Teen vs. “The Future”: Identifying Your Strengths
In this article, I’m offering some tips on how you can identify your strengths and use them to make decisions about your next steps after high school.
If you’re in your final year of high school and feeling unsure about how to choose your next steps, know that you’re not alone.
Should I go to college or university? Should I do an apprenticeship? What should I study? These are big questions — and it’s completely normal to feel uncertain.
The truth is, very few people know exactly what they want to do at 17 or 18. Life doesn’t come with a roadmap, and that lack of direction can feel scary. But there is a starting point that can bring clarity and build confidence: discovering your strengths.
Why Strengths Matter
Your strengths are the unique ways you think, feel, and behave. They’re the things you naturally do well — whether that’s solving problems, helping others, creating, organizing, or leading.
Identifying and understanding your strengths can be a powerful guide as you consider where and what you want to study after high school.
When you’re aware of your strengths, you can start making decisions based on your natural abilities and what energizes you — not just what looks good on paper or pleases others. You’re more likely to stay motivated, succeed academically, and feel fulfilled when your choices reflect your natural talents.
How to Identify Your Strengths
Here are four practical ways to start discovering your strengths:
1. Reflect on Past Successes and Enjoyable Moments
Think about tasks, activities, and projects you completed successfully and found fun. These can be experiences from your school, volunteer work, paid work, or free time.
Write them down, and ask yourself:
- What did I enjoy about these experiences?
- What exactly was I doing? (e.g., creating something, solving a problem, helping someone, analyzing information, leading a group)
- Which of those things felt easy or natural for me?
These are clues to your strengths.
For example, if your most energizing moments include supporting friends through challenges, mentoring younger students, and volunteering at your school’s peer support drop-in, your strengths might include active listening and mentorship.
Writing about these experiences in a journal can help you see patterns and gain clarity.
2. Ask for Feedback
Sometimes others see strengths in us that we overlook. Ask your friends, teachers, or family members:
“When have you seen me at my best?”
“What do you think I’m naturally good at?”
Their answers might open your eyes to strengths you haven’t considered.
3. Take the VIA Character Strengths Survey
This free online survey (available at viacharacter.org) helps you identify your core character strengths — like curiosity, kindness, or leadership. It’s a simple, research-backed tool to increase self-awareness and think about where your strengths can shine.
4. Experiment and Explore
You don’t have to have it all figured out — and that’s okay. Trying new things is one of the best ways to learn about yourself.
Volunteering can be a great opportunity to engage in self-exploration. Pay attention to what feels energizing and easy to learn. Those moments are often clues to your strengths.
And if you try something and it doesn’t light you up? That’s okay, too. Every experience — even the ones that don’t work out — teaches you something valuable. Part-time jobs, volunteer opportunities, and engaging in school activities can be great opportunities to try something new.
Need ideas for volunteering? Start with:
- Volunteer Toronto
- Charity Village
I Know My Strengths-Now What?
Once you recognize your strengths—whether in problem-solving, communication, creativity, or technical abilities—you can use this self-awareness to explore post-graduation programs that align with those strengths. For example, someone who enjoys working with tools and machines and excels in problem-solving might pursue a trade, while someone strong in writing and communication could consider a career in journalism or education. Matching your natural abilities with a relevant field of study helps you choose a path that is both fulfilling and likely to lead to long-term success.
Authenticity over Perfection
I want to remind you that it’s totally okay not to have all the answers right now. This stage of life isn’t about locking in one “perfect” plan — it’s about exploring.
When you start with your strengths, you’re choosing a path rooted in self-awareness — and that’s one of the most authentic choices you can make.
If you think you might benefit from support as you explore your strengths and plan your next steps after high school, feel free to reach out to me through Transforming Emotions. With more than a decade of experience helping people choose the right academic program for them, I’d love to support you in navigating this exciting stage of life with more clarity and confidence. Book your free consultation now.
