10 Ways to Find Out What You’re Good At

How to avoid unnecessary college expenses

Taking college electives is a great but expensive way to discover passions and interests you didn’t know you had. Instead of committing significant money and time to realize your talents, we’ve come up with ten ways to find out what you’re good at, so you can funnel your hidden skills into a career you deserve.

Ask Yourself

This might sound a little obvious, but it’s the first place to start. When you think about yourself, what do you think you’re good at? Write it down and consider how you can funnel those talents into a career.

Can you calculate a tip in your head quickly? Maybe accounting is the right path for you. Do you always spot grammatical errors in publications? Consider a career in editing. You might be surprised how easy it is to form varied career paths from a single talent.

Ask Friends and Family

No one knows you better than your family and your closest friends, so ask them where your talents lie. Often, when assessing your own capabilities and what you’re good at, it’s easy to overlook those you take for granted. Remember that what’s easy for you may not be easy for others, so it’s likely that people who spend time with you will notice what you don’t.

Consider Your Past Employment

What positions have you worked in the past, and what did you enjoy about those jobs? Sure, you may have just taken a part-time position or one you don’t care about in order to pay the bills, but there’s more to consider than the name of the place you worked. Ask yourself what you enjoyed about the job, what you learned quickly, and what skills you developed during your time there.

Remember Compliments You’ve Received

It doesn’t matter in what context you received the compliments, think about the last time someone said something nice about you. As with your family and friends, the people around you have a different perspective on your abilities than you do, and can often point out talents you didn’t know you had.

Look at Your High School Grades

Maybe it was a long time ago, but taking a look through your grades in different subject areas is a great way to discover natural talents. For example, if you scored high marks in biology, but don’t remember the course offering much difficulty, a position in the medical industry could be your calling.

Write Down Your Hobbies

Make a list of everything you enjoy doing on the weekends and in your free time. It doesn’t matter if it seems work related or not—the important part is the commonalities between the hobbies you find. If you notice that many of your hobbies utilize a specific talent, it’s a strong indication that skill set is something you should be using in your career.

Consider What You Do When You’re Bored

When you have a moment of free time, what entertainment do you naturally reach for? Do you enjoy reading the newspaper, or looking at viral content online? If so, this could be a strong indication you’d be at home in a journalism career, or would find success working in digital marketing.

Look Through Your Smartphone

Whether you play with it on the train, at home on the couch, or before bed, what you do on your phone can be telling. Do you opt for strategy games, catch up on the latest news, or monitor your heath with fitness apps? It seems like a strange place to find your talents and interests, but how you spend your time, even just a moment, can be a strong indication of what type of career you might wish you pursue.

Take Online Quizzes

Sure, it sounds corny, but you really can learn a lot about yourself from online quizzes. Take a look at CareerGlider’s fun career quiz, and check back at the end of the month for our new career quiz section.

Read Through Career Profiles

Finally, another way to discover what you may be good at is to do your research. Read through career profiles online, including CareerGlider’s Career Pages, to discover careers and opportunities you may have not known existed. On these pages you’ll find detailed career information including prerequisites like college degrees, median salaries, and where different positions are located around the country. You might just come across your next big career move.

Take a look at our latest infographic where we break down every state’s location quotient to discover the unique positions across the nation.

Career Outlook
Enter a career to learn more about:
  • Top 5 Cities and States for Employment
  • Number of People Employed
  • Projected Job Growth

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