Careers for Enneagram 8: Best Career Paths for Personal and Professional Growth

The best careers for Enneagram 8s are those that align with their Challenger/Protector personality traits. In this article, we look at the best and worst professions for Type 8s, their behavior in the workplace, and their career growth paths.

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Your professional life takes up one-third of your life, meaning you need to find a job you love. I know how difficult it can be to find a job you’ll love. So many people end up in jobs that do not match their personality types, which leads to stress, ill health, and, at worst, burnout.

Enneagram 8s are called the Challengers, and for good reason. They are strong and ambitious individuals who want to not just exist in the workplace but also bring positive change to their environment and leave a legacy.

Type 8s are natural leaders and easily find themselves in positions of leadership and often become famous. They are self-confident and not afraid to showcase their assertive nature at any rank. However, they can only truly achieve professional growth if they match their personality with the right career choices.

If you have been assigned Type 8 after taking the Enneagram Test and you’re new in the workforce, or you’re in a “just because” type of job, or you’re downright unhappy at your job and you are looking to make a career change, then you’re in the right place.

We’ll discuss the nitty gritty of the Enneagram Type 8 and the best and worst professions for your personality. By the end, I hope you will better understand yourself and make the tough decision (one of your strengths) to start a career journey that excites you to start your workday every day!

Let’s get right to it!

The Best Careers & Jobs for Enneagram Type 8

Now that we know that the suitable career paths for Enneagram 8s are the ones that allow them to lead while maintaining their independence. The best career choices for Enneagram Eights are influenced by their basic fear and desires:

Enneagram 8 Basic Fear — The fear of being controlled, manipulated, or vulnerable drives Enneagram 8s to seek positions where they can assert their authority and avoid situations that might make them feel powerless.

Enneagram 8 Basic Desire — Their core desire is to protect themselves and others by being strong and self-reliant. This translates to a need for careers that allow them to channel their natural leadership qualities, advocate for justice, and stand up for their values.

Based on their basic fear and desire, here are the top Enneagram 8 job picks to consider:

Entrepreneurship
Politics
Union leader
Journalist
Marketing strategist
Company executives and department management
Activists
Law
Real estate agent
Business consulting
Freelancing
Product management
Public relations executive
Financial advisor
Sales
Investing
Technological innovation
Project management
Military officer
Law enforcement and emergency services
Sports coach

We’ll take a closer look at some of these Enneagram 8 careers and show you how they fulfill their deepest desires and motivations in the workplace.

Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is by far one of the best and the most empowering careers for an Enneagram Eight. As a business owner, you have complete control over your vision, decisions, and work schedule. Some of the best entrepreneurship avenues include fighting injustice, solving complex problems, and creating solutions that leave a lasting impact.

A word of caution, though: entrepreneurship can be demanding on your time and energy, especially as you start out. Incorporate strategies that shield you from burnout to achieve work-life balance and give you time to enjoy your entrepreneurial journey.

Politics

Politics is one of the most competitive work environments, and it is perfect for the confident and assertive Type 8. As a political leader, you can create and implement policies that guide people toward progress, champion causes you’re passionate about, and challenge the status quo. The field of politics also offers new challenges to overcome and plenty of career growth opportunities, all of which will excite any Challenger.

Department Management

Department management includes authoritative positions that allow Enneagram 8s to lead teams like human resources, sales director, or project manager. It is an ideal career that allows you to utilize your leadership skills in handling employee relations and application of strategic thinking to ensure you successfully achieve the company goals.

However, this career only works for a Type Eight if other team members offer constructive criticism and, above all, respect their authority.

Real Estate Agent

A real estate profession is great for an Enneagram 8 because it provides you the autonomy to manage your business affairs, gives you a sense of purpose when you help your clients find their dream home, and access to numerous growth opportunities both for your personal life and career advancement. However, keep in mind that this career path comes with a unique working schedule and stressful times, especially when a client cancels a sale.

Law Enforcement and Emergency Services

Police officers, detectives, firefighters, and other law enforcement professionals rely on their courage, problem-solving, and quick decision-making skills in drastic circumstances. A career in law enforcement is one of the most ideal careers for an Enneagram Type 8 not only because it utilizes your key skills but also gives you continuous gratification every time you make an impact in a person's life.

Worst Careers For Enneagram Type 8

If there are perfect Enneagram Type 8 careers, there are most certainly careers that would stifle their personality and offer little excitement for Type Eights. Keep in mind that Challengers are ambitious and industrious, and their careers give them immense satisfaction.

So, if your current job is slowly suffocating you and you have a feeling it is not right for you, it could be one of the following:

Secretary or personal assistant
Research assistants
Technicians
Editorial assistants
Housekeeper
Restaurant waitstaff
Retail clerk
Delivery driver
Truck driving
Librarian and bookkeeper

Let’s look at why these are some of the worst career paths for an Enneagram Eight.

Secretary or Personal Assistant

As you can imagine, Enneagram 8s would feel powerless as assistants in any setting. As assistants, they can’t manage their own lives, and they would be living their worst fear: being controlled.

Retail Clerk

Enneagram Eights may struggle to work in a role that involves routine processes and rigid procedures. Retail clerk jobs leave little room for taking risks or autonomy and may make Type 8s feel insignificant and undervalued.

Delivery Driver

While a delivery driver may have some degree of autonomy and encounter new and challenging situations from time to time, the lack of career advancement opportunities can be a major turnoff for the ambitious Enneagram Type Eights.

Enneagram Type 8 at the Workplace

Enneagram 8s are self-reliant and fiercely independent go-getters who hardly rely on IQ to achieve success. They set high career goals and won’t wait around for things to happen.

Types Eights have a natural ability to take charge and inspire their colleagues towards success. In the workplace, they bring a high level of charisma and assertiveness combined with a sense of humor and empathy.

However, due to their strong leadership skills, they may appear domineering and aggressive. These good qualities and blind spots also play a crucial role in the workplace.

Let’s explore the Challengers' world of work more deeply to understand their strengths, weaknesses, preferred career choices, and motivations.

Type 8 Strengths in the Workplace

What do Enneagram 8s bring to the corporate arena? If you are on a journey of self-discovery or a human resources manager looking to onboard an Enneagram Eight, these are the best qualities you can expect to see in them:

Focused and Productive Energy

Type 8s are confident in their abilities and know how to focus their energy on the right tasks that help them achieve their professional goals. As team leaders, they can keep everyone on track toward attaining progress on projects.

Ability to Express Themselves

Many individuals in the workplace find it hard to express their opinions in their workplace, but not Enneagram 8s! They have a strong desire to express their opinions and concerns under all circumstances but also value constructive criticism in return. This approach helps them to deal with challenges in a timely and efficient manner.

Logic Application in Decision-Making Process

Enneagram Type 8 individuals are efficient decision-makers. Using logic and a bit of self-assurance, they maintain a brave face even in a crisis and are not afraid to make tough decisions that will move the team forward.

Champions for Justice and Equality

Type Eight fear being controlled or suffering injustice. Naturally, they will champion the safety and equality of all in the workplace, hence their name, the Protector. They ensure that all team members feel safe to express themselves, are shielded from unnecessary work pressures, and are credited for their efforts.

Effective Conflict Resolution Skills

Enneagram Eights are not afraid of conflict and will stay until a problem is resolved. They tackle issues with others head-on and offer simple solutions that are fair to all. For them, a conflict is just another opportunity to come out as the hero.

Upbeat and Lively

As the driving force for any team, Challengers are always in high spirits and ready to inspire and lift the morale of their colleagues.

Type 8 Weaknesses in the Workplace

Enneagram 8s bring great strengths to work, but like every personality, they are not perfect. The major blind spots that Type 8s have to contend with in the workplace include:

Tendency to Dismiss Other People’s Opinions

We’ve observed that these individuals hardly encounter any problems when it comes to making decisions. However, this self-efficacy trait makes them disregard other people’s opinions and feelings, which often leads to misunderstandings and conflict.

Intimidating and Domineering

Type 8s have a strong and intense presence irrespective of rank. Their display of power and control can get overwhelming and intimidating for more introverted personalities in the workplace.

Lower Ability to Follow Rules and Regulations

The Challengers have a strong desire to take charge and apply their decisions even in a structured environment. They are ready to bend the rules, especially if they impede their work efficiency or in pursuit of justice, and this may lead to disagreements with their bosses.

Prone to Anger and Outbursts

When an Enneagram 8 is angry, they don’t hold it in or repress it. They express it outwardly. They then turn the anger into energy and dedicate themselves to defeating the aggressor or fixing the situation to regain power and control.

Enneagram Type 8 Ideal Work Environment

Now that we’ve learned the Type 8’s strengths and weaknesses, what would a perfect work environment for these individuals look like?

An Enneagram Eight’s ideal workplace would look like this:

An environment that utilizes their drive, passion, and confidence
A career that offers leadership opportunities
A position that earns them respect and power
An organization that embraces change and expansion
A position that allows them to make an impact on the organization
An environment where results are measured and celebrated
An environment where they can exercise autonomy
A dynamic and challenging work environment
A position that requires strategic thinking and problem-solving skills
A supportive environment where constructive feedback and honest communication are encouraged

Enneagram Type 8 Most Unfriendly Work Environment

The workplace that would quickly disillusion Enneagram Type 8s has the following traits:

An environment where they feel micromanaged
An organization with minimal work flexibility
A job with unrealistic expectations
An environment with ambiguous roles
Less challenging or pointless tasks
Constant supervision
A job plagued with unfair working conditions

Growth Opportunities for Enneagram Type Eights

One of the benefits of taking a career test is learning the areas that you need to be mindful of or that require improvement. For the Type 8s, these are the areas that call for improvement to experience a fulfilling professional life:

Comparison Between Enneagram Eight and MBTI

Are there MBTI personalities that can relate to Enneagram 8 careers? The answer is Yes. Type 8 Enneagrams are likely to prefer jobs similar to the ENTJs and ESTJs.

ENTJS

ENTJs, also known as Commanders, are assertive, ambitious, and looking to make an impact in their world. Like Enneagram Type 8, they prefer leadership positions in the workplace and are not afraid to challenge an inefficient working environment. Some of the best ENTJ careers include entrepreneurship, management, healthcare, and politics.

ESTJS

ESTJS or Executives may not seek to retain power in the workplace, but they are natural-born leaders who are assertive and goal-oriented, just like Enneagram Eights. Executives prefer working in organizations with established and well-tested systems that can guarantee success. The top ESTJ careers include law enforcement, coaching, sales, and law.

We can't definitively categorize all Enneagram Type Eights as extroverts, introverts, or ambiverts. Both extrovert and introvert traits offer numerous strengths that Enneagram Type Eights can tap into to attain a healthy balance in the workplace.

That said, many of their personal work values, including confidence, assertiveness, good communication, and ability to inspire others, largely lean toward extroverts.

Keep in mind, however, that some Enneagram 8s can also be introverted since being overly social is not a Type 8 basic desire or motivation. These individuals can thrive in a team or rely on their can-do attitude and gut instinct to achieve success.

Why Is It Important to Align Your Type 8 Personality With the Right Career?

It’s critical for Enneagram Type 8s (more than most Enneagrams types) to align their career development with their core values for the following reasons:

Increased Productivity

The Challengers are most productive in a work environment where they can maximize their key skills, such as leadership, strategic thinking, and inspiring confidence in others to achieve career goals.

Job Satisfaction

Type Eights will experience greater job satisfaction when their careers align with their traits. Search for an organization or start a business idea that allows you to lead, inspire, and create a legacy.

Career Longevity

Aligning a job to your key traits not only opens up growth opportunities that you desire but also increases your longevity in your career, minimizing the chances of burnout.

Conclusion

We can’t emphasize enough how important it is for an Enneagram Type Eight to find a career path that aligns with their personality traits. While the Enneagram is a great tool for helping you find the jobs you should consider, it is not the only personality theory that can link you to successful careers.

Holland’s Enterprising personality and the Myers Briggs ESTJs and ENTJs personalities, for instance, can offer more insights and broaden your career search. One thing is for sure: whichever career personality test you choose will help you find the right path to a fulfilling career and personal life.