A parent. A foster kid from St. Louis. 10 yrs at Microsoft.
Chase Your Talents
Before You Pick Anything.
Read this first. Then hand the phone or computer to your teen.
Let me guess.
Your kid came home with a school form asking what they want to be when they grow up. And they wrote down something that made you quietly close your eyes and take a deep breath.
Mine wrote realtor and hair stylist. She's in 8th grade. I love her. And both are real, honorable careers — I'm not knocking either one. But she didn't choose them because she'd researched them. She chose them because they were the only careers she could picture herself doing.
My 10th grader Gavin told me he wanted to be a car mechanic. And I love that he has an answer — I really do. But here's what went through my head in about four seconds:
Do you know what that pays? Do you know what happens when you're 50 and your body is tired and your knees are done and you've been under cars for 30 years? And do you have any idea — any idea — that YOU are a Lego wizard, a master photographer, a drawing artist, a kid who can build and solve anything he touches? That there is something out there that uses ALL of that and pays you what you're actually worth?
No slam against mechanics. Skilled trades are honorable, needed, and often pay well. But Gavin didn't choose mechanic because he'd researched it. He chose it because it was the most familiar thing he could picture himself doing. That's not a career plan. That's a default.
Meanwhile my senior George was staring at thousands of career options — and a very real deadline. College applications. That little box that asks you to declare a major before you've lived a single day of adult life.
Pick something. Pick it now. Tuition, room and board, four years of your life — easily $100,000 or more. And if you pick wrong, you'll spend it on a degree you never use. Good luck.
So I sat down with George at our kitchen table. We used Claude. We used StrengthsFinder. We had the hard conversations about money and lifestyle and what the world is going to look like when he graduates. We filtered. We narrowed. We found his direction.
Here's the thing. I've lived this from both sides.
I was a foster child from St. Louis. No roadmap. No family legacy to follow. No one sitting across from me telling me what I was worth or what I was capable of.
But senior year I took a strengths assessment. And something clicked. For the first time I could see myself clearly — what I was actually wired for, what I was genuinely good at, where I should point my energy.
I went to college knowing exactly what I needed to study. I built a 15-year career in enterprise technology. Ten of those years at Microsoft. Not bad for a foster kid from St. Louis.
My StrengthsFinder results at 17: Competitive. Futuristic. Woo. Strategic. Communication. Every role I've ever had maps perfectly back to those five words. Every one. I knew my talents. And knowing your talents changes everything.
I understand AI better than most people in any room. And I was still sitting at my kitchen table thinking — how do I make sure my kids have what I had? That one moment of clarity that changes the whole trajectory?
So I built a system. Not a vibe. Not a hope. A real system.
It uses Claude — a free AI tool — combined with a strengths assessment and brutally honest conversations about money, lifestyle, and the future of work. It works. I watched it work with my own kids.
This is the head start I never had. And I'm handing it to your kids.
A compass, not a map.
A direction, not a destination.
A lane, not a life sentence.
🚦 Quick check — is this for you?
This tool is built for parents whose teen is heading toward a 4-year college degree and needs help figuring out which direction to point that degree.
— this tool isn't built for you, and I'd save your money. Those are honorable, much-needed, deeply AI-resistant paths. The BLS projects roughly 6 million skilled-trade openings by 2032. A teen who already knows that's their lane doesn't need a compass — they need to start the apprenticeship or open the shop.
This is for the parent staring at college applications wondering which major their teen should pick — and what actually comes after.
Why this isn't another BuzzFeed quiz
Most assessments give you one lens. Holland Code hands back a 3-letter code. CliftonStrengths hands back 5 words. MBTI hands back a 4-letter type. You're left holding a label thinking "now what?"
Chase Your Talents is the only system that does all five of these in one flow:
1.The Bill Test — grounds the answer in the actual lifestyle your teen wants and the salary that funds it.
2.5 frameworks layered — Holland Code + Multiple Intelligences + CliftonStrengths + Speed Gap + Real Experience.
3.The AI Future-Proof Filter — stress-tests every direction against 2025 displacement research (Microsoft, WEF, BLS, PwC).
4.Claude as the synthesizer — a real AI model reasoning across all five frameworks like a counselor would, not a static label generator.
5.A printable Career Compass — a one-page document your teen brings to every counselor and advisor for the next four years.
What your teen will do — 20 to 30 minutes
1
Know Yourself
Honest questions about how they're wired — talents, curiosity, what they're already drawn to
🟢 Holland · MI · CliftonStrengths
2
Strengths
CliftonStrengths Top 5 — or skip and add later
⚡ 30 min · ~$20
3
The Bill Test
The life they want — and what it actually costs to fund
💰 $107K → $124K by 2031
4
The Compass
Claude runs the AI displacement filter across every direction. You get a compass — not a job title.
🔴 Filter 3: AI risk🟢 Growing fields
🤖 The numbers behind Filter 3
92M
jobs displaced by 2030
170M
new jobs created by 2030
+25%
wage premium for AI skills
Sources: WEF Future of Jobs 2025 · PwC AI Jobs Barometer 2025
Before you begin: Have your teen's CliftonStrengths Top 5 ready if possible — gallup.com/cliftonstrengths (~$20, 30 min). You can start without them and add in Step 2. You'll need a free account at claude.ai at the end.
You've got this. Let's go.
— Heather Barnett
📱 Now hand the phone or computer over.
From here on, this is your teen's tool — not yours.
The questions on the next screen are written to them. The honest answer beats the impressive one every time. Sit nearby if they want company. Resist the urge to coach. The compass only works if the inputs are theirs.
"Hobbies are for the weekends." — Heather
Step 1 of 3 — Now it's your turn
Know Yourself
These are your answers. Not your parent's. Not what sounds impressive. Not what an adult wants to hear. The most useful answer is the most truthful one — that's the only thing that makes the compass work.
"A direction, not a destination."
⚠️ Why This Matters Right Now
The job market is changing faster than any generation in history. Entry-level job postings have fallen 29% globally since 2024. Young developer employment is down 20%. Graphic designers are now on the "fastest declining" list. These aren't slow trends — they're happening right now.
🔴 Vanishing Fast
Data entry · Bank tellers · Basic copywriting · Bookkeeping · Admin assistants · Graphic design
🟢 Growing Fast
Cybersecurity · AI specialists · Nursing · Skilled trades · Data science · Renewable energy
The Four-Filter System uses 2025 data from Microsoft Research, WEF, BLS, and Goldman Sachs to match your talents to careers that will still exist — and grow — over the next 20 years.
How this works: Answer each question as honestly as you can. Don't answer what sounds impressive or what you think adults want to hear. Answer what's actually true for you right now. There are no wrong answers — only honest ones.
Question 1
What energizes YOU? What do YOU come alive doing?
Think about moments when you're fully in it — talking fast, losing track of time, feeling like yourself.
Examples: Winning a game with a comeback · making a friend laugh until they cried · nailing a skill in front of people · figuring out a tough math problem · being the one who brings the group together · creating something I'm proud of · helping someone who didn't know what to do
Question 2
What drains YOU? What do you avoid or find exhausting?
The stuff you procrastinate on, complain about, or that leaves you feeling empty even when you did it fine.
Examples: e.g. Repetitive tasks · working alone for hours · public speaking · dealing with small details · sitting still all day
Question 3
How do YOU work best? — Pick all that apply
Pick all that feel true to you.
Alone
In a small team
In a big group
Leading others
Following a structure
Creating my own path
Hands-on / physical
On a screen / digital
Outside / in the field
Question 4
What do YOU lose track of time doing?
What would you do all day even if nobody paid you? What makes you look up and realize hours just passed?
Examples: Playing or watching sports · drawing or designing things · gaming and figuring out strategies · scrolling YouTube/TikTok rabbit holes about a specific topic · building or fixing things · making videos or photos · writing stories or songs · talking through a problem with a friend · researching whatever I'm obsessed with this week
💡 Flow State Research — Csikszentmihalyi, University of Chicago: Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi spent 30 years studying peak performance and found that losing track of time — what he called "flow" — is the most reliable signal that someone is operating in their talent zone. It's not passion. It's not interest. It's the state where challenge meets skill so perfectly that time disappears. People who build careers in their flow zone are significantly more productive, more satisfied, and far less likely to burn out over a 40-year career. This is the most important question in the entire assessment.
Question 5
What do your friends, teachers, and family say YOU are naturally good at?
What do people consistently come to you for? What do others notice about you — even when you don't notice it yourself?
Examples: e.g. I always know how to motivate people · I fix things nobody else can · I make everyone feel included · I'm always the one with the plan
Question 6
Describe the life YOU want to live in 10 years.
Where do you live? What does your home look like? Do you travel? Are you independent? What does a Tuesday feel like? Be specific — this matters.
Examples: e.g. Own a home · travel internationally a couple times a year · flexible schedule · live somewhere with energy · not stressed about money
Question 7
What would YOU absolutely refuse to do for work — no matter how much it paid?
Your hard limits. Environments, tasks, or situations that are dealbreakers for you — things you know about yourself.
Examples: Sit at a desk all day · do the same thing every day · work alone for hours with no one to talk to · be on my feet in dangerous conditions · cold-call strangers · deal with blood, hospitals, or sick people · clean things or fix dirty stuff · stand and smile at customers all day · work nights and weekends
Question 8
What are YOU genuinely curious about — things you go deep on without anyone asking you to?
Not what you study in school. What do you look up late at night? What YouTube rabbit holes do you fall down? What could you talk about for hours?
⚠️ Important: Most teens can only name 3–5 careers because that's all they've been exposed to. If your curiosity points toward something you don't have a name for yet — that's okay. Describe the topic, not the job. "I'm obsessed with how diseases spread" might be epidemiology, public health, biotech, or pharma — fields you've probably never heard of. "I love figuring out why people make bad decisions" might be behavioral economics, UX research, marketing psychology, or policy. Curiosity is the clue. Claude will help connect it to fields.
Examples: How things are built and engineered · Why people make the decisions they make · How markets and money work · How diseases spread and are treated · How games are designed · True crime and how investigations work · How AI and technology actually function · How athletes train and optimize performance · The history of wars and political systems · How cars and engines work · Space and what's out there · How social media algorithms decide what you see
Examples: e.g. How cybersecurity attacks work · why the stock market moves · how athletes train their minds · how movies are made · how AI systems think
💡 Did you know: According to Gallup research, people who use their natural curiosity and strengths at work are 6x more likely to be engaged in their careers — and far less likely to burn out. Curiosity is a career asset, not just a hobby.
Question 9 — Holland Code (RIASEC)
Which of these descriptions sounds most like YOU? — Pick your top 1 or 2 Pick your top 1 or 2.
The Holland Code is the most widely used career framework in the world — used by school counselors, universities, and the U.S. Department of Labor. Each letter points toward a whole family of careers.
R — Realistic: I like working with my hands, tools, machines, or the outdoors. I'd rather build something than talk about it. I — Investigative: I like figuring out how things work. I enjoy research, analysis, science, and solving complex problems. A — Artistic: I like creating things — art, music, writing, design, performance. I need space for self-expression. S — Social: I like helping, teaching, coaching, or caring for people. I feel most useful when I'm serving others. E — Enterprising: I like leading, persuading, selling, and making things happen. I'm energized by competition and influence. C — Conventional: I like organization, detail, systems, and structure. I'm the one who makes sure everything is accurate and in order.
R — Realistic: hands-on, physical, building, outdoors
I — Investigative: research, analysis, science, solving problems
A — Artistic: creating, designing, writing, performing, expressing
S — Social: helping, teaching, coaching, caring for people
E — Enterprising: leading, selling, persuading, competing, influencing
C — Conventional: organizing, systems, detail, accuracy, structure
💡 Did you know: The Holland Code (RIASEC) is used by 80%+ of high school counselors and universities for career advising. You can take the full free version at mynextmove.org/explore/ip — it takes 20 minutes and gives you career matches based on your code. Most people have a 2-3 letter code (e.g. "ES" or "IAR") that stays consistent their whole career.
Question 10 — Favorite & Worst Subjects
Which school subjects do YOU actually enjoy — Pick all that apply — and which do you genuinely struggle with or avoid?
Think about what you'd take even if it wasn't required. What feels interesting rather than like work? And what feels like torture no matter how hard you try?
💡 Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce Research: A major study tracking students 10 years after graduation found that subject enthusiasm in high school — not grades — is one of the strongest predictors of career satisfaction later in life. What you choose to go deeper in without being told to is your talent signal hiding in plain sight. The Georgetown CEW also tracks which majors have the highest ROI, oversupply of graduates, and AI exposure — and we've baked those into the degree recommendations your compass will generate.
✅ Subjects I actually enjoy (pick all that apply)
Math — numbers, patterns, logic
Science — biology, chemistry, physics
Computer science / coding / tech
English / writing / literature
History / social studies / government / economics
Art / design / photography / film
Music / theater / performing arts
Psychology / sociology / understanding people
Business / marketing / entrepreneurship
Health / anatomy / sports science
Trades / shop / engineering / hands-on making
None — I don't love any subject at school
🔴 Subjects I genuinely struggle with or hate (pick all that apply)
Math — numbers make my brain shut off
Science — labs and formulas lose me
Writing / English — putting thoughts into words is hard
History — memorizing dates and events is painful
Art / creative subjects — I don't feel creative
PE / physical activity — not my thing
Anything with memorization — I can't retain it
Anything abstract or theoretical — I need it to be practical
Question 11 — Your Speed Gap
What do you pick up faster than most people — Pick all that apply around you — even without trying?
Not what you enjoy. What comes easily, almost automatically — things others struggle with that feel obvious to you.
Concrete examples of what this means:
"When my group needs a plan, I've already mapped it out before anyone speaks" — Planning faster
"I can tell exactly what someone's feeling even when they're hiding it" — Reading people faster
"I picked up a new app in 20 minutes while classmates were still lost an hour later" — Learning tech faster
"I write an essay in half the time and it comes out better" — Writing faster
"I looked at the broken thing and knew what was wrong before anyone had a diagnosis" — Diagnosing/fixing faster
"I picked up the sport in one season. Others had played for years" — Physical skills faster
💡 Keep in mind: Most people can't see their own talents because they feel so natural — "doesn't everyone just get this?" Usually, no. They don't. Ask a parent or close friend — they've noticed things you haven't.
Reading people — I know what someone's feeling without being told
Numbers and patterns — I see the math or pattern before others do
Fixing or building things — I figure it out physically faster than others
Explaining things — I make complicated ideas simple instantly
Persuading people — I can move someone to a yes naturally
Creating visually — I see how something should look before others do
Organizing and planning — I see the steps before anyone maps them
Learning new tech — I pick up tools and apps faster than peers
Moving my body — sports, coordination, physical skills come naturally
Writing — I express things in words faster and better than most
Making people feel comfortable — I put people at ease naturally
Spotting what's wrong — I notice problems and errors others miss
Question 12 — Multiple Intelligences
When you need to figure something out — how does your mind actually work? — Pick your top 1 or 2 Pick your top 1 or 2.
Howard Gardner at Harvard identified 8 distinct types of intelligence. Most schools only teach to 2 of them. This question finds yours.
📖 Words — I think through reading, writing, and talking it out (Linguistic)
🔢 Logic — I think in patterns, systems, and step-by-step reasoning (Logical-Mathematical)
🎨 Visuals — I think in pictures, diagrams, and spatial relationships (Spatial)
🤝 People — I think through conversation, collaboration, and others' reactions (Interpersonal)
🔇 Alone — I think through quiet reflection, journaling, processing internally (Intrapersonal)
🏃 Movement — I think through doing, building, hands-on trial and error (Bodily-Kinesthetic)
🎵 Rhythm — I think through sound, music, and patterns in beats and flow (Musical)
🌿 Nature — I think through the real world, systems in nature, categorizing living things (Naturalist)
💡 Did you know: A student who thinks through movement or visuals isn't less smart — they're wired differently. Surgeons, architects, designers, and athletes often score highest in bodily-kinesthetic or spatial intelligence. A student strong in interpersonal intelligence who's pushed into solo analytical work will feel like something is wrong with them. Nothing is wrong. The school system just wasn't built for their mind type.
Question 13 — Real Experience
What have YOU already tried and genuinely loved — even outside of school?
Real experience is the strongest signal. Jobs, volunteering, hobbies, side projects, clubs, sports, helping family. If you did it and kept coming back — that's data.
Examples: Tutored a younger kid and they finally got it · started a TikTok or YouTube channel and people actually watched · got a real job (camp counselor, lifeguard, retail) and didn't hate it · built something with my hands that worked · helped run a school event or club · made money flipping things online · taught myself a skill from videos and got good at it · played a sport and stayed late to keep practicing · volunteered somewhere and felt completely at home · wrote, drew, or recorded something just because I wanted to
Examples: e.g. Worked at a sports camp and loved coaching the little kids · built a Lego project I designed myself · started a small online shop · ran a school spirit day · taught myself video editing and got hired by friends · trained a younger sibling at a sport
💡 Keep in mind: Real-world experience beats any assessment. A teen who worked at a vet's office and loved it knows something about themselves. A teen who built a website for fun knows something. These aren't hobbies — they're data points about who you actually are.
Question 14 — What Bothers You
What problem in the world makes YOU genuinely angry or sad — something you wish you could fix?
Think about things you've actually seen or experienced — at school, in your community, in your own life. What bothers you when you see it?
Examples: Kids at school being left out or bullied · Athletes who work hard but never get noticed · People getting tricked or scammed online · Friends treated differently because of money · Animals not being taken care of · Younger kids who have nobody helping them figure out their future · People who are sick and can't get help · Talented people who never get a fair shot · The environment being ignored · People being judged before they're known
💡 Did you know: Many of the most successful people in healthcare went into medicine because they lost someone. Cybersecurity professionals often hate injustice. Teachers often had a teacher who changed their life. The problem that bothers you is often the field that needs you most.
Question 15 — What Matters Most
What matters most to you in a career? — Pick all that apply
Pick as many as you want. Be honest — there are no wrong answers.
About the work itself
Creating things — I want to make or build something
Solving hard problems — I want to figure things out
Leading and organizing — I want to run things
Helping people directly — I want to make a difference in someone's life
Competing and winning — I want to be the best at what I do
Teaching or coaching — I want to help others grow
About the lifestyle
Freedom and flexibility — I control my own time
Financial security — I never want to stress about money
Adventure — variety, travel, new challenges constantly