Deciding whether or not to continue your education after high school isn’t really an option today. The question you should be asking yourself instead is: What education and career path is the best fit for you?

Your answer starts by thinking about your interests and skills. Defining what like you to do and what you’re good at is a great way to narrow down your options. Understanding your interests will help you choose a career that’s exciting for you (rather than just working for a paycheck). And, thinking about your skills will make sure that your chosen career will use your strengths and be natural for you to learn.

To help you get the idea, see how these students’ interests and skills match with their career and education options.

Exploring Your INTERESTS

You can explore your interests by taking a career interest inventory from the Indiana Career Explorer, a free tool provided by the State of Indiana to help you with college and career planning. You will be asked to choose which activities you like the most. The results suggest career clusters that may be a good career for you. You will have to create a username and password to use the Indiana Career Explorer, but you can retake the career interest inventory (Kuder Career Search with Person Match) any time you like.

If you are in grades 6-8, you can use the Drive of Your Life interactive game to see where your interests may take you. Test drive careers in a car custom-built for you!

The Indiana Career Explorer also helps you understand what you’re already good at with a skills assessment. The results list careers that require the skills you have. You will have to create a username and password to use the Indiana Career Explorer, but you can retake the skills assessment (Kuder Skills Assessment) any time you like. You can also complete a work values assessment (Super’s Work Values Inventory-revised) which lets you match work-related values with possible careers.

Here are some questions to help you think about your skills:

• What do I like to do?
• What do other people say I am good at?
• What things do I spend a lot of time practicing?
• What things do others ask me to help them with?

Exploring CAREERS

Already have a good idea which careers might be a good fit for you? Take a look at current salaries, types of work, the education level you’ll need and more from Learn More Indiana’s career exploration resources.

And, remember: The difference between a job and a career is the difference between what you do today and what you will do in the future. Finding your passion is the best way to pick a career that will suit you for the long-term.