Now more than ever, people want to engage in meaningful and fulfilling work.  In this post, we’ll look at enneagram type 8 careers that will provide a sense of purpose.  Below is more than a generic listing of job titles; you’ll find ideas for finding and creating work that you enjoy as an enneagram eight.

The purpose of connecting the dots between your enneagram type and a career is NOT to narrow you into a specific field or niche but to help you understand what motivates you as a person and how to connect that with work that you’ll find fulfilling.

The enneagram is useful for discovering your personality type and the core motivations that shape you.  It is also useful for helping you find a career path that will be meaningful and fulfilling.

enneagram type 8 careers

 

Your career is an opportunity to make a difference, serve others, and find joy in your work.  The enneagram career guide is specifically designed to help you understand how your unique personality can intersect with the work you’re passionate about.

Understanding Enneagram Type 8 Personalities And How It Can Impact Their Career

Enneagram eights are powerful and self-confident. An eight can be a force of nature because they carry a strong presence and naturally like to take charge. Eights can also be compassionate and concerned with justice. They have a strong will and know what they want.

The nine enneagram numbers are divided into three categories of expression: Action, Feeling, and Thinking.  An enneagram eight is situated within the action center.  They want to make things happen.  Because of this, eights typically are assertive, confident, and strong-willed.

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The core desire of an eight is to be protected.

The message an eight wants to hear is, “You are important.”

The gifts of an Enneagram Eight include:

  • Assertive: Eights are confident and direct, say what they need to say, and get on with things.
  • Decisive: Eights are quick to respond and willing to make decisions. They trust their gut instincts and will move things forward.
  • Protective: Under their toughness, Eights are bighearted and take people under their wing. They protect the people and things they care about and will fight against injustices.
  • Independent: Self-sufficient Eights dislike being dependent on others and maintain their autonomy.
  • Influential: Eights have their way of taking charge and influencing others, which includes the capacity to influence the bigger picture.  (Integrative9.com)

Considering these traits, an enneagram eight is commonly called the “challenger” or “controller.”   Therefore, enneagram type eight careers that provide an opportunity to lead, make decisions, and actively take on challenges will allow them to naturally lean into their giftings and personality traits.

If you’re not quite sure which number you are, please check out the post: Four Free And Accurate Enneagram Tests to help you identify your type.  If necessary, take a little more time to discover your type and then come back to read more about what careers would be a good fit for you.

Famous Enneagram Type 8’s & Their Career

Below is a list provided by The Enneagram Institute of famous people who could be considered enneagram eights.  While they may share similar motivations and characteristics, their careers are various and in a wide range of work.

Famous Enneagram Eights: G.I. Gurdjieff, Richard Wagner, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Oskar Schindler, Fidel Castro, Martin Luther King, Jr., Lyndon Johnson, Mikhail Gorbachev, Golda Meir, Indira Gandhi, Saddam Hussein, Senator John McCain, Donald Trump, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, Norman Mailer, Toni Morrison, Serena Williams, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Keith Richards, Queen Latifah, Courtney Love, Jack Black, Chrissie Hynde, Pink, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Bette Davis, Mae West, Sean Connery, Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Jack Nicholson, Susan Sarandon, Russell Crowe, Sean Penn, Harvey Keitel, Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, Roseanne Barr, Barbara Walters

Famous Enneagram Type 8 Careers:  Military, Author, Philosophy, Politics, Law, Philanthropy, Social Work, Business, Entertainment, Musicians, Actors, Athlete

The spectrum of work represented by the list of type eights above varies tremendously.  Therefore, concerning enneagram type 8 careers, I believe the best question is, “How can an enneagram eight allow their giftings and healthy motivations to influence work they believe is meaningful.

type 8 enneagram careers

Key Motivations That Should Influence Enneagram Type 8 Careers

How To Motivate An Enneagram Eight

Enneagram type 8 careers are motiving if the work is:

  • Helping others resolve a problem
  • Making a difference
  • Fast-Paced
  • Efficient
  • Solution-oriented

Understanding Why Some Careers May Be Draining To You As An Enneagram 8

When a person experiences stress or fatigue in a job, it is often related to activities that are draining to the individual.  While there are almost always some aspects of work that a person will favor less than others, it is important to identify which parts of your job are energizing and draining.

Because an enneagram eight is motivated by a desire to take charge and fight injustice, if they are doing work that they feel causes them to compromise this core longing, it will not be fulfilling.

How To Demotivate An Enneagram Eight

Enneagram eights will be demotivated from engaging with their work if:

  • Leaders or the environment are controlling
  • They feel unappreciated
  • Teammates shift blame
  • Unresolved issues linger
  • Expectations are unclear

If you are enneagram eight, assess your current role and look for opportunities you may be overlooking to use your unique giftings and talents.  If you still are unsure or feel stuck, try the following two suggestions.

How much is a frustrating work environment costing you?  Could your life be more fulfilling if you had a clear path toward meaningful work?

Are you wasting time and stress because you’re unsure what to do next? A confusing, tired, boring career may already cost you a great deal.

enneagram type 8 careers

 

The Enneagram Career Guide is an interactive workbook that uses the lens of the enneagram to help you create alignment between your motivations and the work you do.

Two Ways To Address Your Career If You Unhappy As An Enneagram 8

  1. Consider if there is room in your current work to fulfill some of the motivations listed above.  If not, speak to your employer about how you might be able to help in those areas.
  2. Consider if you are engaged in a field of work that you believe is important and meaningful.  If not, begin a journey of identifying career paths that you will believe will be fulfilling.

If you believe it is time to make a change, use the Enneagram Career Guide For Type One to help navigate toward meaningful work.

The Enneagram Career Guide will help you:

  1. Become aware of thoughts that are limiting you and replace them.
  2. Identify what motivates you.
  3. Consider if your current work is meaningful to you and helpful to others.
  4. Use The new information about yourself to enhance your career.

What Is Included In The Career Guide?

  • 35-page downloadable workbook
  • Explanation of type
  • Key motivations of type
  • Demotivators of type
  • Evaluation of current career path
  • Connecting your key motivations with career options
  • Next steps

FAQs About The Enneagram Career Guide

Will you mail me a physical copy of the Career Guide?

The Career Guide is delivered by email as a PDF file.  It is yours to keep and use as often as needed.

What is your refund policy?

Because our products are digital goods delivered via Internet download, refund requests made after you have downloaded our product are handled on a case by case basis and are issued at our sole discretion. Refund requests, if any, must be made within ten (10) days of your original purchase.

Do you have career guides available for other types?

Yes, you can view all available career guides by clicking HERE.

How do I pay for the career guide?

After you select the guides using the purchase button, select checkout.  You will then be taken to the checkout page.  On the checkout page, you can choose your payment method.  Enter your information and finalize by selecting the purchase button.

enneagram 8 careers

Healthy Enneagram Type 8 Careers Conclusion

Healthy Enneagram Type 8 Careers should not be limited to a specific field or title.  A career choice for an enneagram eight should be based on their freedom to lead and make difficult decisions.  Eights thrive in an environment where their can-do attitude is appreciated and have the ability to drive positive change by standing up for others.

To emphasize one last time, I chose not to include a specific list of career fields for an enneagram eight to consider because I believe it is limiting.  As an enneagram 5, I have spent most of my career in a field that others have categorized as something I would not enjoy.  Also, I often find career suggestions for my enneagram type unappealing.

To Summarize:

  1. Identify what motivates you
  2. Assess if there is room in your current job to capitalize on your key motivations and giftings
  3. Evaluate if you are in a field that you feel is important
  4. Consider if the work you are doing is meaningful to you and helpful to others

I hope this post helps you find enneagram type 8 careers and options that you’ll enjoy and serve others well in.

Connecting your passion with the work you enjoy should not be so difficult.

Download the guide specifically created to help direct enneagram type 8 careers! Create a clear path toward work you love, and that is helpful to others too!

enneagram type 8 careers

 

The Goal of the Enneagram Career Guide is to help you:

1. Become aware of thoughts that are limiting you and replace them.

2. Identify what motivates you.

3. Consider if your work is meaningful to you and helpful to others.

4. Use the new information about yourself to enhance your career.

Too often, we use the wrong lens when examining enneagram type 8 careers and opportunities.

We say things like:

“I’m stuck here,”

“It’s too late to change,”

“I blew it (I’m a loser).”

“There are no opportunities out there for me.”

“I don’t need to network.”

“I can’t risk losing the money I make now.”

“I’ll be doing this forever.”

These are all limiting thoughts and do not have to be true for your life.

You can change, overcome, learn new skills, adjust, and create alignment.

 You can connect the dots between your giftings and your career.

Using the guide to help you align your passion with your work is a worthwhile endeavor and know that I am cheering for you.