express negative feedback
Procrastination, especially when they aren’t interested in the job
Slow decision-making, which is typically the result of being too worried about making the wrong decision

Having Ne as their auxiliary cognitive function makes INFPs not only imaginative but also curious. As a result, many people with this personality type struggle to choose a major in college or doubt their decision.

To make it easier for you, here are the top 10 college majors for INFPs that not only fit your personality type but will also help you pursue a fulfilling career in the future:

Psychology
Fine Arts
Architecture
Linguistic Anthropology
Language Studies
Sociology
Social Work
Education
Communication
Human Resource Management

Some of the best jobs for INFPs are fine artist, performance artist, musician, human resource manager, graphic designer, interior designer, psychologist, and mental health counselor. In other words, the best INFP careers are those that are creative and go with their values.

Generally speaking, INFPs have successful careers as long as they fulfill their requirements. If a career goes against their values or seems meaningless to them, they won’t have the motivation to pursue it. Other than that, INFPs can succeed in virtually any career path.

Although INFPs can thrive in any major they set their minds on, the best majors for INFPs include psychology, sociology, social work, philosophy, philology, and the like.

INFPs typically enjoy and are great at studying languages, arts, history, psychology, and similar subjects. That said, some also have an interest in and excel at physics, programming, politics, and math. In other words, each INFP is different, but most prefer social sciences.

And there you go—by now, you should be able to make an informed decision and choose the most suitable career for your personality type!

If there’s one thing you should remember about INFP careers, it’s that monetary gain isn’t as important for INFPs as emotional fulfillment.

For this reason, the key to making the right career choice is to evaluate how the company and the job match your inner values. Ideally, you want to go for a creative profession that brings you a sense of purpose and meaning.

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