shy extrovert

My personality test in college revealed that I am an INTJ (Introvert is the first letter in the acronym). I’ve always assumed that I was an introvert because I don’t like big social functions with a gaggle of people talking about a collection of various, unrelated topics. However, in my latest excursions in my life I have become an extroverted person. In fact, I believe my personality has always been extrovert. I think I am a shy extrovert, which seems to be a better definition than the alternative of a social introvert. To prove my point let’s use tonight as an example. I went to Starbucks to spend an hour studying for my big National Boards Exam on Monday. I took my papers, books, note cards and enough money to buy a soy steamer with toffee nut flavoring to nurse for the hour. I chose Starbucks because there are people moving around and their movements keep my attention on my studying. I know it seems counter productive, but being around people forces me to pay attention to the task at hand. For example, I was never one of those studious people hidden inside a study carousel in the library; I was the person sitting in the library lobby, watching CNN while I wrote notes. To add to my distractions, my friend Janet found me at Starbucks and talked to me about her new haircut while I talked about the Tour of California bike ride this weekend, all while flipping through a book on ADHD kids in the classroom. Eventually, I took two pages of notes that will be extremely useful for studying on the Blue Line (the trolley between Long Beach and LA that I will ride to see the Tour of California time trials). I think I need to retake the MBTI (Myers Briggs Technical Inventory) to find out what my adult personality is. Yet, I doubt the MBTI will change their recommendations for my career options based on my personality type. In college, the MBTI suggested that I become a teacher or a funeral director because I am able to work with people who are under stress (parents who are hypersensitive about their kids, or family members grieving the loss of a loved one). I love being a teacher.