Beyond The Type:  Designing A Career That Feels Like Home

A Career Coaching Reflection for Year 12s, Neurodivergent Thinkers, and Legacy Builders

🔹 From Labels to Landscapes

Last week, we explored how personality types—introvert, extrovert, thinker, feeler—can guide career choices. But this week, we go deeper. Because choosing a career isn’t just about matching a label to a job title. It’s about designing a life that feels like home.

Imagine standing at a crossroads with three buses idling nearby. Each one promises a version of success. But which one feels like you? Which one plays your theme song, not just someone else’s?

🔹 Personality in Practice

Let’s move beyond the quiz results and into real-world rhythms.

• Introverts often thrive in roles with solo focus time, clear expectations, and quiet spaces—editing, coding, research, design.

• Extroverts shine in dynamic, people-facing roles—sales, teaching, hospitality, coaching.

• Sensors prefer practical, hands-on tasks with clear outcomes.

• Intuitives love big-picture thinking, innovation, and creative problem-solving.

🧠 Coaching tip: Ask yourself, “What drains me?” and “What energises me?” Your answers are career clues.

🔹 Environment Matters

Even the “right” job can feel wrong in the wrong setting.
Think about:

• Noise levels

• Team dynamics

• Flexibility vs. structure

• Sensory safety

• Autonomy vs. collaboration

A neurodivergent student might love teaching—but only in a school that honours sensory needs and flexible pacing. A creative thinker might thrive in marketing—but burn out in a rigid corporate culture.

🌱 Your career isn’t just what you do—it’s where and how you do it.

🔹 Career Rituals & Legacy

Legacy isn’t built in one big decision—it’s shaped by the rituals we repeat.

Encourage students to design their own career rituals:

• Morning prep routines

• Study or work zones that feel safe

• Weekly reflection questions

• Visual trackers for progress

📝 Coaching prompt:

• What does a good workday feel like?

• What kind of feedback helps me grow?

• Where do I feel most like myself?

🔹 Final Thought

Your career isn’t a personality test result—it’s a living, breathing story. You get to write it.
And whether you’re choosing a uni course, a TAFE pathway, or your first job, the real question is:
Does this path honour who I am and how I thrive?