What did you actually do yesterday?
Listen without deciding for them.
Listen for the everyday reality behind the job title.
Ask, then wait. Their first answer is rarely the real one.
What makes you lose track of time?
You can't pick their thing. You can help them find it.
Five minutes, no right answers. Find a clue, try one small thing, maybe talk to someone who does it for real.
Three questions for you, a five-minute reflection they lead, and help from someone who has guided 300+ young people.
StartYou don't need your whole future figured out.
Not sure is an answer.
One question, one small experiment, one conversation. That's how it starts.
Pressure closes doors.
Questions open them.
Bring your curiosity, and let them lead. This page will show you how.
What you loveWhat they love
What do you do because you want to, not because you have to?
Notice what they do when nobody asks them to.
Drawing, games, being outside, taking things apart. Small interests count.
That's the first clue. Small interests count.
What you're good atWhat they're good at
What could you get good at, if you practised?
Notice what they practise without being told.
You don't have to be the best at it. Everyday strengths count.
What the world needs
Who or what would you like to make a little better?
Notice who and what they stand up for.
Start close to home. It doesn't have to be a huge problem.
What you can be paid forWhat they can be paid for
What useful thing could you make that someone would value?
Notice what people already ask them for.
Something to explore, not a promise of income.
Where all four overlap is your ikigai. Your thing.
Where all four overlap is their ikigai. A place to start, not a verdict.
Ikigai is a Japanese idea about what makes life feel worth it. Each pair of circles makes something: passion, mission, vocation, profession. All four together is the sweet spot. A reflection, not a test.
Hi, I'm Shane.
Who's behind this.
I started Hotspex, a company that helps businesses understand what people feel and why. I teach teams and governments how to use AI. I'm also a dad of three.
I'm Shane Skillen, founder and CEO of Hotspex. For more than two decades I've worked on understanding people and what motivates them. I teach executives, teams and governments to use AI in practical ways. I'm an entrepreneur, an investor and a father of three.
When I was starting out, I had a lot of mentors. One of them gave me twenty minutes I still think about.
When I was starting out, I had a lot of mentors. One of the most important moments came right after I graduated from the Richard Ivey School of Business.
It started with a phone call.
I called Richard Ivey's office and asked if I could speak with him.
His assistant said no.
Then she asked me to hold on while she checked.
On hold
About a minute later, she came back.
Tomorrow. 10 a.m.
Twenty minutes.
That call changed my life. You're allowed to make a call like that too.Someone made time for me. Now it's your kid's turn.
At the end, he asked me to help other people when I was able to.
Richard told me about Ivey's alumni network. Some of Hotspex's first clients came from it, and I'm still friends with many of those people. So now I do the same.
300+
young people helped so far.
The goal is 100,000. The next one could be you.The next one could be yours.
Twenty minutes. Better questions.
Your job isn't to have the answer.
When I can, I'll set up a twenty-minute call with someone who works in a field you're curious about. Take these with you.
Pick one small role. These are the four the parent questions offer, and any one of them is enough.
What do people misunderstand about this work?
Help them try a small experiment.
The surprises are the useful part.
The reflection ends with a ten-minute one they can do with paper and a pencil.
Which skills do you use most?
Connect them with someone to talk to.
That's your list of things to practise.
One real person in the field beats a hundred job titles.
What would you try first if you were starting now?
Help them make a practical next-step plan.
Then go try it.
One step. This week. Small enough to actually happen.
A conversation, not a promise.
When possible, Shane reaches out to his network to arrange a twenty-minute exploratory call. Introductions depend on availability. They aren't a job placement.
Your turn.
Three questions for you. Then hand it over.
About five minutes. No right answers. "Not sure" counts. At the end you get your first clues and one small experiment to try.
Your kid answers the reflection in their own words. They finish with their first clues and one small experiment to try.
You switched seats.
Nothing you choose is sent anywhere or saved. Refreshing clears it. An ikigai-inspired reflection, not a scientific assessment or a prediction. More about ikigai.Careers to explore.
Careers to explore together.
Three different directions, matched to your answers. Ideas to test and ask about, not predictions.
Three different directions, matched to their answers. Ideas to talk about, not predictions.
Finish the reflection above and your three careers land here.When they finish the reflection, their three careers land here. Or browse by family below.
Browse by family
Search every job
900 official job profiles and 18,654 job titles.
Careers come from Canada's official occupation profiles (OaSIS 2025, ESDC). Pay is the Job Bank 2025 national median, rounded, and varies a lot by place and experience. Which careers sit in which family is our judgement, a starting point for a conversation.
Put it on the fridge.
Ask one good question tonight.
Write the one small thing you'll try this week. If you finished the reflection, your experiment is already on it.
Pick one. Ask it at dinner, in the car, wherever they actually talk. Then just listen.
Not a plan. A clue.
Tonight's question
What's something you lost track of time doing this week?
Ask. Listen. Let them lead.