I, INTP 5

Part 5

While driving home last night, in that twenty-two minutes each direction that I get to be somewhat alone with my thoughts, it occurred to me that my lack of interest in the job is seriously affecting my performance of that job.  Not just my low energy, and following easy distractions (*cough* blogging), but also my ability to retain information.  None of this biz stuff is 'sticking' at all - I am continually faced with things I have no idea how to complete, which then feeds the downward spiral because I repeatedly feel like an idiot. And I pride myself on my ability to remember information.

So, thinking about jobs: what could I do?  If you take a look at the list of 'best' jobs for INTP, you find items such as: scientist, mathematician, college professor, architect, chemist, &c.  What do these have in common?  They all require training and specialized knowledge.  Which I do not have.  My brother-in-law, a programmer and development manager, and I had a conversation about this, because he is in the same sort of boat (I am guessing that he is some sort of E, maybe ENTP): changing careers at this point - truly changing to another, more interesting, field - would necessitate a huge hit, taking one or more years to complete.  Since we both have incomes that are vital, I don't think that is going to happen (outside of winning the lotto).  I could not take another job that paid less than, say, 70% of my current salary, so that bars me from finding some sort of entry or near-entry-level position and learning my way into it.  So, we're a bit stuck.  I asked him to think about it though, to consider that if maybe the two of us are unhappy with the computer field, would there possibly be something that we might do together?  He's a great guy, and I had a job in the same company as him before, I certainly wouldn't mind working with him again.  But would there be some sort of business venture, a company or a product, or writing a book, or some such thing, that we could complete?

When I mentioned this to my wife, she immediately shot it down.  Again, the problem with INTP communication, I think: I am talking in possibilities and ideas, but she always seems to think that I am making concrete plans.  No, my dear, I am not going to quit my job tomorrow and start chasing unicorns; but just being unhappy all the time is not doing me any good either.  I feel that with a bit of thought, it might be possible to come up with a solution, that is, something that I could do that would keep bringing in the necessary cash to keep the house and all that.  And be more satisfying.