Marvel’s Defenders are a team of gritty, imperfect heroes who work to rid their small piece of the world from super villains, all while dealing with their own personal demons (sounds a lot like serving in the military).
The Defenders each have a specific skill set in alignment with their distinct personalities, but it took work and hard knocks for them to get along and work together. The point? Knowing your personality type will go a long way to helping you find the right veteran career that fits and helps you find your own super team.
Related: Military.com's FREE Military Skills Translator + Personality Assessment tool
One of the more established personality tests is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). MBTI is an introspective self-report questionnaire with the purpose of indicating differing psychological preferences in how people perceive the world around them and make decisions.
The MBTI is based on the conceptual theory proposed by Carl Jung, who speculated that humans experience the world using four principal psychological functions – sensation, intuition, feeling and thinking – and that one of these four functions is dominant for a person most of the time.
For example, many people who find law enforcement a rewarding career often score as ISTP (introversion, sensing, thinking, perceiving) or ENTJ (extroversion, intuitive, thinking, judging).
According to an MBTI database survey, Matt Murdock's character, "Daredevil," has an MBTI that is an INFJ (introverted, intuitive, feeling, judging) while Luke Cage was surveyed as ISFJ (introverted, sensing, feeling, judging). It takes all kinds to form an effective team, but it first takes the individual to know themselves well.
It’s worth noting that the MBTI and other personality tests aren’t meant to put you in a box. Personality tests are a tool to help you understand your character and how you can use that knowledge to find a fulfilling career.
Military.com’s 3 Steps to Finding the Right Career
Step One: Figure out what makes you tick.
Ask yourself:
-
What sparks and holds my interest?
-
What do I do well?
-
What kind of personality do I have?
-
What's really important to me?
Take any career-related tests your college's career center might offer. Or think of times when you've enjoyed and excelled at a job, internship, class or aspect of your personal life. A great book to help with this process is "Do What You Are" by Paul Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger.
Step Two: Learn about your career options.
If you’re going back to school, your college's career counselors should be able to help. If you’re choosing to go into the job market, talk to a veteran employment specialist or any number of veteran organizations that help veterans find jobs. Also, talk to people through informational interviews and try out careers by shadowing and taking internships or part-time jobs.
Step Three: Sort out your priorities.
After you've spent time on steps one and two, some of your strong preferences may start to emerge. You might learn you don't want to be in a corporate environment. That rules out investment banking.
Or you might find that your interest in art wouldn't sustain a career, so you cross those types of jobs off your list. Whatever it is that you learn about yourself, you're making important discoveries that will help you choose a good career when the time comes.
Most importantly, keep it all in perspective: You don't have to live forever with any career decision you make now, just like the Defenders eventually disbanded. Most people change careers several times during their lives, so the first job you choose right after college probably won't be your career 40 or 50 years from now -- unless you want it to be.
So don't put too much pressure on yourself to make the perfect decision. Always keep your eyes open and, as you grow, retake the personality test every now and then to see how you’ve changed.
The Final Step: Find the Right Veteran Job
Whether you want to polish up your resume, find veteran job fairs in your area, or connect with employers looking to hire veterans, Military.com can help. Sign up for a free Military.com membership to have job postings, guides and advice, and more delivered directly to your inbox.
