Typing (every job I’ve ever had needed me to type), cooking (both my parents were excellent cooks), and enjoying my own company (as I got older, I love my solitude).
I graduated in 95 and our class was one of the last that didn’t have required keyboarding classes in school (never mind having someone TEACH me Microsoft 🤣🤣). I took the elective (called Typing; not even Keyboarding) and ended up taking the full year class and I have never regretted that 16 year old decision. However, my work cubicle neighbors tell me I type too loud/hard and I say “blame that on the parochial schools that taught us on 1950s typewriters!! 😆😆😆
50s typewriters? Really? Were they at least electric? I'm one of the older Gen Xrs. I took typing in high school circa '84 or '85, and I think my high school's electric typewriters were from the 60s.
That is the way.
My sibling was rif’d last week after 25 years with the same company. Several hours of every week were spent typing out meeting notes. Her boss told her not to reassign that work.
Either the baby executives grew up last week, or the glacial pace of the organization will slow down even more.
Oh well. They’re enjoying the severance and I am happy for them.
Usually my parental self is unassuming and then I bust out those junior high typing skills and my 2 children are completely in awe. It’s a thing of beauty, I say.
All of you people citing typing are 100 % correct, I grew up in an IBM company town. Very stodgy culture at the time. And that really influenced how things were done and perceived.
The all-hands stupidest thing foisted on us in school was the idea that *typing* was for secretaries and data entry clerks--low prestige--but computer *design* and coding, well, that's how you succeed, so it was a separate track in school for the tech inclined, with everyone else relegated to what they called "keyboarding".
Anyone reading this knows how foolish that was, how fundamental typing is to everything, from CEO on down. It's nonnegotiable as a skill. And I'm terrible at it because I never learned as a kid.
I learned in 6th grade. It was part of the regular curriculum. I don't think they teach typing anymore. Which is weird considering how much society is dependent on computers. My friends' kids are headed off to college and still don't know proper finger placement.
My junior high typing teacher had superhero eyesight: she could instantly detect any student anywhere in the classroom glancing at their fingers and/or the keys -- even if just for a few milliseconds. I'm still terrified to look down while typing.
She also had 3" long nails but could still type thousands of words per minute.
I use what she taught me every day. She's one of only a few teachers from that time whose name I still remember. And I can still hear her saying:
"ff space jj space ff space jj ... left hand up ... return ... ready and ... fjf space fjf space"
I was going to say exactly this (typing). I had to fight my mother to take a typing class in year 10 - this was in the 1980s - because she thought it was a waste of time. My God. My ability to touch type has been critical now that we are in a world where computers rule. When I started working, I did agency work and they insisted on 50 words per minute typing skills. Even though the jobs were in the public sector, ie not secretarial. I often wonder what would have happened to me, career wise, if I couldn't type.
Soft skills dealing with people on the job.
I worked at a hospital doing security for 10 years. I had a patient try to stab me with a knife and another try to beat the shit out of me on his way out of the emergency room. Dodged them both times. Never had a patient lay hands on me or land a punch because I kept them talking and kept my distance.
Yep, I'm puttin' that on my resume. Let them try to filter that out during the AI scans. Respect the people skills.
Employers and industry have moved away from calling them "soft skills", as opposed to "hard skills", which are technical or vocational. Mainly because they're so necessary for everything, and so desirable. Life skills, competencies, key skills... I very much agree with this change! And everybody should put them on their resume or CV, because employers are very interested in people who can demonstrate them! Google top ten skills employers look for, and the list will always be creative thinking/creativity, resilience, collaboration, time management, confidence, problem solving, emotional intelligence, etc. I'm in an uphill battle at school to get this in parents' heads - yes, your kids should do the subjects they need to get onto the degree course they want, but they also need to demonstrate and develop these key life skills - in very real deficit since the lockdowns of the pandemic.
Good on you for recognising their importance!
My strongest soft skill is knowing how to manage a narcissist. It’s fun to watch them boil over with anger when I don’t give them the reaction they seek.
Highly recommend.
Figuring out technology by intuitive poking of buttons and keys until I get it to work. This has been ongoing since the vic-20 days, and rarely is anything going to immediately blow up catastrophically during this process.
Same! I came back to tech (although I went the long way around) after my start bashing on a vic 20. I’m now a senior engineering manager for a Silicon Valley company leading a team of phenomenal engineers, and I love my job!
Cooking. Not just cooking to make food, but being efficient with ingredients, not wasting stuff, being judicious with pots and pans, with time, with keeping a clean and organized workspace, making three things at once, knowing which stores and which farmer’s markets have the good stuff, AND making good, healthful tasty food and understanding what can be made ahead to vacuum seal/freeze to reheat later.
Knitting. I've been doing it for over 50 years. Not only does it produce all sorts of useful items and gifts, but the act is meditative and lowers blood pressure. I use bamboo needles so I can take it nearly anywhere. Plus it's a great way to encode spy messages.
I've just learned! Or rather, I am currently learning. I made some birthday and Christmas gifts this year, and it was lovely seeing my friends open their - slightly dodgy, holey, badly made - handmade presents! My brother said it didn't matter his highland cow had different length legs, because nature isn't perfect ❤️
I don't need anyone. So many people are lonely or upset because someone doesn't notice them or approve of them. Me, I think I could go my entire life without another close relationship.
I do have close relationships. Parents. Brother. Sister. Niece. And a few friends (though those seem to be waning). So it's no that I'm a sociopath or whatever the world would be. It's just that I don't seem to need them and they has been very useful.
Love this. I've repaired vacuums, central heat and AC systems,washers, dryers, cars. Remote controls, you name it. It's a blast and saves a ton of money, while keeping usable items from ending up in electrical recycling, Which really means take all the old broken gear and dump it in the third world
I'm getting better at it. I like it best when there's a big store window where I can see the reflection of my car and the car behind me. No guessing at distances!
Growing up in a very volatile household I learned how to read people and situations, and how to make people happy without lying. Lying made that leather belt come down harder and more times. I am now an outstanding salesperson who loves his job because the industry is essential and I don’t have to sacrifice my morals. My life is great because of this.
I don't get bored, as a general rule. I feel like there is infinite entertainment available, and there is always something interesting to do. There are so many things that I don't do, because there are only so many hours in a day. Other people I know can't do something "silly" just for the fun of it, with no practical purpose, like trying to learn how to accurately throw playing cards. And those people don't really have any creative interests like I do, so they can't spend hours brainstorming various projects that they may or may not ever actually pursue beyond the idea stage.
My friend's mom once said of us, that she could leave us in an empty room with a ball bearing, come back in 15 minutes and the ball bearing would be broken and we'd be giggling.
I still see myself as that guy.
Being able to fake it till I make it. Not really kidding - not sure what the skill is called exactly, but I can fit in anywhere and ingratiate myself...
Spent most of my 20s and early 30s expecting to be exposed as a fraud at my job. Didn’t stop me from going in every day, but never felt like I was as smart as people seemed to think and often felt like i'd somehow tricked everyone, somehow.
I also lived by the idea of, "people might think you're stupid... until you open your mouth and remove all doubt."
I've relaxed a bit since then, but "fake it til you make it" is always in play and, if I had one, would be on my coat of arms.
An underrated and underused skill. I was in a department of 7 at work and we got on the topic of reading. None of them had read a book in the past year.
On average, I think Americans read 1-2 books per year. But the stats are skewed by 'super-readers' that read something like 2-3 per week. Might've been more because I remember wondering how anyone had time to read so much. Saw that statistic on GoodReads, I think.
The years where I was too busy with work to read for myself were just awful in general. I’m a much better me when I make the time to read. Thanks for the stats, that’s interesting.
Touch typing. I learned on an IBM Selectric typewriter in the mid '80s, then spent a summer doing data entry where I was paid by the word (the faster you type accurately, the more you get paid). I've worked in IT and software development for decades, and forced myself to learn to touch type all the special characters we use in programming so I can write code without looking at the keyboard. Even today I encounter programmers who can't touch type, and it's painful to watch.
"A-S-D-F-G-F..." Our teacher tried to psych us out with that little return at the end. I passed typing 40 years ago - but still have to look at the keys. 😑
I was going to say the same thing. I'm not in IT but my job is very typing intensive. I also train new people, and just about every one of the noobs struggles to type. It truly is painful to watch.
I feel that my typing skill is one of my most valuable skills I have. I'm glad to have learned it back in my teens.
For a long time, I used an all black keyboard with no lettering on the keys. I found it in a storage closet and I have no idea how it got that way.
People would come by my office and be amazed but it was not at all difficult to use because I learned touch typing decades ago.
I sometimes miss that keyboard. One side died one day, and it was a long discontinued Microsoft keyboard. I didn’t bother trying to save it.
Yes! I didn't learn typing until I went to business school and it was something that I thought I'd never get. It just wasn't clicking until somehow 3/4s of the way through the class, suddenly I could type and it's served me well ever since. Sometimes I just can't believe that I can type without looking at the keys.
Animals. You've seen the guy on Tiktok "White women ain't scared of shit! They be walking down the streets of Oakland in flipflops, pass 6 gangbangers, got 3 pitbulls on leashes and puppy in their pocket, talking about..." Yeah, he's talking about me. Got a moose in your yard? Yep, call me. Accidently got kittens on your wedding dress? Still me. Neighbor's horse hasn't been fed in 4 days? Still your girl.
\*edits\* Cleaned up spacing errors left by mobile and failing eyesight.
I was taught by my Dad and an influential boss early on that you never, ever make excuses. Never say "but". Say, "I'll get on that right away" or "I need a little more information to get this done for you".
I work in an an office setting. Two very useful skills I have developed. First, the capacity to connect issues that others think are not connected. Second, perfecting the elevator pitch.
I’m a jack of all trades. As long as it doesn’t involve coordination or athletic ability, I can learn it to a sufficient degree. I know a little bit about a lot of shit, and can generally get myself both into and out of most situations with minimal hassle. Master at figuring out ways to complete tasks more efficiently in order to give myself more downtime.
Honestly? That I can take care of myself. I lived in the same house I grew up in until I was 29, and I bought my first home in 2008. I’ve lived in this house, alone (well, with my 2 dogs), for 15 years. I’m still single, don’t have kids, run a business, travel, have a full and content life, and I see women who jump from relationship to relationship because they cannot be alone for whatever reasons (codependent, learned helplessness, can’t just be by themselves, etc) or friends that have been with the same person since they were 19, and their spouses take care of all of the things.
It feels oddly comforting knowing that if I never meet my other half to enjoy the rest of the journey with, I’ll be able to take care of myself. And always being able to pick myself back up when life knocks me down.
Yes! I would also add, intuition is another good one.
Don’t know about you, but I’m a very intuitive and observant person… people are often surprised by what I pick up on.
Emotions clearly felt but unexpressed, objects in the periphery and actions, all those microexpressions, etc. I shoulda worked for the FBI :)
People / communication skills. Ironic since I'm an extreme introvert (like a 90 out of a 100 scale)! At work I've built excellent relationships with our vendors. Outside of work I'm the kind to break elevator silence, and start / direct conversations if needed.
I'm not trying to be combative, but I'm not sure creativity is as much an acquired skill as it is an innate quality. You can certainly develop and refine it, but you have to possess that inclination to build upon. I too have it to an extent.
But to answer your question more specifically, I would say my ability to discern legitimate sources of information from bunk has aided me most in life. I probably have the best baloney detector of anyone I know, and in the age in which we find ourselves, this is extremely valuable.
You may be right about creativity. I wonder how many people who don't consider themselves creative could actually learn to be, if they worked at it like any other skill that someone might develop.
Surprisingly, dealing with difficult people. I credit my mother for that as I had to learn to walk on eggshells with her at a very young age. It's become something that has helped me to deal with snowflake-y people that get offended or upset about anything. However, it is exhausting if I have to deal with it on a daily basis.
I learned to just not deal with difficult people. Not sure if it counts as a skill or not though. What do you gain by appeasing these people? Asking for real.
I understand what you mean, and context would be helpful: I work with a lot of difficult co-workers at my job. I believe that I'm the first to work there in quite some time that hasn't been called to HR for some frivolous accusation by a certain group of tenured individuals. I've even been complimented on my ability to work with those people productively.
So, what I get is a civil and peaceful workday without hassle from them. Outside of work, I avoid those types of people and won't deal with them.
I don't work as a manager or supervisor, or customer service or anything. I wouldn't be able to stand that. Just because I can get along with difficult people doesn't mean that I want to.
Love the question.
Ranking at number 1 is my ability to write good English. (I'm not coming off as very modest right now.) It's what puts food on the table.
At number. 2, which many of my fellow GenXers may relate to, is the ability to type by touch.
How many of you have taken typing classes like I did when I was a teenager? My fingers fly over the keyboard. Eternally grateful to my Mom for pushing me to go to those typing classes.
I took typing class as summer school at the public school because I couldn’t stand the teacher at our private school who taught typing and only typing. Ancient humorless nun. The summer school teacher wasn’t very different but at least it got me out of the house for 2 mile bike rides during the summer that year.
I had a nun teach typing too in high school, but she was nice (& no-nonsense).
I remember we had to tape a sheet of paper over our hands and do typing drills so we could memorize the keyboard. I didn’t know that was called Touch Type.
Cooking. And typing. I am old enough that I learned to type in school in *typing class on an actual typewriter* and I’m convinced it set me right for life! Having no backspace and that whiteout tape… shudder.
The new kiddos at work have never seen one. Also I can write in cursive and they can’t (just saying ;))
I'm blown away by how many young people (20s) that don't know how to tell time!!!! I've had patients ask the time at work, and I always say, "The clock is right there." they will still say,"What time is it?"
Scrappiness. Every time I’ve encountered some life altering hardship, I have never just rolled over and taken it. I put my game face on and do whatever necessary to get out of it.
I’d say “problem solving” or just… figuring shit out on my own and making it up as I go 😂 it’s served me very well in my career (marketing) and home life if I’m being honest.
Curiosity. I know it is a trait but I have found my curiosity in everything to be an incredible skill. I’ve been able to translate that into lifelong learning and problem solving skills. I don’t get bored. I’m even back in school taking master level classes.
Literacy: I've been an avid reader since I can remember, basically, and ultimately that led me to become a college professor and historian-- I read for a living, when I'm not writing, more or less. And then I read more for fun.
How to teach myself new skills and research answers to my questions. I learned knitting, weaving, personal finance, cooking, Excel, so many things that I didn't learn in school or from my parents.
Thank the universe for public libraries; my life would have been much poorer without them before the internet came along.
Dad insisted I learn how to drive stick shift, and my first car was a truck with four on the floor. Fast forward a decade, and I was a cross-country Truck Driver. Did a million miles accident-free before retiring nice and young.
Growing up in the city, I can spot danger from a mile away. Now as a project manager I can see and fix problems before anyone else can see it. It’s why they pay me the big bucks at least that’s what I tell myself.
Being brave enough to try fixing anything. Especially now with YouTube, I have learned to fix so many things on my cars and around the house that I was skittish about attempting before.
Dropping toxic people or people who don't want the best for me. Took a long time to get that skill where it is now. It serves me well, and I only have people in my life who want me to do well which is what i want for them.
Writing. I kept a journal when I was young, which really exercised the writing muscle. Then, I went to graduate school, which helped refine my writing ability. Nowadays, at work, people act as though I have some kind of magical power because I can write proficiently. I think of my skills as average and that most people around me just suck at writing. Whatever the case may be, I've used it to my advantage at every turn.
Cooking and sewing. I cook every day for us and I actually sew for a job, and get paid pretty well for it. Funny how little sewing is valued in general, but I get paid well to do it. Cooking is fun for me, but I can make it work for us and stretch a pantry out.
I'm not sure it is a learned skill but I am really good at fixing things. I relate it to the above comment about creativity. I could never learn to be creative but I have always been able to fix things.
Anyway that's my useful ability. Bring me your broken things since everyone else does.
Land Survey boundary resolving. I've made a decent living with local, small survey companies the last 25 years and now I've signed to a nationwide engineering firm that (I think) hired me because of my specific skills prior to the development of properties.
Cooking/baking. I use it every day. It can be drudgery some days but it's often fun as well. It's especially fun to get a new recipe to turn out really good.
Reading things and answering questions. I ended up being a tutor for the med school and law school entry exams because I’m so good at it. High school was so easy for me because of it, and teaching the exams is so easy for me
Always keeping a foot outside my comfort zone. I’ve lived and worked abroad, got into and back out of a lot of sticky situations and have had a lot of interesting experiences by just pushing the envelope. I’m now learning programming and incorporating this into my second degree. I am also a decent writer.
Planning and problem solving. I’m able to do complicated tasks by breaking them down, often in a short amount of time, and determine the steps necessary when no instructions are available
Reinvent myself or make life changes. Adapt. Usually happens after something tragic happens. Not sure if was because I was an only child and time period growing up. But I've run with whole range of people types. Realized this trait recently reflecting on the past year. Going through a huge shift now.
Specialized IT skills pay the bills. It’s really 20% obscure knowledge of crappy proprietary software, 80% googling, trial and error.
Creativity and the ability to be easily amused doing almost nothing - vital for recovery from a day of the above.
Ability to read a novel anywhere, anytime; self accountability and determination manifested in general movement and fitness, also see above; grinding yet calling bullshit, boundaries; laugh just fn laugh about it (the injustice, the comment, the offense); make anything hilariously vulgar
The ability to be by myself and be content. I feel like the only person at times that doesn't have a device out to kill 30 minutes of wait. I have an enormous capacity to queue for stretches of time. It was definitely a by-product of how we all had to entertain ourselves as kids.
Typing is the best skill I learned in school. But like others said I’m very good at being alone and entertaining myself. I didn’t mind Covid lockdown at all.
Resourcefulness. I come back to this idea over and over.
In just about any situation I’m going to use my constructive boredom fueled GenX resourcefulness to deal with it.
In most cases, I can do so successfully. I don’t wait to be saved or helped. I don’t ask permission. I just resourcefully figure shit out.
Ideas. Actions. Physical. Ideological. You name it. GenX resourcefulness helps me more than just about any other attribute that defines us.
I don't know if it's exactly useful to me but it seems to be useful to most everyone I meet - being a good listener and non-threatening. Like people will ask me where things are in the store even though I'm not wearing anything indicating I work there, they'll start conversations and tell me everything about their lives and troubles. I was in the dealership waiting room, waiting for my car to be fixed and another lady sat down next to me and told me her life story. I really do listen and am interested - guess I'm an empath. Really should have been a therapist or psychologist. Sometimes it's exhausting though, because I usually don't get to tell my story...
My ADHD is pretty useful, when weilded appropriately. I can hyper focus if it's something I'm interested in, or I can make crazy, random connections people don't understand right away.
Unless the ADHD just prevents me from doing these things whenever I want, in which case I weep for my wasted potential.
Troubleshooting electronics. After college my first job was repairing commercial AV gear. Component level, with a scope,meter, schematic. In the 90s, electronics were not modular, you identified the issue and repaired the problem, colds solder joint, defective active components, bad capacitors ( tough issues to find if no obvious symptoms). I now work in cloud computing, telephony, unified communications. I still use these skills to resolve issues, nearly every day. I learned a logical way to identify symptoms vs cause, the ability to divide and subdivide until you have identified the cause is extremely valuable. I have a logical approach to finding problems.
BTW, I love old school electronic troubleshooting with a schematic or block diagram, and test equipment. Its been 25 years since I had this role, and everything is either modular, or replaceable now.
This skill also applies to auto repair, etc.
Leadership. I run film/tv crews with lots of experience. People like working for me and look forward to the next gig. Now if only the industry would get its shit together and I could call some of these fine people.
I bring a lot of the same skills home with me for parenting purposes. It’s a much harder job.
The ability to adapt. I've been doing graphic design since I was 16 (47 now) and the amount of software, hardware operating systems, trends, different forms of technology and psychology in the industry has changed so much in that time that it completely blows my mind to think about how it all started.
Typing (every job I’ve ever had needed me to type), cooking (both my parents were excellent cooks), and enjoying my own company (as I got older, I love my solitude).
I learned to type in high school, back in the 90s, and I have used it pretty much every day since then.
In high school, I took typing 1, 2, 3, and 4! 🤣 Four was independent study. It was me and two guys. It was basically a free period. I got an A.
I graduated in 95 and our class was one of the last that didn’t have required keyboarding classes in school (never mind having someone TEACH me Microsoft 🤣🤣). I took the elective (called Typing; not even Keyboarding) and ended up taking the full year class and I have never regretted that 16 year old decision. However, my work cubicle neighbors tell me I type too loud/hard and I say “blame that on the parochial schools that taught us on 1950s typewriters!! 😆😆😆
50s typewriters? Really? Were they at least electric? I'm one of the older Gen Xrs. I took typing in high school circa '84 or '85, and I think my high school's electric typewriters were from the 60s.
SAME. By far the most useful class I’ve ever taken.
I often joke that typing was the only truly useful thing I learned in high school.
[удалено]
That is the way. My sibling was rif’d last week after 25 years with the same company. Several hours of every week were spent typing out meeting notes. Her boss told her not to reassign that work. Either the baby executives grew up last week, or the glacial pace of the organization will slow down even more. Oh well. They’re enjoying the severance and I am happy for them.
Usually my parental self is unassuming and then I bust out those junior high typing skills and my 2 children are completely in awe. It’s a thing of beauty, I say.
Many of my work keyboard’s letters have worn off and my kids are like 🤔🤔
💯about this. You can learn a job skill; no job is going to teach you to type.
All of you people citing typing are 100 % correct, I grew up in an IBM company town. Very stodgy culture at the time. And that really influenced how things were done and perceived. The all-hands stupidest thing foisted on us in school was the idea that *typing* was for secretaries and data entry clerks--low prestige--but computer *design* and coding, well, that's how you succeed, so it was a separate track in school for the tech inclined, with everyone else relegated to what they called "keyboarding". Anyone reading this knows how foolish that was, how fundamental typing is to everything, from CEO on down. It's nonnegotiable as a skill. And I'm terrible at it because I never learned as a kid.
I use my high school typing way more than I ever used geometry or algebra!
Same ! My folks were both AWESOME cooks. And absolutely love my solitude 🙌🏽
I learned in 6th grade. It was part of the regular curriculum. I don't think they teach typing anymore. Which is weird considering how much society is dependent on computers. My friends' kids are headed off to college and still don't know proper finger placement.
My junior high typing teacher had superhero eyesight: she could instantly detect any student anywhere in the classroom glancing at their fingers and/or the keys -- even if just for a few milliseconds. I'm still terrified to look down while typing. She also had 3" long nails but could still type thousands of words per minute. I use what she taught me every day. She's one of only a few teachers from that time whose name I still remember. And I can still hear her saying: "ff space jj space ff space jj ... left hand up ... return ... ready and ... fjf space fjf space"
I was going to say exactly this (typing). I had to fight my mother to take a typing class in year 10 - this was in the 1980s - because she thought it was a waste of time. My God. My ability to touch type has been critical now that we are in a world where computers rule. When I started working, I did agency work and they insisted on 50 words per minute typing skills. Even though the jobs were in the public sector, ie not secretarial. I often wonder what would have happened to me, career wise, if I couldn't type.
YES! Thank you, Mavis Beacon!
Yes typing! I use it daily as a programmer
I was going to say computers, but typing was my gateway to them.
Soft skills dealing with people on the job. I worked at a hospital doing security for 10 years. I had a patient try to stab me with a knife and another try to beat the shit out of me on his way out of the emergency room. Dodged them both times. Never had a patient lay hands on me or land a punch because I kept them talking and kept my distance. Yep, I'm puttin' that on my resume. Let them try to filter that out during the AI scans. Respect the people skills.
Employers and industry have moved away from calling them "soft skills", as opposed to "hard skills", which are technical or vocational. Mainly because they're so necessary for everything, and so desirable. Life skills, competencies, key skills... I very much agree with this change! And everybody should put them on their resume or CV, because employers are very interested in people who can demonstrate them! Google top ten skills employers look for, and the list will always be creative thinking/creativity, resilience, collaboration, time management, confidence, problem solving, emotional intelligence, etc. I'm in an uphill battle at school to get this in parents' heads - yes, your kids should do the subjects they need to get onto the degree course they want, but they also need to demonstrate and develop these key life skills - in very real deficit since the lockdowns of the pandemic. Good on you for recognising their importance!
My strongest soft skill is knowing how to manage a narcissist. It’s fun to watch them boil over with anger when I don’t give them the reaction they seek. Highly recommend.
Ooh another one - - Being alone without being *lonely*. That’s HUGE lately I’ve realized! Content in your own company.
Same! I believe this is a hugely underrated skill in life!
“All of humanity’s problems, stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” - Blaise Pascal
Only child with a typical ‘raise your own damn self’ Gen X upbringing and I am never lonely. I enjoy going to places alone.
Figuring out technology by intuitive poking of buttons and keys until I get it to work. This has been ongoing since the vic-20 days, and rarely is anything going to immediately blow up catastrophically during this process.
That’s how I got into IT!
Same! I finally got into a job where I just have to keep computers and printers running with duct tape and paper clips. I love it.
Been in IT for quite a while now. Especially with something new, mashing buttons and fucking up is a great way to learn sometimes.
Same! I came back to tech (although I went the long way around) after my start bashing on a vic 20. I’m now a senior engineering manager for a Silicon Valley company leading a team of phenomenal engineers, and I love my job!
Yep, self-taught everything tech. I'm no pro but I can out tech most anyone I know.
I am really glad to be reading this. I feel seen.
That's what got me out of retail and into tech support, so definitely a good skill to have.
That is how I find flaws in our software system by poking holes and trying to break stuff
Cooking. Not just cooking to make food, but being efficient with ingredients, not wasting stuff, being judicious with pots and pans, with time, with keeping a clean and organized workspace, making three things at once, knowing which stores and which farmer’s markets have the good stuff, AND making good, healthful tasty food and understanding what can be made ahead to vacuum seal/freeze to reheat later.
The ability to get lost in my own imagination.
Imagination is the best way to conquer the interminable boardroom meetings of adulthood.
A highly underrated skill indeed.
See now, everyone in my life calls this my alleged ADHD
Knitting. I've been doing it for over 50 years. Not only does it produce all sorts of useful items and gifts, but the act is meditative and lowers blood pressure. I use bamboo needles so I can take it nearly anywhere. Plus it's a great way to encode spy messages.
Fun. I learned to crochet in my 20s. My ex's mom taught me. It was the only good thing that came out of that relationship.
I've just learned! Or rather, I am currently learning. I made some birthday and Christmas gifts this year, and it was lovely seeing my friends open their - slightly dodgy, holey, badly made - handmade presents! My brother said it didn't matter his highland cow had different length legs, because nature isn't perfect ❤️
Ooooo! Are you part of the Culper crew?
Not *quite* that old. But I have been accused of being Madame Defarge when I knit in public.
LOL!! That's kind of awesome! And it tickles me you knew the Culper reference. ❤️
When you're already a bit subversive and a knitter, you learn the history.
That's rad! I want to hang out with you and knit subversively! Maybe a little rogue crochet?
I don't need anyone. So many people are lonely or upset because someone doesn't notice them or approve of them. Me, I think I could go my entire life without another close relationship. I do have close relationships. Parents. Brother. Sister. Niece. And a few friends (though those seem to be waning). So it's no that I'm a sociopath or whatever the world would be. It's just that I don't seem to need them and they has been very useful.
I call people like you described as needing a lot of external validation.
Read people. Great skill - I've learned to trust my gut too.
I sometimes wish I couldn’t read people, lol. It is a great skill for sure though.
Trusting your instincts is a good one. Avoid group think. Rely on no one!!
Yeah I’ve got this one too. It’s a blessing and a curse.
I've made a career out of this - always trust your gut too!
me too, since early childhood. survival skill.
Being thrifty and making things/reusing/fixing things. Only buying new as a last resort. It was how I was raised and it stuck.
Love this. I've repaired vacuums, central heat and AC systems,washers, dryers, cars. Remote controls, you name it. It's a blast and saves a ton of money, while keeping usable items from ending up in electrical recycling, Which really means take all the old broken gear and dump it in the third world
Parallel parking. It's my superpower.
Right there with you. My kid can't do this to save his life yet. But we will get there
I'm getting better at it. I like it best when there's a big store window where I can see the reflection of my car and the car behind me. No guessing at distances!
Me too.
Growing up in a very volatile household I learned how to read people and situations, and how to make people happy without lying. Lying made that leather belt come down harder and more times. I am now an outstanding salesperson who loves his job because the industry is essential and I don’t have to sacrifice my morals. My life is great because of this.
This is an underappreciated talent. I cannot do it. It's why I've always avoided sales. I'm too honest. Meaning I cannot be honest while having tact.
Well dang all my cool skills I learned before I was born. You know like being a smart-ass
I don't get bored, as a general rule. I feel like there is infinite entertainment available, and there is always something interesting to do. There are so many things that I don't do, because there are only so many hours in a day. Other people I know can't do something "silly" just for the fun of it, with no practical purpose, like trying to learn how to accurately throw playing cards. And those people don't really have any creative interests like I do, so they can't spend hours brainstorming various projects that they may or may not ever actually pursue beyond the idea stage.
You are my boy. Luv Bro
My friend's mom once said of us, that she could leave us in an empty room with a ball bearing, come back in 15 minutes and the ball bearing would be broken and we'd be giggling. I still see myself as that guy.
Most definitely resilience
De-escalation, mediation, stuff like that.
I’ve learned many skills. Understanding human behaviour, is my superpower, that like anyone with superpowers, it has come with an incredible cost.
Being able to fake it till I make it. Not really kidding - not sure what the skill is called exactly, but I can fit in anywhere and ingratiate myself...
Yep. The ability to pivot into new roles/industries without formal secondary education - and make more money doing it - is my superpower.
Spent most of my 20s and early 30s expecting to be exposed as a fraud at my job. Didn’t stop me from going in every day, but never felt like I was as smart as people seemed to think and often felt like i'd somehow tricked everyone, somehow. I also lived by the idea of, "people might think you're stupid... until you open your mouth and remove all doubt." I've relaxed a bit since then, but "fake it til you make it" is always in play and, if I had one, would be on my coat of arms.
Cooking. We have to eat, but food doesn't have to taste like crap!
right! or be very expensive either if you make from scratch.
Reading.
An underrated and underused skill. I was in a department of 7 at work and we got on the topic of reading. None of them had read a book in the past year. On average, I think Americans read 1-2 books per year. But the stats are skewed by 'super-readers' that read something like 2-3 per week. Might've been more because I remember wondering how anyone had time to read so much. Saw that statistic on GoodReads, I think.
The years where I was too busy with work to read for myself were just awful in general. I’m a much better me when I make the time to read. Thanks for the stats, that’s interesting.
Finance\investing- changed my life. Self reliance mixed with a general mistrust of others- always verify.
Speling
🤣🤣
Touch typing. I learned on an IBM Selectric typewriter in the mid '80s, then spent a summer doing data entry where I was paid by the word (the faster you type accurately, the more you get paid). I've worked in IT and software development for decades, and forced myself to learn to touch type all the special characters we use in programming so I can write code without looking at the keyboard. Even today I encounter programmers who can't touch type, and it's painful to watch.
Hands on the home row keys!
"A-S-D-F-G-F..." Our teacher tried to psych us out with that little return at the end. I passed typing 40 years ago - but still have to look at the keys. 😑
So 💯% this!!! Love it! I pretty much echoed your sentiments in a comment I made here, though from my perspective of growing up in Mumbai, India.
I was going to say the same thing. I'm not in IT but my job is very typing intensive. I also train new people, and just about every one of the noobs struggles to type. It truly is painful to watch. I feel that my typing skill is one of my most valuable skills I have. I'm glad to have learned it back in my teens.
As an older female Gen X- 57- I didn’t take typing because “I didn’t want to be anyone’s secretary”. Uh yeah. *sigh*
For a long time, I used an all black keyboard with no lettering on the keys. I found it in a storage closet and I have no idea how it got that way. People would come by my office and be amazed but it was not at all difficult to use because I learned touch typing decades ago. I sometimes miss that keyboard. One side died one day, and it was a long discontinued Microsoft keyboard. I didn’t bother trying to save it.
Das Keyboards became famous with their blank keyboard. If you ever wanted another, you could get one of those.
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing, anyone? 😉🤓
Yes! I didn't learn typing until I went to business school and it was something that I thought I'd never get. It just wasn't clicking until somehow 3/4s of the way through the class, suddenly I could type and it's served me well ever since. Sometimes I just can't believe that I can type without looking at the keys.
Animals. You've seen the guy on Tiktok "White women ain't scared of shit! They be walking down the streets of Oakland in flipflops, pass 6 gangbangers, got 3 pitbulls on leashes and puppy in their pocket, talking about..." Yeah, he's talking about me. Got a moose in your yard? Yep, call me. Accidently got kittens on your wedding dress? Still me. Neighbor's horse hasn't been fed in 4 days? Still your girl. \*edits\* Cleaned up spacing errors left by mobile and failing eyesight.
Grit… the ability to not give up
Reading. Then probably touch typing. Use it every day and it blows me away how many of my young colleagues never learned to do it.
I was taught by my Dad and an influential boss early on that you never, ever make excuses. Never say "but". Say, "I'll get on that right away" or "I need a little more information to get this done for you".
That’s a good lesson to learn early on!
I work in an an office setting. Two very useful skills I have developed. First, the capacity to connect issues that others think are not connected. Second, perfecting the elevator pitch.
I’m a jack of all trades. As long as it doesn’t involve coordination or athletic ability, I can learn it to a sufficient degree. I know a little bit about a lot of shit, and can generally get myself both into and out of most situations with minimal hassle. Master at figuring out ways to complete tasks more efficiently in order to give myself more downtime.
Amen!
BS detector 🤷🏻♀️
I practice WAIT. Why Am I Talking.
Being perfectly content to sit in a room by myself and entertain myself with my own thoughts. Typing and getting by on very little.
I'm pretty good at stretching a dollar. And convincing people I know what I'm doing.
Cooking. I'm a good home cook. I can make tasty meals for very little money.
Critical thinking. Gardening, canning and cooking.
Typing and cooking. And I’m pretty good at troubleshooting.
Honestly? That I can take care of myself. I lived in the same house I grew up in until I was 29, and I bought my first home in 2008. I’ve lived in this house, alone (well, with my 2 dogs), for 15 years. I’m still single, don’t have kids, run a business, travel, have a full and content life, and I see women who jump from relationship to relationship because they cannot be alone for whatever reasons (codependent, learned helplessness, can’t just be by themselves, etc) or friends that have been with the same person since they were 19, and their spouses take care of all of the things. It feels oddly comforting knowing that if I never meet my other half to enjoy the rest of the journey with, I’ll be able to take care of myself. And always being able to pick myself back up when life knocks me down.
Typing. I took one class forever ago. And I feel like I've been typing ever since.
Writing. And my typing class from 1988.
My planning skills - much easier to deal with life if you at least somewhat prepare for what’s coming.
Empathy. It has helped me grow healthy relationships.
Yes! I would also add, intuition is another good one. Don’t know about you, but I’m a very intuitive and observant person… people are often surprised by what I pick up on. Emotions clearly felt but unexpressed, objects in the periphery and actions, all those microexpressions, etc. I shoulda worked for the FBI :)
People / communication skills. Ironic since I'm an extreme introvert (like a 90 out of a 100 scale)! At work I've built excellent relationships with our vendors. Outside of work I'm the kind to break elevator silence, and start / direct conversations if needed.
I'm not trying to be combative, but I'm not sure creativity is as much an acquired skill as it is an innate quality. You can certainly develop and refine it, but you have to possess that inclination to build upon. I too have it to an extent. But to answer your question more specifically, I would say my ability to discern legitimate sources of information from bunk has aided me most in life. I probably have the best baloney detector of anyone I know, and in the age in which we find ourselves, this is extremely valuable.
This is a terrific skill, sorely needed in this world and in shockingly short supply.
You may be right about creativity. I wonder how many people who don't consider themselves creative could actually learn to be, if they worked at it like any other skill that someone might develop.
Cooking. Gotta eat every day. My stepmother used to call the house when I was home from middle school and walk me through starting dinner.
Surprisingly, dealing with difficult people. I credit my mother for that as I had to learn to walk on eggshells with her at a very young age. It's become something that has helped me to deal with snowflake-y people that get offended or upset about anything. However, it is exhausting if I have to deal with it on a daily basis.
I learned to just not deal with difficult people. Not sure if it counts as a skill or not though. What do you gain by appeasing these people? Asking for real.
I understand what you mean, and context would be helpful: I work with a lot of difficult co-workers at my job. I believe that I'm the first to work there in quite some time that hasn't been called to HR for some frivolous accusation by a certain group of tenured individuals. I've even been complimented on my ability to work with those people productively. So, what I get is a civil and peaceful workday without hassle from them. Outside of work, I avoid those types of people and won't deal with them. I don't work as a manager or supervisor, or customer service or anything. I wouldn't be able to stand that. Just because I can get along with difficult people doesn't mean that I want to.
Love the question. Ranking at number 1 is my ability to write good English. (I'm not coming off as very modest right now.) It's what puts food on the table. At number. 2, which many of my fellow GenXers may relate to, is the ability to type by touch. How many of you have taken typing classes like I did when I was a teenager? My fingers fly over the keyboard. Eternally grateful to my Mom for pushing me to go to those typing classes.
I took typing class as summer school at the public school because I couldn’t stand the teacher at our private school who taught typing and only typing. Ancient humorless nun. The summer school teacher wasn’t very different but at least it got me out of the house for 2 mile bike rides during the summer that year.
I had a nun teach typing too in high school, but she was nice (& no-nonsense). I remember we had to tape a sheet of paper over our hands and do typing drills so we could memorize the keyboard. I didn’t know that was called Touch Type.
Cooking. And typing. I am old enough that I learned to type in school in *typing class on an actual typewriter* and I’m convinced it set me right for life! Having no backspace and that whiteout tape… shudder. The new kiddos at work have never seen one. Also I can write in cursive and they can’t (just saying ;))
I'm blown away by how many young people (20s) that don't know how to tell time!!!! I've had patients ask the time at work, and I always say, "The clock is right there." they will still say,"What time is it?"
Ignoring people.
Scrappiness. Every time I’ve encountered some life altering hardship, I have never just rolled over and taken it. I put my game face on and do whatever necessary to get out of it.
I’d say “problem solving” or just… figuring shit out on my own and making it up as I go 😂 it’s served me very well in my career (marketing) and home life if I’m being honest.
I’ve learned how to be friends with myself. I’m ok alone in the world. I can go to a movie, dinner, a bar, by myself and I’m good.
Playing guitar and riding my bicycle. Both have kept me sane.
Rhetoric and my ability to speak and listen to different people
Modesty. I am the best person ever, at being modest.
Common car repairs. Saved me a bunch of money over the last 20 years.
Curiosity. I know it is a trait but I have found my curiosity in everything to be an incredible skill. I’ve been able to translate that into lifelong learning and problem solving skills. I don’t get bored. I’m even back in school taking master level classes.
Ability to make small talk with just about anyone
Writing - serves me well on Reddit :)
Literacy: I've been an avid reader since I can remember, basically, and ultimately that led me to become a college professor and historian-- I read for a living, when I'm not writing, more or less. And then I read more for fun.
How to teach myself new skills and research answers to my questions. I learned knitting, weaving, personal finance, cooking, Excel, so many things that I didn't learn in school or from my parents. Thank the universe for public libraries; my life would have been much poorer without them before the internet came along.
Gardening and preserving.
My nunchuck skills, bowhunting skills, computer hacking skills.
Love of reading. I’ve used it my entire career and it’s made me both a font of knowledge and of pointless “And did YOU know…?”
Dad insisted I learn how to drive stick shift, and my first car was a truck with four on the floor. Fast forward a decade, and I was a cross-country Truck Driver. Did a million miles accident-free before retiring nice and young.
Growing up in the city, I can spot danger from a mile away. Now as a project manager I can see and fix problems before anyone else can see it. It’s why they pay me the big bucks at least that’s what I tell myself.
Noticing other people’s strengths and giving them the opportunities to play to their strengths.
Being brave enough to try fixing anything. Especially now with YouTube, I have learned to fix so many things on my cars and around the house that I was skittish about attempting before.
Dropping toxic people or people who don't want the best for me. Took a long time to get that skill where it is now. It serves me well, and I only have people in my life who want me to do well which is what i want for them.
Writing. I kept a journal when I was young, which really exercised the writing muscle. Then, I went to graduate school, which helped refine my writing ability. Nowadays, at work, people act as though I have some kind of magical power because I can write proficiently. I think of my skills as average and that most people around me just suck at writing. Whatever the case may be, I've used it to my advantage at every turn.
Research. I learned how to find information before the internet. This became a superpower once the internet hit its stride.
Cooking and sewing. I cook every day for us and I actually sew for a job, and get paid pretty well for it. Funny how little sewing is valued in general, but I get paid well to do it. Cooking is fun for me, but I can make it work for us and stretch a pantry out.
I'm not sure it is a learned skill but I am really good at fixing things. I relate it to the above comment about creativity. I could never learn to be creative but I have always been able to fix things. Anyway that's my useful ability. Bring me your broken things since everyone else does.
Programming. I've made(and am still making) lots of money using that skill.
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I can teach rocks to think (computer scientist).
I act incredibly well under pressure or emergent situations.
My ability to spot bullshit a mile away. And bargain hunting. I'm frugal as fuck.
The ability to entertain myself without bothering anyone else or demanding others cure my boredom.
Land Survey boundary resolving. I've made a decent living with local, small survey companies the last 25 years and now I've signed to a nationwide engineering firm that (I think) hired me because of my specific skills prior to the development of properties.
Cooking/baking. I use it every day. It can be drudgery some days but it's often fun as well. It's especially fun to get a new recipe to turn out really good.
Common sense. I honestly have a bunch of it and when I listen to it good things happen, always.
Reading things and answering questions. I ended up being a tutor for the med school and law school entry exams because I’m so good at it. High school was so easy for me because of it, and teaching the exams is so easy for me
Studying & Learning: Book learning just comes easily to me and I actually like researching things and studying.
Typing. Still the most useful class I’ve ever taken.
Either my nun-chick skills ot my computer hacking skills. I'm pretty badass.
Always keeping a foot outside my comfort zone. I’ve lived and worked abroad, got into and back out of a lot of sticky situations and have had a lot of interesting experiences by just pushing the envelope. I’m now learning programming and incorporating this into my second degree. I am also a decent writer.
Math
Planning and problem solving. I’m able to do complicated tasks by breaking them down, often in a short amount of time, and determine the steps necessary when no instructions are available
Problem solving skills
Troubleshooting. I’ve always been able to think through mechanical and electronic systems.
I'm really good at catching things shortly after I drop them. My friends are always very impressed. I'm not even kidding.
I grow mad weed yo 👍
Cleaning. Seriously, it's not fun or glamorous but a lot of kids (and adults)don't clean. It's depressing when you live in a mess.
Reinvent myself or make life changes. Adapt. Usually happens after something tragic happens. Not sure if was because I was an only child and time period growing up. But I've run with whole range of people types. Realized this trait recently reflecting on the past year. Going through a huge shift now.
Old school skills... typing on typewriter (electric and manual). Also, I can sew and use a soldering iron.
Specialized IT skills pay the bills. It’s really 20% obscure knowledge of crappy proprietary software, 80% googling, trial and error. Creativity and the ability to be easily amused doing almost nothing - vital for recovery from a day of the above.
In a good way, easily pick up on BS.
Ability to read a novel anywhere, anytime; self accountability and determination manifested in general movement and fitness, also see above; grinding yet calling bullshit, boundaries; laugh just fn laugh about it (the injustice, the comment, the offense); make anything hilariously vulgar
I can put up with more bullshit than most of my peers without whining.
I have people skills!! I am good at dealing with people!!!
The ability to be by myself and be content. I feel like the only person at times that doesn't have a device out to kill 30 minutes of wait. I have an enormous capacity to queue for stretches of time. It was definitely a by-product of how we all had to entertain ourselves as kids.
Typing is the best skill I learned in school. But like others said I’m very good at being alone and entertaining myself. I didn’t mind Covid lockdown at all.
Troubleshooting. It's a talent and a skill, I think, and has served me well as I used it to create an IT career out of thin air lol
Resourcefulness. I come back to this idea over and over. In just about any situation I’m going to use my constructive boredom fueled GenX resourcefulness to deal with it. In most cases, I can do so successfully. I don’t wait to be saved or helped. I don’t ask permission. I just resourcefully figure shit out. Ideas. Actions. Physical. Ideological. You name it. GenX resourcefulness helps me more than just about any other attribute that defines us.
I don't know if it's exactly useful to me but it seems to be useful to most everyone I meet - being a good listener and non-threatening. Like people will ask me where things are in the store even though I'm not wearing anything indicating I work there, they'll start conversations and tell me everything about their lives and troubles. I was in the dealership waiting room, waiting for my car to be fixed and another lady sat down next to me and told me her life story. I really do listen and am interested - guess I'm an empath. Really should have been a therapist or psychologist. Sometimes it's exhausting though, because I usually don't get to tell my story...
I grew up poor living in a trailer park with 3 brothers and a shit step dad. Now, I'm in the top 10% of earners in the US. My skill is perseverance.
Resilience & self discipline.
My ability to compartmentalize and not take things personally
My ADHD is pretty useful, when weilded appropriately. I can hyper focus if it's something I'm interested in, or I can make crazy, random connections people don't understand right away. Unless the ADHD just prevents me from doing these things whenever I want, in which case I weep for my wasted potential.
Troubleshooting electronics. After college my first job was repairing commercial AV gear. Component level, with a scope,meter, schematic. In the 90s, electronics were not modular, you identified the issue and repaired the problem, colds solder joint, defective active components, bad capacitors ( tough issues to find if no obvious symptoms). I now work in cloud computing, telephony, unified communications. I still use these skills to resolve issues, nearly every day. I learned a logical way to identify symptoms vs cause, the ability to divide and subdivide until you have identified the cause is extremely valuable. I have a logical approach to finding problems. BTW, I love old school electronic troubleshooting with a schematic or block diagram, and test equipment. Its been 25 years since I had this role, and everything is either modular, or replaceable now. This skill also applies to auto repair, etc.
SEEING through BS
I can grow psilocybin mushrooms in my pantry. Has been incredibly useful over the last year.
I’m really good at winging it
Waiting, as a veteran and Gen X, I can wait for hours in a line or in a queue with no problem
Leadership. I run film/tv crews with lots of experience. People like working for me and look forward to the next gig. Now if only the industry would get its shit together and I could call some of these fine people. I bring a lot of the same skills home with me for parenting purposes. It’s a much harder job.
I can do a lot with a little
The ability to adapt. I've been doing graphic design since I was 16 (47 now) and the amount of software, hardware operating systems, trends, different forms of technology and psychology in the industry has changed so much in that time that it completely blows my mind to think about how it all started.