Are you an extrovert or an introvert?

Question

Hi makers! I often hear generalizations like "engineers are introverted" and "salespeople are extroverted", but in my experience working in tech I've always found great examples to challenge that. In the latest episode of "Product Hunt Radio" for example, Drift's CTO Elias Torres talked about being an extrovert and how he loves spending time across every department including customer success. Are you an extrovert, introvert or ambivert (a bit of both) and do you think that impacts the type of job you've chosen to do?

Abadesi · Accepted Answer

I'm an extrovert and I guess that's why I enjoy community, marketing and partnerships roles so much. That said, as I get older I feel more like an ambivert because there are times I find people draining and crave alone time. Curious to see how other folks feel.

Angela Jeffrey · Answer

I'm an extrovert and a coder - I love spending a day in silence focused on code - but then after work, I'm starving for human interaction. I work remotely so I listen to podcasts to simulate conversation sometimes. I look forward to meetings, and my hobbies often involve conversation (speaking clubs etc) because that's a great source of energy and happiness for me.

Thomas Groutars · Answer

Total introvert here. I love being surrounded with friends and actually need social interactions in my life, but I get tired really fast if I don't get some time alone from time to time. As a remote dev, I feel really thankful to be able to choose between going into the office or staying home.

I also recently started DJing and I love the perfect balance of interacting with the crowd without having to talk 😁

tela · Answer

I'm an ambivert for sure. It's not hard for me to engage with a group that I don't know, and I like it, but it's definitely not effortless. I attribute some of that to the fact that I went to a very small elementary school (4 other kids in my class) and essentially didn't have to meet new people for a number of years.

Abadesi · Answer

@thomgroutars ooh very nice ! Do you know a DJ called Awesome Tapes from Africa> He's great

Larry Mickie · Answer

I've found myself to be an ambivert. I'll find myself at a conference ready to mingle, build partnerships, and all things face to face customer marketing. Especially anything related to music -- im all out and about. In other times crave for a blankie and either a drawing pad to sketch out ideas or couple of classic anime shows to recharge.

Jonathan Sun · Answer

Last time I took Myers Briggs I tested ENFP, which according to several websites means I'm the most introverted of extroverts. I guess that makes me an ambivert to a certain degree (60% extrovert, 40% introvert) since I do enjoy daydreaming and prefer small groups to massive environments, while at the same time not being afraid to start new meetups or navigate a completely new situation. It's a pretty unique situation to be in, since I can relate to both types of people!

Thomas Groutars · Answer

@abadesi Can't decide, I play what I like and think will make people dance 😅 I have disco/funk, house, melodic house and techno, dark techno... one thing I love is African sounds too, it makes me lose my head 😄 This Saturday, I played with a friend from 22pm to 8am (🙈), it's perfect because I could cram all the styles I like in one night while doing super smooth transitions. Here's a few tracks I played, to give you an idea 🙂 Mryn - Mermaid August Artier - Rakuyou Antonio Lyons - My Africa (Nitefreak Afro Buzz Remix) Mabiisi - Baakoya (Armonica Remix) Alan Dixon - Bless Me Today Freaks - Unbeknown To Us Storken - Lille Vals Martin Waslewski - Rarara Roberto Capuano - On Your Skin Teenage Mutants - Hype

Thomas Groutars · Answer

@abadesi Never recorded myself yet 😅 I don't have a name either since I just do it at private parties for friends or friends of friends, but I really want to do some real gigs in 2020, so I really should set up a Soundcloud and record myself at home, I'll let you know when it's up 😊

Abadesi · Answer

@thomgroutars please do! what types of music do you usually play?

Abadesi · Answer

@jwby super interesting! I definitely think its possible to change, as our interests, roles, experiences and passions can shift over time.

Karl Schmidt · Answer

@abadesi Interesting that you've noticed a change as you get older!

Karl Schmidt · Answer

@abadesi It's a quick measurement of the variations between heart rate intervals, used in sport science to get an indication of whether your body is in a sympathetic (active) or parasympathetic (recovery) state. It was surprisingly to see that social days produced a similar nervous system stress response to high intensity physical training days (for me). I use a polar heart rate chest band and an app called 'Elite HRV' to measure it each morning. Thanks for asking!

Karl Schmidt · Answer

Definitely introvert. I can be sociable but it takes dedicated effort and can be quite draining. I've even measured and can see the impact on my HRV (heart rate variability) score from more-social-than-usual days.

Jonathan Yagel · Answer

Transitioning ambivert? Always been super extroverted, but starting to appreciate solo time more and more.

As a marketer, that's synced up well with transitioning from in-person, on-the-ground efforts to more digital / performance marketing where I'm designing & optimizing campaigns more than directly talking with people.

It's also been interesting, as my company has transitioned to being fully remote: The fact that I'm not a pure extrovert has probably saved me from going crazy, but it definitely miss the consistent face-to-face interaction with coworkers.

Are you an extrovert or an introvert?

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