Where Could Your Skills and Interests Take You?

What Are You Really Good at Doing?

Think about something you enjoy. What are you actually doing while you do it? Maybe you like gaming, drawing, cooking, sports, animals, building things or helping people. Look underneath the activity. Gaming might involve solving problems, planning and working with other people. Cooking uses timing, measuring and adjusting when something goes wrong. Helping someone might use patience and listening. This is where an interest starts telling you more about yourself. It is not only what you enjoy. It gives you clues about skills you already use and skills you are still building.

Try it: Pick one thing you enjoy. Write down two skills you use while doing it.

Where Else Could Those Skills Go?

Could a skill you use in one part of your life be useful somewhere completely different? You already have many roles. You might be a student, friend, teammate, family member or club member. The same skill often travels between them. If you are good at explaining a game, that skill might help when a classmate is stuck. If you organize things at home, you might use that skill during a school project or team event. One skill does not point toward only one role or future job. It might open several possibilities you have never thought about.

Try it: Choose one of your skills. Where are two other places you could use it?

How Do You Know If You Could Do Something New?

What if an opportunity looks interesting, but you are not sure you could do it? Suppose someone asks you to help younger students learn a game. You like the idea, but you have never done it before. What if I am terrible at it? There is a problem with that question. You do not have much evidence yet. So you try. Your first explanation is confusing. You change it. The student gets it. Now you know something you did not know before: I figured that out. Trying gave you evidence about yourself. That experience matters the next time another challenge comes along.

Try it: Think of something you once could not do well but now find easier. What experience changed that?

Does Confidence Have to Come First?

Do you need to feel confident before you try something challenging? It often works the other way around. You try something. You practise. You watch someone else do it. Someone gives you useful advice. You make a mistake, change something and try again. Little by little, those experiences give you reasons to believe, I can handle more of this. That does not mean you suddenly feel confident about everything. You might feel confident kicking a soccer ball and completely unsure on skis. Confidence grows from what you experience in that particular challenge.

Try it: Name one thing you feel more confident doing now. What helped build that confidence?

What If You Try It and Do Not Like It?

Does trying something and deciding “not for me” mean the experience was a waste? Not at all. Trying something gives you information. You might discover that you love it. You might like one part but not another. You might realize you need more practice. You might decide you never want to do it again. All of those discoveries tell you something about yourself. Becoming more independent means taking a bigger part in these decisions. It does not mean doing everything alone. Asking for help, getting information and changing your mind are all part of making thoughtful choices.

Try it: Think of something you tried and did not enjoy. What did you learn about yourself?

What If You Do Not Get the Same Opportunities?

What if you want to explore something but the opportunity is not available to you? People do not all get the same opportunities. Money, distance, time, equipment and accessibility all matter. Sometimes another way to explore is available through school, a library, your community or a trusted adult. Sometimes there is not another option right now. That does not tell you what you are capable of doing. It tells you that circumstances affect which opportunities people get to experience.

Try it: Pick one interest you would like to explore. Who or where could you ask about opportunities?

Conclusion: What Could You Try Next?

What is one small opportunity that could teach you something new about yourself? You do not need to choose your future in Grade 6. Start with something you enjoy or a skill you are building. Look for a few places where it might be useful. Then choose one opportunity you might explore. You do not need to know whether you will be good at it before you begin. That is part of what trying helps you discover. Each experience gives you a little more evidence about what interests you, what you are learning to do and what you might want to try next.

Try it: Choose one interest or skill. Write one small thing you could try next.

© 2026 All rights reserved.