If you don’t know what you want to do when you grow up, that’s okay. Many high school students don’t. Your future career doesn’t have to be decided right now. In fact, now is the perfect time to explore different options and opportunities that are out there. But, did you know the things you already enjoy doing every day can give you clues about careers you might thrive in?
Your hobbies and interests aren’t just activities. They’re signals about your strengths, your personality, and the environments where you might feel confident and excited. If you pay attention to what naturally interests you, you can start to See Yourself IN careers that fit.
Here are three questions to help you explore your interests and visualize how those connect to real-world opportunities across Indiana’s advanced industries.
1. What do I enjoy doing when no one is telling me what to do?
When you have free time, what do you choose to do? Those interests offer insight into what kinds of work might keep you motivated long-term.
If you enjoy…
- Playing video games → You might like solving problems in digital spaces. That can translate to roles in cybersecurity, software testing, or even working with robotics and automation in advanced manufacturing.
- Being outdoors or caring about nature → You might care about sustainability or environmental health. That connects to agbioscience careers like plant science, soil health, or sustainability tech — and even public or environmental health in the life sciences.
- Enjoying animals or caring for pets → You may be drawn to animal health, a piece within the agbiosciences and life sciences. Think animal nutrition, veterinary diagnostics, or animal health product testing.
- Helping people → You may be motivated by improving lives. That fits careers in life sciences, medical technology, diagnostics, or agbioscience roles focused on nutrition and food safety. (P.S. life sciences, doesn’t just mean “doctor”!)
- Tinkering, building things, or taking things apart to see how they work → You may love understanding how things fit together. That curiosity translates directly into advanced manufacturing and logistics — from working with high-tech machinery and robotics to creating the parts and products that power everything from medical devices to electric vehicles.
Your free-time choices don’t define your career, but they do show where your natural interests live.
2. What kinds of problems do you like to solve?
Every job is basically a different type of problem-solving. Understanding the type you enjoy can point you toward fields where you’ll feel energized instead of drained.
If you like…
- Figuring out how things work or fixing things → hands-on, technical roles may be a great fit (advanced manufacturing, robotics technician, engineering support).
- Finding patterns or thinking logically → you might enjoy data-oriented roles (analytics, operations, or quality testing across industries).
- Making things easier, faster, or more efficient → you might be drawn to logistics or process improvement careers.
- Experimenting, testing, or being curious about science → lab roles, biotech support, or materials testing could match your strengths.
How you solve problems can be just as important as a specific major or job title.
3. What skills do I naturally use without thinking about it?
These are the strengths everyone else sees in you, the things you do well without trying. They are huge career clues.
If you naturally…
- Notice details → You could be great in roles that require accuracy, like quality control in advanced manufacturing, lab testing in the life sciences, or data monitoring in agbioscience and logistics.
- Stay calm under pressure or handle fast-moving situations → You might thrive in healthcare support within the life sciences, operations roles in logistics, or troubleshooting and monitoring roles in technology.
- Pick up new tools or technology easily → This strength is valuable in robotics and automation roles in advanced manufacturing, software testing or IT support in tech, and lab or field equipment use in agbiosciences and life sciences.
- Work well with others or communicate clearly → You may stand out on manufacturing and logistics teams, in lab or research environments in life sciences and agbiosciences, or in collaborative technology projects.
- Think logically or enjoy step-by-step problem-solving → You might enjoy careers in process improvement or operations within logistics, data-focused roles in technology or research, or engineering support in advanced manufacturing.
- Learn best by doing or enjoy hands-on work → You could thrive as a technician in manufacturing, robotics, or biotech, in equipment operation roles across supply chain settings, or in lab and field testing positions in agbiosciences and life sciences.
Strengths aren’t always academic. Sometimes career clues come from your personality, so pay attention to what you are good at and what other people are affirming you for.
Ready to start exploring?
Your hobbies won’t tell you exactly what to become, but they will help you understand yourself better. And when you know yourself, it’s easier to see where you might fit in Indiana’s growing opportunities, whether it’s life sciences, agbiosciences, tech, advanced manufacturing and logistics, or beyond.