The use of the Enneagram has gained a lot of attention over the past several years. The Enneagram consists of a nine-pointed model representing the nine personalities to help people learn about themselves. You can use it to understand your likes, dislikes, behaviors, and growth purposes.
Can your Enneagram Type help you choose your ideal career?
If you know your Enneagram type, there’s one more helpful way you can use it – and that is to help you find the best career ideas for your type. The Enneagram assessment helps you to understand what drives and motivates you. Each of the nine types has a distinct and consistent approach to the world and how they live within it. Having a clear understanding of what type you are will help you immensely in every part of your life, especially in your career.
Don’t know your type? Find by taking our online Enneagram test.
After taking the test, you’ll have a good indication of which Enneagram type is most like you. If you’re an Enneagram 4, you are also known as a “Romantic” or an “Artist.” This is because your identity as an individual is always important to you. Those who fall under this category are known for their artistic talents, but their creativity isn’t always seen in obvious ways. Some famous Type 4s include Albert Einstein
What is the Enneagram Type 4 personality type like?
People who identify as Enneagram Type 4 personality are also known as the Individualist, the Artist, or the Romantic. Those who have this type are highly sensitive and creative and love breaking rules and doing things their own way.
4s are often thought of as aloof, selfish, self-centered, and egotistical. This is the furthest thing from the truth. They are extremely well attuned to others’ feelings and what they need in order to balance their own lives. People with this number in their chart also tend to be highly intuitive and good at reading situations. They’re usually very kind-hearted, but at times can feel uneasy when others – especially authority figures like people in official positions like the police – fail to appreciate them or when others don’t see things their way. At such times, they can become lost in anger and self-pity.
Type 4 at Work
The happiest Enneagram 4 types are people who have discovered their passion and allow it to rule. As a 4, your happiness is totally dependent on you, and how you deal with the highs and lows of life. This type tends to be drawn to the arts – songwriting, poetry, photography, etc, but also could be drawn to the sciences. Being drawn to these things shows that you’re independent and proud in your own skin (even though you may feel like an outsider). The arts make you happy when nothing else will. Also worth noting:
- The individualist is a natural creative but may have a hard time finding outlets to explore their creativity. They have a vision of something grand and they want others to see it – they need creative outlets.
- They like to be unique and to challenge norms in their pursuit of an ideal world where they can explore all aspects of reality and humanity.
- If an individualist loves to work with his/her hands, make things, be creative, and act independently then they should become self-employed, work in the arts or be their own boss.
- The freedom to develop your own schedule and pursue your creative passions is all you need. You are so productive when you are inspired, so don’t judge yourself by other people’s standards.
What are the best career types for Enneagram Type 4 – The Individualist?
So, let’s discuss Enneagram Type 4, (AKA The Individualist, The Artist, or The Romantic) and their best career options based on their personality profile. As mentioned, those who have this type are highly sensitive, creative, unique, and march to their own drummer. Here are some of the best careers for the Enneagram Type 4 personality. In general, Type 4s will enjoy:
- Creative fields – jobs that allow them to think outside the box.
- Jobs that embrace uniqueness and individuality.
- Jobs that allow them to work from home.
With these ideas in mind, some of Type 4’s best career options include the following.
Writer
Any writing field that involves creativity of some sort is ideal for The Individualist. They can use writing to express themselves, and that even goes for writing for clients. It does not matter if the writing involves a nonfiction piece, a creative writing piece, or writing about facts. Through the work for their clients, they still find a way to create unique and engaging pieces, which is why this type makes a great writer.
Chef
Chefs can express their creative side when they prepare dishes so that The Individualist would enjoy this career. Since The Individualist is an introvert, for the most part, the idea of working away from others in the kitchen is also an appealing aspect of this career. Chefs can also make a lot of money.
Graphic Designer
You need to be highly creative to be a good graphic designer, and you also have to have marketable and technical strength. The Individualist is not known to be technical, but they can learn it, and they may like the idea of graphic design because it involves them expressing their creativity. Therefore, that alone can encourage them to learn the skills to become great graphic designers. The field is also quite lucrative.
Photographer
Since those with the Enneagram Type 4 personality have a strong love for beauty, they can make excellent photographers. That is why they would become quite good at capturing beautiful pictures, and photography is an ideal career for them. Various types of photographers involve newborns, weddings, nature photography, to name a few. They can also sell their content to stock photography companies.
Hairstylist
When it comes to the beauty industry, plenty of creativity is required, which is why The Individualist would be a good fit. Hairstyling is a great occupation ideal for Enneagram Type 4. A hairstylist would enjoy creating a variety of hairstyles for their clients, and they would also make great beauticians and manicurists as well.
Other Ideal Job Options for Enneagram Type 4
Other ideal jobs for this Enneagram type would involve crafting, tarot or psychic reading, painting, sketching, music, or having side businesses involving their creative passions. However, those ideas would be unlikely to provide a main source of income. And, if you’re looking for ideal Type 4 jobs that could provide a higher income, consider the following.
- Graphic Artist
- Therapist/Psychologist
- Teacher
- Musician/composer
- Lawyer or Legal Advocate
- Entrepreneur/business owner
- Landscape Architect
- Marketing Specialist/Art Director
- Sales worker for fine art, antiques, or travel/tourism agency or airline
Takeaway
All in all, if you are the sort of person who likes to take charge of their own life and chart their own course, then you should be able to do so with flying colors, so long as you don’t get too discouraged by setbacks.
There is often a fine line between intuition and inspiration that makes creativity a powerful force of nature. Inspiration for this unique type comes from the subtleties of life and it needs a certain amount of isolation to gain a sense of inner peace.
Creative people benefit from freedom from pressure for results for their inspirations to flow freely without concern or judgment, thus allowing their imagination to unburden themselves from the constraints of the real world. This type thrives on freedom of expression, variety of experience, an equal balance between realism and idealism, self-expression in artistry, and they generally prefer careers that allow them to work alone.
To summarize: separate yourself, collaborate when needed, follow your passion, trust yourself, focus on the present, and face challenges head-on. Those are some traits that will help any type 4 survive and thrive these days.
