I've thought that'd be a fun job for a while now - help people like their looks and feel good about themselves, be chatty most of the day, listen to others and try to offer sympathy and a shoulder, teach others how to take care of their skin and about vitamins, etc...  All that sounds like so much fun to me for some reason (subject to change my mind as soon as the next fun looking career comes along ).  My dad would say it's a waste of intelligence, but how do you look at this?  If someone has a high IQ, made good grades, excels in all things academic but they want to do something nonacademic is that a waste?  

I too shared similar interests. I wanted to open up my own salon, but add a different twist to it. I wanted to make it more of a salon geared towards working with those who were underprivelaged and teenage girls who needed a boost of confidence. Instead of completely changing their looks, I wanted to keep my philosophy of "embracing" what one has, and making the best out of it, while keeping things a bit natural. Yada. Yada..

After 2 weeks of beauty school, I dropped out. Could not handle the cattyness/unprofessionalism of the place. I though I could section hair, but kinda got tired of the tedious details. I love interacting with people, but soon realized that the constant hands on work was not my talent. I couldn't imagine being passionate about holding a sizzor/sectioning/styling hair a certain way for the rest of my life (okay, maybe 20 years at most, lol). I missed going to school school, learning about theories, psychology, sociology, philosophy... I really felt out of place. On top of that, the profession has it's own competitiveness in that a lot of the work (starting out as a trainee and building clientelle) has a lot to do with comission, and I am NOT competitive. Trouncing over and stepping on someone would just make me feel like crap about myself.

But, if you want to start up your own small business, I don't see why not. Anything's possible. Perhaps it was my bad experience with cosmetology school. I had a lot of ESFP, ESTP, ESFJ females ganging up/bullying me because I didn't care to participate in gossip/petty chit-chat, despite keeping things friendly and staying in the background in that kind of environment.

I wouldn't mind doing it all over again.. Maybe research on the school if you do intend to go. See the quality of instruction. (I still feel as though I need that connection with classmates though, in which I couldn't find at the school I attended).

Posted By JerseyCityENFP on 12 Jan 2010 01:37 PM
Hmm. This is a real toughie. I think I've accepted that I might change careers every 2 years or so and that that's okay.

I agree it's okay to have a non-academic job, and in fact to get away completely from going for jobs just because that's what other people value. About the esthetician, one question that occurs to me is, would it be intellectually stimulating enough for an "N"? Maybe if you were always coming up with new hair styles and ways of doing make up. I bet talking to people all day would be a real pleasure.

Similarly, with being a librarian -- if you really are an ENFP, I wonder if filing books, etc. is going to give you the creative outlet that you need to stay happy.

Hate to be a wet towel. It's something I think about a lot.

That would be a good place to be in - accepting we will change things up often lol.  I bet that makes for a happy ENFP 

You are also right about the intellectually stimulating thing - I crave it, gotta have it, night and day just about lol  My favorite job thus far was working at an outpatient medical center where I had a few coworkers who were very smart (definitely NTs) and constantly make me think, I had to "keep up" especially when they used big words lol.  It was fun though, almost like a game for myself.

The librarian thing umm yeah.  I can see it now: I'm supposed to be filing books (which my Virgoan traits would love) but one in the stack has a shiny title that catches my eye and I flip through to see if it has pictures...it does!  I crouch down to the floor behind the book cart with shifty eyes, hoping this is a section of the library unvisited at this time of evening... and so it goes lol  I may not ever get the books filed! 

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who thinks of these things often.  Thank you for your thoughts and input!  I truly appreciate the perspective. 

Posted By kat949 on 17 Jan 2010 11:25 PM

I too shared similar interests. I wanted to open up my own salon, but add a different twist to it. I wanted to make it more of a salon geared towards working with those who were underprivelaged and teenage girls who needed a boost of confidence. Instead of completely changing their looks, I wanted to keep my philosophy of "embracing" what one has, and making the best out of it, while keeping things a bit natural. Yada. Yada..

After 2 weeks of beauty school, I dropped out. Could not handle the cattyness/unprofessionalism of the place. I though I could section hair, but kinda got tired of the tedious details. I love interacting with people, but soon realized that the constant hands on work was not my talent. I couldn't imagine being passionate about holding a sizzor/sectioning/styling hair a certain way for the rest of my life (okay, maybe 20 years at most, lol). I missed going to school school, learning about theories, psychology, sociology, philosophy... I really felt out of place. On top of that, the profession has it's own competitiveness in that a lot of the work (starting out as a trainee and building clientelle) has a lot to do with comission, and I am NOT competitive. Trouncing over and stepping on someone would just make me feel like crap about myself.

But, if you want to start up your own small business, I don't see why not. Anything's possible. Perhaps it was my bad experience with cosmetology school. I had a lot of ESFP, ESTP, ESFJ females ganging up/bullying me because I didn't care to participate in gossip/petty chit-chat, despite keeping things friendly and staying in the background in that kind of environment.

I wouldn't mind doing it all over again.. Maybe research on the school if you do intend to go. See the quality of instruction. (I still feel as though I need that connection with classmates though, in which I couldn't find at the school I attended).

Oh wow, that was a really good idea you had though!!  I thought about a dance studio for the same type of youngsters.  I'm sorry it didn't work out for you, but I'm right there with you about the catty stuff - I don't do catty, petty, or bullying and definitely no competitiveness when it comes to work, maybe in a game of Sorry!, but not at a job as I'm actually kind of shy  lol

I've since moved on from the cosmetology idea, as shiny new ones have emerged.  I suspect they will continue to do so for the duration of my life in this body lol