Career Exploration — My Interests & Strengths

Name: Date:

How to use this worksheet. This is all about you — what you are good at, what you enjoy, and what you might want to do someday. There are no right or wrong answers.

Read each part, then check the boxes that feel true for you. You can check as many or as few as you like.
When you see a blank line marked Other, add your own idea. Your own words count just as much as the printed ones.
Every part has a Clarify hint. Try the part first; read the hint if you get stuck. It gives you a strategy, never the answer.
You can say your answers out loud to a helper and write them after — talking first makes writing easier.

PART 1

What I Am Good At and What I Like

The job of this part is to notice your strengths and your interests — the things that already make you, you.

Things I am good at (school work, skills, or personal strengths). Check all that apply and add your own:

Reading or writing
Working with numbers or money
Helping or talking with people
Drawing, making art, or being creative
Fixing things or using tools
Learning new technology or computers
Being kind and patient
Working hard and staying on task
Other:
Other:

📝 Write one example for each thing you checked.

Clarify — A "strength" is anything you do well, even a small one. Being on time, listening, or making people laugh all count. If you are not sure, think about what someone has thanked you for.

Things I like to do (school subjects, hobbies, or activities). Check all that apply and add your own:

Working with animals or nature
Helping people or volunteering
Using computers or making videos
Cooking or working in food
Art, music, or performing
Sports or being active
Learning about health or fitness
Shopping or organizing things
Other:
Other:

What is important to me (in a job or in life). Check your top 5 and number them (1 = most important):

Helping people or animals
Making money to support myself
Being creative
Having free time and balance
Working with a team
Learning new things every day
Working outside or traveling
Having a calm and friendly place to work
Other:
Other:

Skills I feel proud of. Check all that apply and add your own:

Listening to others
Following instructions
Being on time
Staying organized
Solving small problems
Making friends
Other skill:
Other skill:

Clarify — "Important to me" is about your values — what makes a good day feel good. There is no wrong answer. When you number your top 5, go with your gut; you can always change it later.

PART 2

Jobs or Careers I Am Thinking About

The job of this part is to connect your interests to real kinds of work.

Check any jobs you are interested in right now:

Working with animals (vet helper, pet store, zoo)
Helping people (teacher aide, caregiver, community helper)
Food jobs (cooking, bakery, restaurant)
Art or creative jobs (designer, photographer)
Technology jobs
Office or organizing jobs
Health or fitness jobs
Retail or customer service
Other:
Other:

📝 For each one you checked, write why you like it.

Clarify — Look back at Part 1. A job you like usually matches a strength or an interest you already checked. Naming that link ("I like food jobs because I am good at following steps") is exactly the thinking we want.

PART 3

My Big Dream for the Future

Ten years or more from now — think about your ideal job and life. Check what sounds right or write your own.

A normal day might look like:

Working with people
Working alone or quiet
Being active
Using computers
Other:
Other:

I want to help:

People
Animals
The community
The environment
Other:
Other:

The life I want:

Live near family or friends
Have a steady schedule
Travel sometimes
Work from home sometimes
Other:
Other:

📝 I will feel happy and successful when…

Clarify — A dream does not have to be one exact job title. It can be a feeling ("I want to feel useful") or a picture of a good day. Dream big here — this part is for imagining, not deciding.

PART 4

Goals for the Next 3 to 5 Years

Upon graduating college — what can help you reach your dream? Check ideas or add your own.

Learn new job skills
Have a job in the field I am studying
Find a volunteer job or internship
Practice speaking up for myself (self-advocacy)
Study further
Other:
Other:

Clarify — These are the bigger steps. Pick the ones that point toward the dream you wrote in Part 3. It is fine to choose only one or two — a real goal you mean is better than five you don't.

PART 5

Small Steps I Can Take Soon

Next 1 to 2 years — check 3 to 5 things you can start now.

Join a club or activity
Talk to someone in your program for help
Take a new class or workshop
Practice a skill I like
Visit a job I am interested in
Make a simple list of my strengths
Other:
Other:

Clarify — A small step is something you could start this week. If a step feels too big, shrink it: "visit a job" can begin with "ask one person about their job." Small and real beats big and someday.

PART 6

My Career Goals

Write 1 to 3 jobs or careers you are thinking about. For each one, answer the questions.

Career Idea 1

Why it might be good for me (link it to what I like or am good at):

Good things about it:

Hard things about it:

One thing I will learn more about:

Career Idea 2

Why it might be good for me (link it to what I like or am good at):

Good things about it:

Hard things about it:

One thing I will learn more about:

Career Idea 3

Why it might be good for me (link it to what I like or am good at):

Good things about it:

Hard things about it:

One thing I will learn more about:

Clarify — Every job has "hard things," and naming them is a strength, not a reason to quit. The "one thing I will learn more about" is your next question — it turns a wish into a plan.

PART 7

Things That Might Be Hard — and How to Handle Them

What problems do you think you might face? For each one, write a simple way to get help.

Problem 1

→ I can get help by:

Problem 2

→ I can get help by:

Problem 3

→ I can get help by:

Clarify — "Getting help" is a skill, not a weakness. A good plan often names a person ("ask my teacher," "call my mentor") not just a wish. Who would you go to first?

PART 8

My Main Idea

Write briefly about your big goal for the future.

📝 My big goal

Clarify — Pull it together: use words from the parts you already filled in. A strong finish sounds like "I want to ___ because I am good at ___ and I care about ___." That one sentence is your whole worksheet in a nutshell.

💡 Tips for You

Your answers can change. This is a snapshot of you today. Come back in a few months and some checks may move — that means you are growing.
Look for the threads. If "helping people" shows up in your strengths, your interests, and your dream, that is a big clue about the right kind of work for you.
Talk it over. Share a few answers with someone who knows you. They may notice a strength you forgot to check.

Reflection

What did you learn about yourself today? Which part surprised you? Name one strength you are proud of and one step you will take next.

I finished this.

Name: Signature: Date:

FOR MENTOR USE — WORK THROUGH THIS TOGETHER

Mentor Guide

How to help your student explore their interests, strengths, and goals

1. What this worksheet builds

It builds self-awareness for career planning. By naming what they are good at, what they enjoy, and what they value, the student gathers the raw material every career decision rests on. The aim is not a "correct" job title — it is a student who can describe themselves in their own words and see how those words point toward real kinds of work.

2. How to run it

Talk it through. Read each part aloud and let the student react. Checkboxes are a conversation starter, not a test.
Accept oral answers. If writing is a barrier, let them say the answer and you (or they) write it after. Speaking first removes the blank-page freeze.
Go at their pace. This is long — it is fine to do one or two parts per sitting. Momentum matters more than finishing in one go.

3. Using the Clarify hints

Let the student attempt each part first; read the Clarify box only if they stall. The hints coach strategy ("link the job to a strength," "shrink the step," "name a person who can help"), never the content. Over time, ask the student to guess what the hint will say before they read it — that is the thinking becoming their own.

4. Supporting the student

There are no wrong answers here — say so out loud, often. A hesitant student needs permission to guess.
Watch for the "Other" lines: a personal answer they write themselves is usually more revealing than any box they check.
If a student under-rates themselves, offer specific evidence ("You were patient with your brother last week — that's a strength").
Do not correct spelling mid-draft. Capture the ideas now; tidy later so the thinking keeps flowing.

5. Connecting results to next steps

Point out the patterns. When a theme repeats across strengths, interests, and the dream (Parts 1–3), name it — that thread is the student's clearest lead.
Bridge dream to action. Help them see how Parts 4 and 5 turn the big dream into goals and this-week steps. End with one concrete next step they choose.
Keep it and revisit. Date the sheet and plan to look again in a few months. Comparing it to their own earlier answers shows growth and keeps the planning alive.