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Comment by hanyoddha | Hacker News Reader

I wouldn't really call it pseudo-science. For long I really did think there was something wrong with me for not being able to choose what I wanted to do in life, since I enjoyed doing a lot of things. It would also be a major cause of depression for me. But it's only when I took the test that I figured out that there are so many out there who are facing similar day-to-day challenges like I am. There's comfort in knowing that. I'm also a part of the closed community ENFP group on Facebook and people really do have the same problem. Multiple careers, lack of clarity and focus.

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The fact that these personality profiles can help people realise both that there are others like them and that different people may have different motivations and challenges is enormously useful and a valid insight. That does not mean that the profile itself is not pseudoscience though.

I am sorry but there is no reason to believe how a particular trait which troubles almost everyone can be based on a certain personality type. There are lots of take-an-interest-in-everything people out there who can't decide what they want to do, even though being particularly good at lots of things. I am not denying why this question might trouble you, it has troubled me for a long time myself but being a so called INTJ-type, I can't say if the personality-bucketing is the reason you should nail it down to.

What was your personal solution if I may ask?

I am pretty happy that I am a generalist. I have been passionate about lots of things from front-end development, linux kernel internals to online marketing (although, I am pretty bad at that) and I believe, that's the reason I can suggest ideas to marketing people who don't know enough technology and to programmers who don't know enough marketing.

However, I have learnt to separate facts from knowledge. Reading books about marketing will mostly give you facts without context but if you to talk to people who do marketing or try to raise a blog to several thousand subscribers, you will gain a lot of knowledge.

Doing a lot of things, in my experience will give you more perspective and experience than anything else and frankly, there is enough time in the world to do that.

And your employment situation?

I'm the same as you, once again back in the career change cycle.

There's really no corporation out there who wants a generalist unless you're the CEO perhaps, but you have to be an expert to get there.

I'm pretty sure generalists were just meant to be merchants / small business owners but those opportunities have dwindled away in our modern economy.

ENFP or not, INTJ or not. The biggest comforting aspect for me from that test was to know that I'm not the only one who feels this way or has the same problem. I've spent many years feeling totally aimless after having dabbled in one two many careers.

> I am sorry but there is no reason to believe how a particular trait which troubles almost everyone can be based on a certain personality type.

Not everyone struggles with this, though. Given that it isn't an evenly-distributed problem, there is possibly a pattern between those who do struggle with it.

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