Matching Your Career Path to Your Birth Order

Its graduation time for most high school seniors. For some it means on to college and picking a major, but for others it starts the hunt to find a job against the backdrop of high unemployment and a lagging economy.

Many people take a zig zag path when locating that perfect job that feels just right. It would be better to know in advance just who you are and the clear understanding of the kind of position that is a perfect match. Understanding birth order can be a big help.

Birth Order Theory

The concept behind birth order is that each child in a family is different and wants to be. Every birth order has its own pluses and minuses when it comes to characteristics and personality. To find your “true” birth order you must take into consideration:

Your gender in the family.
Were there any spaces of 4 or more years between siblings or groups of siblings?
Who you lived with until age 16.
Was there a death of a sibling?
Were there any step of half siblings you lived with?
Were there any multiple births in your family?
Any adopted siblings in the family?
Were any of your siblings handicapped?

Taking all the above variables into consideration you can find your “true” birth order. The details are in the book, Life’s Fingerprint: How Birth Order Affects Your Path Throughout Life, by Dr. Robert V.V. Hurst. Let’s now explore the birth orders and try to match them with their perfection position.

Only Child

Being the only child in your family you grew up in the world of adults. At school you were the “adult” in the room and many of your fellow students looked up to you. You go on to college with a lot of self-confidence given to you by your parents. The world is yours for the taking if you want it.

In anything you do you will rise to the top managerial position but you can also start a project entirely on your own. You don’t feel you can fail. Working alone is no problem and you are not one to shout orders to those below you. You have a quiet sense of who you are and learning new things is not difficult.

Books were your first friends so this is a field that would hold a lot of interest. You share the company of other Only birth orders; Walter Cronkite, Lauren Bacall, Howard Hughes, Jesse Jackson, Jack Lemon, Charles Lindbergh, Condoleezza Rice, and Betty White.

First Born

The Only child becomes a firstborn with the birth of the second child in the family. Now he is not alone but has to work to keep the “throne”. If he hasn’t been “dethroned” by a younger sibling firstborns become high achievers, especially in school where they had a head start.

They try to be perfect, follow all the rules and even enforce them with the younger siblings. Valedictorian or Eagle Scout is all in a day’s work for number One. There are two types of firstborns, one that loves giving orders and the other a very nurturing person who can’t do enough for you.

Both are “in charge” people, they just go about it differently. They are future CEO’s either in the home or out in the business world, any place that they can exercise their power. Politicians, teachers, publishers, and business owners are all a good match for a firstborn. Hugh Hefner, Jimmy Stewart, Sam Walton, Henry Ford, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, J.K. Rowling and Hillary Clinton are all firstborns.

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Second Born

This child doesn’t want to be compared to his older sibling and will search out a new direction. Where the older child is the student, the next in line will be the athlete, anything to make them different. If the firstborn takes over the family business the second child must find something new.

The second born does not want to be told what to do so it is best he find employment where there is little supervision. Running his own business is ideal as he will be a hands off owner, a very different boss than a firstborn.

For these people money is important, if you have enough no one tells you what to do. Second borns can have great outgoing personalities, creating something new and different is what they love. They always seem to be working on a project. Warren Buffett, Johnny Carson, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Fred Astaire, Martha Stewart, John Belushi, Paul Newman and Martin Luther King Jr. are all second borns.

Third Born

The third born is the birth order that sees the world very differently than the first two births. They are not into power over others like the first born or money to control their own space which is true of the second born. See the big picture of life, the world around them and its people.

They are the sensitive ones that want to save the world. The creative arts, religion, outdoor work, the trades using their hands and teaching others are all are areas that appeal to the third born.

Working with groups of people or creating something beautiful is what these people love. Tom Hanks, Madonna, Mother Teresa, Sarah Palin and Marlon Brando Jr. are all third borns.

Fourth Born

The fourth born is the true baby in the family and has been taken care of by his older siblings. They may get a head start in school if the older siblings tried to teach them how to read. This birth order loves to be around people and older people are not intimidating as that is who they grew up with.

Having fun is the underlying theme with the fourth born. They are natural salesmen and any sport interests them. Coaching young athletes is a perfect match. They know the real world is hard but can stand up to the challenge. They would really like work to be play. Dolly Parton, Michael Jordan, and Kirk Douglas are all fourth borns.

Double Birth Orders

All the above birth orders can become double birth orders when separated from their siblings by a space of four years or more. This gives them the characteristics of the Only child added to their birth order number. If this happens, you add a lot of power to your number.

These people are more complex because they demonstrate two different personality characteristics but not at the same time. Although they are much stronger than the single birth orders this added power can cause problems with co-workers who never know which personality has come to work.

Conclusion

Find your “real” birth order and then check on the characteristics that describe you and who you really are. In every profession all birth orders have a place. Knowing who you are will allow you to pick an area of work that fits your birth order. In every profession all birth orders have a place.

If law interests you, find your birth order match in one of the many diverse areas of law. There are trial attorneys, family attorneys, those that deal with real estate, patents, criminal attorneys, and immigration attorneys, just to name a few. A perfect fit for each of the birth orders.

If education is your interest you can pick any number of subjects to teach, English, science, art, coaching and working in administration all fit different birth orders.Know your birth order and take a straight course to your future not a zig zag one. Now unpack your suitcase and enjoy your time in college!