Short answer: yes.

You're not going to become a runway supermodel unless you're ridiculously (and possibly unhealthily) tall and thin—and can walk really well in heels. You won't play football or baseball professionally unless you're in the top .000001% people who also want to become millionaire athletes. And spoiler alert: you're not. Unless society changes big time, those are the facts.

But here's the thing: skills that matter change. Sure, baseball will probably always be America's favorite sport, but think of all the gigs that didn't exist a few decades years ago and now are some of the highest-paying. Software engineer, anyone? Or how about the opposite? For example, making shoes was a highly prized skill at one point; and now…not so much. 

Plus, some skills are subjective. Have you read Divergent? Veronica Roth is basically a gazillionaire now, but is she a good writer? Depends who you ask. Ditto for famous actors, singers, and artists all over the globe.

Working on Your Skills

If you have an aptitude for something, it means there's something natural you that makes you able to do that something. Translation: you're suited for it.

Shmoop, for example, does not have an aptitude for basketball. We're short and not super athletic. Sure, we could practice and practice and practice and probably get way better, but we don't have an aptitude for it.

But not having aptitude doesn't mean you can't have skills. Some people, for example, might say they're "not a math person," but if they studied a ton and worked their butts off, they might be able to get to the head of their class and even become an engineer or mathematician.

And, of course, when you're launching a career, skills aren't the only things that matter. Everything from test scores to personality to who you know can all make a huge difference.

Find Your Skills and Make Them Matter

Let's say you feel like you have an aptitude for…absolutely nothing. Your sister plays basketball well and always has. Your brother has been playing piano music since he was three. Your best friend has been coding for years. You? You've been doing a whole lot of nothing.

Instead of stressing, just get to work on finding out what you have an aptitude for—and what you're willing to work for. Try lots of different things and see what sticks. Join after school clubs, volunteer at different organizations, and take free classes. What do you like? What makes you happy? What do you feel confident doing? What do other people tell you you're good at?

You might just stumble into a skill you didn't know you had—and maybe, just maybe, that skill can turn into a career.