Aquarius Astrology Career Profile

Top Careers

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Aquarius

January 21 - February 20

By Jane Hodges

Aquarius, ruled by inventive and shocking Uranus, loves breaking through social barriers and reshaping the notion of community.

Top Career Programs for Aquarius

What Motivates Aquarius

This sign, known for representing the concept of "brotherly love," has an urge to connect people and classes who normally don't associate with one another. Aquarians are friendly, open-minded and tolerant of ideas and people who don't fit into societal norms. They are generally curious about people of all kinds, yet they themselves may be hard to know intimately.

Aquarians aren't so much private as they are unfathomably broad in their associations and interests. They may have contacts and relationships across multiple, disparate communities, and those contacts may know nothing of one another.

New Ideas and Unity

Aquarians are known for employing shock value or for suddenly seizing upon and promoting dramatic new ideas. This sign relates to the concept of revolution. They're not afraid to blow up an entire project and start over from scratch, change careers, or operate with the idea that their work is always in "draft" which is a key element of many information technology careers. They also champion equality, intellectual freedom and the idea that we are all one, regardless of socioeconomic or geographic boundaries, which makes them a perfect fit for working with library and media technology.

These folks are generally extroverted and dress casually. They may have a friendly, distracted "nutty professor" persona, or a tightly wound activist vibe. Regardless, they'll be surrounded by friends—many of whom need this sign's generous listening ear and detached, but sensible advice.

Power to the People

At work, Aquarians need mental stimulation and people contact, but they also need to feel that what they're doing advances the culture and opens minds. Aquarian intellect is hard to trump, as these folks combine abstract thinking and on-the-fly social relating to figure out what works with the office gestalt or the audience served by their business.

This is a sign that loves technology and futuristic trends in computing, electronics, media and learning. After all, communications can undergo a revolution, too.

Aquarians are not concerned with money, except to pay the bills, and are less likely than other signs to let wealth influence their thinking and motivation. Indeed, successful Aquarians are likely to use their wealth or status to support under-funded causes or to fight the image of the "fat cat" boss by going to hang out with those in the trenches. They might also just drop out and go volunteer abroad, scratching their Peace Corps itch.

Outside the Box

Because they have a global sense of themselves—knowing, for instance, that their identity isn't defined by their job title—Aquarians are content to work a "day job" that supports an after-hours pet project. Or they may rebel against society's expectations and live off-grid. While they may get distracted or preoccupied by offbeat ideas, Aquarians' never lose the ability to "think outside the box" that most everyone else occupies; and when their schemes succeed, they can be transformative.

The Aquarian sense of humor, dress and style may poke fun at social expectations, but these interesting and sociable folks bring plenty of surprises—as well as liberating ideas—to any professional arena.

How to Spot an Aquarius at Work

Career Manual: The Anarchist's Cookbook
Aquarian success symbol: A great collection of world music, international art
Color: Bright blue
Spare time pursuits: Activism, Habitat for Humanity, using social networking sites

Aquarius in Action

Aquarius Oprah Winfrey exemplifies her sign's professional persona. Not only has the talk show host created a persona and brand that has stretched far beyond the screen, but she has encouraged Americans to broaden their minds through reading forgotten works of literature, by aiding impoverished children in foreign countries, by becoming more aware of other countries around the globe and by donating to foundations.

Her personal life is unconventional, but she is comfortable articulating her choices, stating on both her show and in magazine interviews that rather than "settle down" and marry her longtime companion or become a mother, she feels she is meant to retain her independence so she can devote her energy to advocating ideas and causes.

Plug into the Global Issues

Her approachable style and "human" quality endear her to viewers. One night, Oprah's show may feel like a girls' sleepover, full of giggles about a handsome guest or chat about weight and makeup. The next, she may shed light on the extent of the AIDS crisis in Africa. She teaches viewers that their day-to-day concerns are okay and unite us, but that they take place against a larger backdrop of global challenges and that every single viewer, in small ways, can make a difference with their care, awareness or funds.

Like Oprah, Aquarian leaders strive to create a level playing field for all, to give the downtrodden more opportunity (Franklin D. Roosevelt). They do this by promoting gender equality (Betty Friedan) or racial equality (Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks), both in their local environment and in the global economy. They also look at the big picture, often the global picture: Russian leader Boris Yeltsin spoke of using "shock therapy" to spur his country's democratic revolution. Aquarian musician Peter Gabriel incorporates sounds and artists from other cultures into his music.

Question Authority—Including Your Own

As philosophers and writers, Aquarians aren't afraid to show that old societal roles and narratives need revision (Alice Walker, Virginia Woolf) or to experiment with alternative universes (Jean Auel, Ayn Rand) that may be unpopular but nonetheless compelling enough to gain acceptance over time (Charles Darwin).

In business and the media (Jules Feiffer), Aquarians can innovate (Michael Bloomberg, Steve Wynn) and also lob surprises at the establishment. Corporate raider Carl Icahn routinely pushes to oust entire corporate boards or shake up management at companies he considers staid or slow-moving.

Aquarius comedians nudge audiences with thought-provoking routines. Comedian Ellen DeGeneres came out as a lesbian in her role on a TV sitcom, while Chris Rock pokes fun at racial and gender divides in America. And Aquarian actors and actresses thrive in weird and "outsider" roles (Christina Ricci, Benicio Del Toro, John Travolta) or don't mind having a role that stems simply from their proximity to paparazzi (Paris Hilton, Yoko Ono), as if mocking the emptiness of the mechanics of celebrity.