In this career guide, we are going to discuss some lines of work suitable for people with Enneagram Type 1. Starting with a description of this personality type, we will understand its strengths and weaknesses. Based on that information, we will explore various professions that go well with Type 1 traits.
What Careers are Best for Enneagram 1?
The best careers for an Enneagram 1 involve opportunities to meet their basic desire for fairness, accuracy, and order. Often, these are occupations related to public service. They do phenomenally in work that requires conscientiousness. The following are some good career options for these personalities:
- Journalism
- Law & Justice
- Social Work
- Politics
- Corporate leadership
- Event Management
- teaching
The Professional Life of an Enneagram 1
This personality type is identified by traits of idealism. Enneagram Type 1 individuals work with high efficiency and accuracy. They are extremely ethical and cannot function well where they are surrounded by negativity or pessimism.
They appreciate it when their inputs are taken seriously and when their teammates have high standards of quality. Type Ones have a tendency to appear rigid or inflexible. But they don’t mind constructive feedback as long as they are shown specific ways to improve.
Enneagram 1 Personalities
According to the Enneagram model in personality psychology, Type 1 individuals have a basic fear of losing control. They hate being incorrect and cannot stand injustice. Their basic desire for accuracy and order make them idealists.
These people are often referred to as perfectionists or reformers. The latter is because they are passionate to bring their ideals into the real world. Enneagram Type 1s work very hard to bring social change and equality.
Strengths of these personalities include a need for community service, an optimistic worldview, and great attention to detail. They are capable of going to great lengths to ensure the upliftment of the oppressed.
However, complementary with these strengths come the weaknesses of unrealistic expectations, a difficulty to swallow truths, and sometimes, self-righteousness. Enneagram 1 people tend to get ISTJ, ESTJ, ISFJ and ESFJ types in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) for personality.
If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.
Journalism
One of the many careers suited to this personality type is in journalism. This profession meets two important needs of Enneagram Type 1 personalities. The first is that good journalism requires paying attention to the details.
Half the job is to gather verified information from written or oral sources. The remaining half is to present it in a responsible and accessible way. Both these types of tasks need due diligence to be done appropriately.
The second need being met by this career is that of bringing reform. A journalist has the power to influence socio-political concepts that run a region. By bringing relevant and useful information to the public eye, these professionals ask the right questions that lead to change.
Law & Justice
Enneagram Type 1 personalities also thrive in legal professions. Whether it is as a litigator or as a judge, this is work that is intensive and complex. It requires serious dedication as it is quite cerebral and time-consuming.
Type Ones can easily adjust to the tough work regime and their discerning skills are of great use here. The law is a powerful tool for shaping what people’s lives look like.
This dynamic fits perfectly with the basic desire to promote social equality. Nevertheless, if one opts for this field, they must be prepared to learn how to adjust their idealistic expectations.
Social Work
The opportunity to fight for issues of social justice energises Enneagram Type One individuals. You’ll often find them volunteering and helping the less fortunate. Consequently, social work is an ideal career path for this personality type.
It’s so appropriate that even if Ones have a separate profession, it’s likely that they do some social work anyway. This line of work is far more satisfying for these people than any other because of its noble identity.
Type 1 persons find a deeper purpose to live quite early. They are able to seek avenues to help the community in ways that align with this purpose.
Politics
The next career option for Enneagram Type 1s on our list is to become a politician. Much like the previous items, this work deals with the needs and interests of the public.
The Enneagram One personality is able to fulfil their requirement for community service by representing the masses. Moreover, this profession also demands for leadership skills.
Type 1 personalities flourish in positions of power as they would much rather give orders than take them. Having said that, if Ones enter politics, they must be careful. Their nature makes them get drained when they face overwhelming reminders of corruption.
Corporate Leadership
Not all Enneagram Type 1 people are the same. Though injustice can be intolerable for most of them, some, perhaps due to practical reasons, prioritise making money. For these individuals becoming a corporate leader is another viable career choice.
These jobs include managerial positions that could be related to operations, marketing, or finances. Regardless of the specialisation, what matters here is a position high up in the organisational hierarchy.
They need to be taken seriously because their idealistic personality warrants them feelings of superiority. It’s not completely unfounded; they genuinely believe they can change the world and work very hard towards that goal. That’s why CEO, COO, CMO, and CFO are designations Enneagram Type One people admire.
Event Management
Another interesting career path for Enneagram Ones is in event management. There is a common misconception that this work involves a lot of fun and frolic. While that may be true for clients of event managers, nothing could be further from the truth for them personally.
A lot of thought and effort goes into making a successful event, whether it’s a party, wedding, ceremony, or conference. That’s where the Enneagram Type 1 personality‘s quality of perfectionism comes in handy.
These individuals are capable of creating fresh, original, and exciting concepts for special occasions. More importantly, they love putting in the necessary legwork to execute these elaborate plans. Since amazing events leave amazing memories, creating those special moments for people becomes the public service Ones strive for here.
Teaching
Finally on our list, a classic career for Type 1 Enneagram people is teaching. This can be as elementary as teaching school children or something more sophisticated like professorship and research methodology.
Teaching is fantastic for these personalities as it is seen as sowing seeds for the future. What better way to bring about change than to shape the minds of the leaders of tomorrow.
This profession cannot be done well without assiduity, a strength universally present in Type Ones.
Teachers need to pay close attention to what their pupils are doing in order to map their progress. As a result, this career path brings a lot of satisfaction for Enneagram Type 1 people.
Conclusion
In this career guide, we discussed some lines of work suitable for people with Enneagram Type 1. Starting with a description of this personality type, we understood its strengths and weaknesses. Based on that information, we then explored various professions that go well with Type 1 traits.
We talked about certain professions that involve public service such as journalism, legal work, social work, and politics. Other suitable occupations for Enneagram type 1 persons are event managing, teaching, and corporate leadership.
FAQs (Enneagram Type 1 Careers)
What does an Enneagram 1 go to in stress?
Since someone with an Enneagram type 1 personality has high expectations of the world, they get disappointed easily. When this happens, they turn to art like music and cinema. They often feel unheard or misunderstood so when these things resonate with their ideas, they feel much better. A motivating speech or song can bring them back their mojo.
Which Enneagram is most doctors?
According to Psychology Today, quite a lot of doctors have an Enneagram Type 1 personality. That makes sense since this is also an occupation that necessitates ethical, meticulous, and responsible service. Common specialisations are anaesthesiology, endocrinology, and cardiology.
Which Enneagram is a workaholic?
People with an Enneagram type 3 personality are prone to becoming workaholics. This is because they can grow overly concerned with their public image. In general they are quite competent and energetic. Together, all these qualities make them work harder than they rest.