Explore the top jobs that perfectly suit a Type A personality, focusing on roles that leverage their natural traits such as competitiveness, a self-driven nature, and time management skills.
The idea of being “Type A” or “Type B” has become more of a cultural distinction between personalities than a scientific fact, but there is a good bit of psychology behind their differences. Some people exhibit more traits of one than the other. Particularly in the workplace, there are jobs better suited for someone more distinctively Type A than Type B.
If you’re considered a Type A personality, these 5 jobs might be best suited for you.
But first: Let’s first breakdown what it means to be a Type A personality.
What does it mean to be Type A?
According to Simply Psychology, “Type A personality is characterized by a constant feeling of working against the clock and a strong sense of competitiveness. Individuals with Type A personality generally experience a higher stress level, hate failure, and find it difficult to stop working, even when they have achieved their goals.”
That description makes the Type A personality sound negative, but in actuality, they’re analytical and goal-oriented. That urgency for time makes them efficient and focused on meeting deadlines. Fiscal Tiger lists some other traits that could be considered “Type A:”
- Ambitious and efficient
- Anxious and sensitive to criticisms or rebuttal
- Competitive drive
- Concerned with time management
- Decisive and direct
- Deadline and goal driven
- Easily stressed
- Feel ignored if not recognized for achievements
- Focused and not afraid to take risks
- High-achieving
- Highly independent
- Impatient and hate delays or ambivalence
- Motivated and persistent
- Multitasker
- Natural leader
- No nonsense
- Organized
- Oriented on practical solutions and change
- Status-conscious
- “Workaholic”
These are the 5 best jobs for someone with Type A personality with these traits in mind.
The 5 best jobs for someone with Type A Personality
Because the nature of these jobs tends to be fast-paced and more stressful than others, they tend to be high-paying and quickly growing.
Software engineering.
Despite common misconceptions, software engineers are very team-oriented. Competition is non-existent in an organization amongst software engineers, because team effort is necessary to move steps over the finish line.
Time urgency is definitely a skill software engineers tend to have, as when you work in an agile environment or in sprint methods, you need to be deadline-oriented. Looking for practical solutions is the end goal for all software engineers, no matter how they land on that solution.
Statistician or actuary.
Statisticians work in any number of industries, so the stress of the job can vary depending on what sector you work in. At any rate, being detail-oriented is critical to success as an actuary, a statistician, or someone who works with numbers and data.
They’re organized, independent, high-achieving individuals that flourish in this role thanks to their Type A personality.
Politician.
On the other end of the Type A spectrum, politicians tend to be more outgoing and community-oriented. Natural-born leaders, they’re motivated and solution-focused — at least, in the workplace. The politician career track is no stranger to stress, though, and they definitely tend to fall under the category of “Feels ignored if not recognized for achievements.”
In addition, they’re quite status-conscious in regards to their public reputation and standing, and tend to become workaholics if they’re in the midst of campaigning or up for an election.
Naturally, they’re also very competitive.
Event planner.
A deadline-focused, detail-oriented multitasker: Those are the traits of an event planner. When you’re putting together an event, no matter how big or small, you have to be organized and direct with vendors, staff, and guests. Otherwise, you’ll run into roadblocks during the planning or execution of your event.
Someone who’s type A looks at every little detail of the event, from the guestlist, food and beverage, location, and itinerary.
Executive assistant or virtual assistant.
Any Type A personality thrives on planning, scheduling, and note taking — three tasks on most assistant job descriptions. These folks often work under pressure and do a lot of the work behind the scenes that executives or other professionals they’re assisting need in order to do their job effectively. Because they tend to be highly independent and no-nonsense, they’re more trustworthy in this role than someone who is relaxed and easygoing.
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