In this blog, we are going to explore which career paths are suitable for an Enneagram type 9 personality. We will first understand how a Type Nine behaves, what are their strengths, and what their professional life is like. After that, we will describe 8 different career options for people with this personality type.
What are the Best Careers for Enneagram Type 9?
People with Enneagram Type 9 personalities are called Adaptive Peacemakers. These individuals need to maintain peace and stability. Their optimistic and trusting nature helps them be accommodating and supportive. Some good careers for Enneagram Type 9s are:
- Healer
- Counsellor
- Therapist
- Social Worker
- Librarian
- HR Manager
- Vet
- Diplomat
The Professional Life of an Enneagram Type 9
Enneagram Type 9s do not thrive in workplaces that are competitive, or if their colleagues/seniors are cold and distant. Rather, they do amazingly if given the chance to help out, talk openly, or be appreciated. A warm and respectful work environment suits them best.
Enneagram Type 9 Personalities
People who get a Type Nine on Enneagram assessment tools are highly motivated to seek and maintain peace around them. The Peacemakers find it natural to trust and accept others.
Stability is a top priority for Type Nines as they don’t like dynamic situations where they must take fast decisions. The basic fear for this Enneagram type is of losing their loved ones. On the same lines, the basic desire is to find peace and consistency.
A Type 9 individual is a great listener and enjoys using this skill to resolve tensions. These personalities tend to get stressed out if they are ignored or dismissed. They become very uncomfortable if they feel they are disappointing the people they care about.
Healing Professions
A peacemaker would flourish in a career that is focussed on healing. Since Type 9s love to help others, a job that involves guiding people’s recovery would prove highly satisfying.
This could include more widely accepted jobs like being a physiotherapist, yoga instructor, or even a masseuse. It could also be something of a more mystical nature like fortune telling, spiritual guidance, or certain meditative practices.
In these lines of work, Enneagram 9 personalities can make good use of their internal demand for serenity and service. Not only would they find contentment but they would also attract a lot of customers thanks to their calming nature.
Counselling
A similar field of work that will be a good fit for Enneagram Type 9s is counselling. This could simply be guidance and active listening or something more complex like a specialised therapeutic technique.
Counselling can be approached from a spiritual or religion ideology, a scientific or psychological practice, or even general advising. There is a great need for counsellors in the world and this keeps increasing every year. You can even follow Beth Mccord’s example and become an Enneagram expert yourself.
An Enneagram Type 9 personality would be very pleased with this profession as they would get to help countless people. Their desire to do something meaningful with their lives can be easily met through this career.
Psychiatry
The third item on our list of careers for Enneagram 9 personalities is psychiatry. Psychiatrists are highly specialised doctors that tend to patients who have issues involving mental illnesses or addiction.
A mental illness can vary in intensity, duration, and the impact of impairment. Some are congenital, others have onset in childhood or adulthood. The psychiatrist’s job is to assess the patient, administer a diagnosis, and prescribe pharmacotherapy.
Technically speaking, this too is a healing job. That’s why Enneagram Nines will enjoy this work. Moreover, this profession requires the shrink and the client to form a trusting bond; something that 9s do really well.
Social Work
Since Enneagram Type 9 individuals love to help out, social work is always an option for them. It is a field that is fundamentally about service and support; things that come naturally to these personalities.
These people have what it takes to recognise prevalent issues around them. They are able to understand the problems that people face and work with them to overcome them.
A Nine revels in joy when he or she is able to bring together two groups of people. While all kinds of social work are good professions for these individuals, disaster and diaspora management will suit them profoundly.
Library/Book Store Owner
Being a librarian or book store owner is a very peaceful job. You spend the whole day being surrounded by volumes of literature that make no noise but have their own personalities. Enneagram 9 personalities can be their true and contented selves in such an environment.
Not many customers drop in simultaneously unless its the Holidays. When they do, they’re usually quite agreeable since they’re more concerned with their curiosity than any nonsense. The occasional conflict that book curators might encounter can be resolved using the Peacemaker’s knack for communication.
Though accounts and finances may be a touchy area for book lenders in the internet age, there are solutions. A team of employees with good communication and warmth can help them wade through any problem.
HR Management
The next career choice suitable for Enneagram 9s is Human Resources Management. This is another job that utilises the gifts of this personality type. An HR manager frequently has to serve as a link between an organisation and its employees.
If anyone has a conflict or problem, they have to consult them to work it out. Since an Enneagram 9 personality is not only good at but also enjoys bringing people closer, they will prosper here. These managers also deal with recruitment, goal setting, strategising, and problem-solving.
The only thing they have to make sure is that the organisation that they choose to work for doesn’t have a cutthroat environment. Nines don’t do well in places where there is a dearth of warmth and appreciation.
Veterinary Science
If someone with an Enneagram Type 9 likes animals, being a vet could be a great lifestyle for them. Despite animals being called “beasts”, they can be extremely docile and gentle. Especially when they are wounded, sick, or need assistance.
No matter how aggressive an animal, it’s quite afraid of human beings. That’s why these personalities will be able to constantly keep the peace and stability going in such a workplace.
Being a vet is another healing profession so it caters to the basic desires of an Enneagram 9. Some of these individuals care a lot for creatures but are aversive to surgical situations. Even if the medical procedures are not your cup of tea, running a pet shelter can be just as satisfying.
Diplomacy
The final career option for Enneagram 9s on our list is being a diplomat. This job involves forming and maintaining international relations. It is concerned with issues of peace, ear, trade, economics, culture, human rights, and the environment.
All these topics are bound to have conflicting opinions across borders. A diplomat’s job is to mediate between governments and resolve conflicts for mutual interest. As we’ve mentioned several times before, these personalities are quite passionate about tasks like these.
In this career, their personal and professional become congruent leading to self actualisation. Enneagram 9 individuals can be the best version of themselves if they choose to be a diplomat.
Conclusion
In this blog, we explored which career paths are suitable for an Enneagram type 9 personality. We first understood how a Type Nine behaves, what are their strengths, and what their professional life is like. After that, we described 8 different career options for people with this personality type.
Almost all these professions occur in spaces that maintain peace and harmony. In places where it is disrupted, the Enneagram 9 is given opportunities to help and sort things out. Our list included healing professions, counselling, psychiatry, and veterinary science. It also described social work, HR management, diplomacy, and book selling/lending.
FAQs (Type 9 Enneagram Careers)
Are Enneagram 9’s lazy?
Because of their calm and peace-seeking nature, Type 9 people can end up appearing complacent. They may seem passive and laid back but that’s only because they avoid conflict and like stability. It’s hard for them to challenge the status quo.
However, they are far from lazy as they can work really hard to maintain that sense of peace they enjoy. Enneagram Type Nine Wing Eight, 9w8, combines the strengths of Peacemakers with some much needed assertiveness.
What is the rarest Enneagram type?
The rarest Enneagram is Type 5. These personalities are known for being curious, watchful, and knowledgeable. A Type 5 personality is usually very independent and self-reliant. They tend to get lost in their thoughts because they are so imaginative. After Type 5, the more uncommon Enneagram Types are 8 and 2.