9 Best Paying Jobs (and Careers) for an INFP

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If you’re an INFP personality type (i.e. someone who has the introversion, intuition, feeling and perception qualities), then you might struggle to think of a career that allows you to show just how compassionate and creative you are.

Your chosen career should also be one that doesn’t drain your introverted nature. Keep in mind that it doesn’t hurt to find a career that fits your personality type and also pays the bills.

So in this article, we will talk about nine of the best paying jobs for an INFP, plus we’ll provide information on the average starting salary and the specific actions you need to take to move into this career field.

(Side note: Want to find the best career for your personality? Then take this FREE career test that matches your personality and interests to real-world careers)!

Let’s get to it…

1. Graphic Designer

Overview: A career in graphic design means you’ll be spending much of your time working alone while coming up with creative images for clients or your employer. Working as a graphic designer also lets you put your artistic skills to use, as well as technological skills, in order to come up with designs for magazines, websites, company logos, brochures, and more.

While you can expect to have plenty of alone time on the job, you’ll need to communicate with others at times, such as interacting with clients to get feedback. Overall, a graphic design career offers a great way to combine your creative tendencies with your introverted nature. Depending on your clients, you might also have the opportunity to create designs for nonprofits and other organizations that appeal to an INFP’s desire for helping others.

Average Salary: $52,100

Education Required: Bachelor’s degree in graphic design or a similar field or advanced training in graphic design skills without a degree.

How to Get Started:

Becoming a graphic designer involves the following steps:

1. Earn a bachelor’s degree in graphic design or a related field, although a degree isn’t always required for this type of job. Alternatively, you can focus on building graphic design skills and gaining relevant experience on your own, such as at your current job or by going to graphic design workshops.
2. Work on building a portfolio that showcases your artistic skills. You can approach local businesses or look for online opportunities for graphic design projects in order to work on your portfolio.
3. Look for job opportunities in graphic design if you’re interested in working for a company as an employee. If you plan on being a freelance graphic designer, use your portfolio and experience to show potential clients your skills.

2. Psychologist

Overview: Being a psychologist provides you with an excellent way to help people who are struggling with emotional or psychological issues. INFPs have a knack for exploring these kinds of issues in order to understand them better. As a psychologist, you’ll be able to help people work on healing while also motivating them to improve their well-being and happiness overall.

Although being a psychologist means working directly with people, you don’t have to worry about introvert burnout. The one-on-one setting for many psychologists is ideal for introverts. Depending on how much interaction with others you can handle, you also have the option to run group therapy sessions or work with couples or families rather than individuals.

Average Salary: $80,370

Education Required: Doctoral degree in psychology for counseling, clinical, or research psychologists or a master’s degree in psychology for psychologists in industrial or school settings.

How to Get Started:

To become a psychologist, you’ll generally need to do the following:

1. Earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology or a related field, then move onto earning an advanced degree. You might only need a master’s degree for certain jobs, such as an industrial organization psychologist or counselor. However, you’ll need to earn a doctoral degree for other jobs as a psychologist, especially higher-paying jobs.
2. Earn a Doctor of Psychology (Psy. D.) degree or a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. D.) degree. Ph. D. degree programs are usually more focused on research, while a Psy. D. degree programs usually focus on clinical skills and training. For school psychologist jobs, you might need to earn an Education Specialist degree (Ed. S.) or doctoral degree.
3. Gain experience through internships in a supervised setting. Keep in mind that you might need a certain number of internship hours for licensing purposes.
4. Pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology exam and meet other requirements to become a licensed psychologist. The specifications and requirements for licensing vary by state.

3. Occupational Therapist

Overview: Occupational therapy offers INFP personality types a great way to assist other people with a wide range of skills. This type of career allows you to use your INFP strengths in wanting to help people heal while also making use of a variety of skills. Occupational therapists have a job that can change significantly from one patient to the next. You might help one patient learn to get dressed, then help another learn to cook or eat. The flexible nature of occupational therapy work and the ability to assist others makes this an excellent career choice for INFPs.

Average Salary: $84,950

Education Required: Master’s degree or doctoral degree in occupational therapy.

How to Get Started:

Becoming an occupational therapist involves these steps:

1. Earn a bachelor’s degree in biology or another related field, then pursue a master’s degree in occupational therapy. For a master’s degree, you’ll need a minimum of 24 weeks of supervised work in the field.
2. Consider earning a doctoral degree, which can lead to more challenging and better paying career options in this field. Doctoral degree programs also require 24 weeks or more of supervised work in the field, as well as 16 weeks of capstone experience.
3. Obtain proper licensing based on your state’s requirements. All occupational therapists have to pass the exam given by the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy for licensing.

4. Human Resources Specialist

Overview: Working as a human resources specialist is a good way to tap into your INFP strengths, such as empathy for others and your skills at reading people to figure out what they need. HR specialists focus on making sure employees are satisfied on the job and have a safe and supportive work environment. Your insight as an INFP can help you excel in this type of career, which fits your desire to help others. While you might need to interact with several people throughout the day as an HR specialist, this will usually be on an individual basis, making this a good job for introverts.

Average Salary: $61,920

Education Required: Bachelor’s degree in business, human resources, or a similar field

How to Get Started:

To become an HR specialist, you’ll usually need the following steps:

1. Earn a bachelor’s degree in human resources or a related field, such as business with classes that focus on helping you build skills in business, psychology, human resources management, and more.
2. Work as a human resources assistant or work in customer service to build work experience. Some HR specialist positions require previous experience in this type of work.
3. Consider becoming certified, although this is usually not a requirement for work. Certification programs include the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Certified Professional program and the SHRM Senior Certified Professional program. You also have the option to advance to becoming a human resources manager.

5. Architect

Overview: A career as an architect allows INFPs to make use of creative skills while taking other people’s needs into consideration in terms of building designs. Whether you focus on designing residential homes or commercial properties, being an architect lets you exercise a great deal of creativity while helping others achieve their goals. You might help families design their dream home or ensure that business owners have a building design that fits their company’s practical needs.

Average Salary: $80,750

Education Required: Bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in architecture.

How to Get Started:

Working as an architect involves doing the following to get started:

1. Earn a bachelor’s degree in architecture, then consider earning a master’s degree in architecture to gain access to higher paying jobs if desired. Architectural degree programs typically include courses in building design, architectural theory, construction methods, and more.
2. Complete a paid internship, which you’ll need to due in order to meet state architectural registration board requirements. This means working at an architectural firm for up to 3 years.
3. Gain licensing based on your state’s requirements. This generally involves having a degree in architecture, doing a paid internship, and passing the Architect Registration Exam. You might also need to do continuing education as part of your state’s licensing requirements.

6. Physician

Overview: Being a physician is among the best paying jobs for an INFP. Whether you decide to become a pediatric doctor, become a specialist at treating certain types of conditions, or work in a hospital setting, being a physician offers a rewarding career for INFPs. This type of career allows you to treat others with compassion and help them heal or improve their physical well-being. As an introvert, you might do better working in a private practice working with a limited number of patients per day rather than working as a physician in a busy, high-stress environment, such as an emergency room.

Average Salary: $208,000

Education Required: Doctoral or professional degree from a medical school.

How to Get Started:

To become a physician, you’ll need to do the following:

1. Earn a bachelor’s degree in biology or a related field, then earn a degree from a medical school, such as a Medical Doctor (M.D.) degree. Some medical schools have degree programs that include undergraduate and graduate degrees.
2. Complete a residency program after earning a medical school degree. Residency programs can last anywhere from 3 to 7 years.
3. Become properly licensed based on your state’s requirements. In general, you’ll need to earn a degree from an accredited medical school and complete a residency program. You’ll also need to pass a standardized exam, such as the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination.

7. Physical Therapist

Overview: Working as a physical therapist provides INFP personality types with regular opportunities to assist others and help them heal. Physical therapists also need to be flexible and creative on the job in order to come up with ways to motivate their clients to reach their therapy goals. Physical therapy appeals to the compassionate and healing nature of INFPs while also offering a work environment that won’t overwhelm these introverts.

Average Salary: $89,400

Education Required: Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.

How to Get Started:

Getting started as a physical therapist involves these steps:

1. Earn a bachelor’s degree in biology or a related field, although not all Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree programs require this. Some DPT programs include a bachelor’s degree and DPT.
2. Earn a DPT from a program that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). These programs usually last about 3 years.
3. Consider doing a clinical residency program in order to gain experience in the PT work environment. These kinds of programs usually last roughly 1 year.
4. Obtain proper licensing to work as a physical therapist. The requirements for this vary by state, but generally include passing the National Physical Therapy Exam given by the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. Keep in mind that you might need continuing education to keep your license over the years.

8. Civil Rights or Human Rights Attorney

Overview: A career as a civil rights or human rights attorney offers an outstanding way to put your INFP strengths to good use. This kind of career allows you to focus on protecting or fighting for the rights of those who have been victims of civil rights or human rights violations. For example, you might focus on providing legal assistance for human trafficking victims or those who have faced discrimination in housing or other areas.

Average Salary: $122,960

Education Required: Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree in most states.

How to Get Started:

To become a civil rights or human rights attorney, you generally need to do the following:

1. Earn a bachelor’s degree in philosophy or a related field, then enter a law school to earn a JD degree. Keep in mind that many states require attorneys to complete a JD program from a law school that is accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA). Getting into law school usually requires taking the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).
2. Take a bar exam for licensing in order to practice law in your state. Each state and jurisdiction has its own requirements for licensing, such as passing at least one bar exam.
3. Keep up with continuing education courses in order to maintain licensing, but specific requirements vary by state.

9. Entrepreneur

Overview: When you’re looking for a highly flexible and independent career that fits your INFP personality type, consider becoming an entrepreneur. Working as an entrepreneur means that you have the freedom to start your own business offering a certain product or service. This career path allows you to be creative while also determining what kind of product or service people might need in order to improve their lives. You also have the flexibility to build a business that doesn’t require you to interact with large groups of people regularly, which can appeal to your introverted nature.

Average Salary: While BLS states that the average salary for top executives is $104,690, the average salary for an entrepreneur can vary widely depending on different factors, such as the kind of products or services you offer as a business owner.

Education Required: No specific degrees are required, but college degrees in business or another relevant field can help you learn valuable skills.

How to Get Started:

Becoming an entrepreneur doesn’t involve specific steps or meeting certain requirements, but the following steps could be useful:

1. Earn an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree in business or a related field. Being able to successfully start and run a business an an entrepreneur involves having skills in business, finances, marketing, and similar fields. You might also find it helpful to study psychology in order to build communication skills and understand customers better. Other fields you might want to consider depending on what your business focuses on include art or computer science.
2. Interact with other professionals in order to network and build connections that can help you run your business and market or sell your product or service.
3. Focus on coming up with a business plan, marketing your product or service to a targeted audience, and making improvements to your product or service as needed.

Final Thoughts on Careers for an INFP

No matter what kind of career you choose, keep in mind that it’s not just about the salary you earn. As an INFP, you’ll want your career to be meaningful and fulfilling as well.

You might also want to consider avoiding certain environments that might be more stressful for you as an introvert, such as hectic office settings. Consider exploring low-stress jobs that provide a rewarding career path, since these are the ideal types to consider for INFPs.

I hope this article helped you with taking that crucial first step to finding a job that matches your personality type. 

Finally, if you want to find the best career for your personality, then take this FREE career test that matches your personality and interests to real-world careers.