Useless Skills vs Useful skills

[podunkinak]

   I am starting thid thread to discuss what may or may not be useful in a post peak oil world.  Since we do not know for sure what it may look like, if you have an idea of a skill that may be usefull, explain why and under what circumstance.

   I would also personally like to invite Nicole into the discussion, not to argue or bash each other but because I value your coments.

   It is ok to state whether or not you feel a skill is gender specific but as always support your claim.

 

[oliver.rochford]

I think it is good that you are differentiating between post-po and pre-po.

To claim that most peoples current skills are useless is a complete mis-statement.

They are entirely useful within the context of our current culture and developed state.

This reminds me of a documentary I have seen about a pre-college college for alaskan residence, where they are shown and taught thins such as using an elevator, shop in a box store etc.

You could argue that even though these people have good possible outdoor skills, they are useless in the context of our society.

It always depends on how you see it.

For all the skills you may have, take you (or me of course) out of your comfort zone and most people will fare badly.

ollie

[podunkinak]

   Sadly, because of the way the economy  and society has changed the natives way of life, many are having to move from the villages to the cities. This basically means Anchorage, fairbanks and Junea. For most it leads to a better life, by current standards. Unfourtunately not all are able to adjust and end up homeless or in jail or hospitals.

  Most of the Natives i know are just like anyone else, except many of them know a lot about surviving the alaskan wilderness. Now that might be a useful skill.

  In fact I know it is. All you have to do is get a little to far out into the bush for a little to long and your bear meat.

[Leaf]

This is a question that depends on where you live generally. Differnt skills for differnt places.
I can think of about 1 million useless skills in a low energy world.
On useful skills all one has to do is turn back the clock to about 1800-1900 time. What skills were used then and were quit useful. I for one think the world in about 50 years will have a lifestyle on par with the world as it was in about 1880-1900 time."For the most part"

[Chip Haynes]

I think pre-techno skills will be a plus. I fell that my skills in bicycle repair will serve me well in the post-po world, as will my entertainment value as a juggler. Neither requires an external power source, and I think that's the key to usable post-po skills. I'm also handy with a hammer and saw- that can't hurt. (Well, ok, it can if you're not paying attention.)

[Leaf]

Bike repair and scooter repair...No doubt will be a hot job. My scooter I took to repair yesterday.The man who repaired it also does motorcycles and bikes. Its his full time job. He does quit well in a small town Ukraine where the economy is already deppresed. Lots of people in my town ride bikes or scooter ALLOT!!! Winter-Summer..all year long. Once the smoke clears and people realize that the oil age is over and they need to get get a bike for travel local means...bike repair job I have no doubt will be a good job..Might not pay great..but you'll be better off then allot of people.

[CreoleGenius]

Yesterday's skill set.

I woke up and fed my kids grits and cheese, which they love on a cold day.
I delivered them to school buses and went down the road to check on my
eldest nanny goat, who had been let out to neighbors to breed with their male
(pygmies) and keep the grass down.  It seems she had been killed overnight
(dogs?, coyotes?) by canine c-section.  She was frozen and perfectly preserved.
I carried her home in the truck.

I completed the Scope of Work, Survey Plat and Cost Estimate (MS Word, PDF,
& Excel docs) and emailed them to the homestead to be appraised for our home
construction loan.

I butchered the goat and iced it.  I loaded a used cooktop (Habitat for Humanity
ReStore) for my disabled friend on the SouthShore. 

The human kids and nanny came home and started homework.  I cooked dinner
drove to the SouthShore.  I showed my mother some advanced Googling routines
for geneology and a picture of the emergency (110V) well pump sent that I want
for Christmas.  I continued to my inlaws, who had finished (MaMa hemmed new
pants for me, Poppy had repaired and tested my garage sale army field phones)
items we had previously sent over.  I contnued on to my friend's house.

We finished dressing the goat and put it in his freezer for the spring goat roast/jam
session.  I carried the gas cooktop to his patio and left it their for someone else to
install.  I drove back to the NorthShore and went to sleep.

I think that traditional tanning and shoemaking will be very valuable skills in the
post oil hereafter.  Out clothing and shoes are so cheaply made nowadays that
the current pairs will wear out quickly.

[kaykay]

Useful skills post po..........

Mental..............open mind, ability to be flexible, creativity, think outside the box, acceptance of new ideas, no major ego hangups.

Physical........open mind, flexibility, creative, work outside the box, try anything once, willingness to try.

[Chip Haynes]

And learn to not hit your thumb with the hammer- or trim your nails with the saw.

[Wednesday]

I am cultivating a "listening" skill. I practice with my older neighbors, and they reward me with their wisdom.

[Chip Haynes]

Take notes.

[Nicole]

We don't have a General category, but this isn't Breaking News, so I am moving this thread to Psychological, Emotional, and Family Issues which seems the best fit.

[Nicole]

Pre-PO, I herd marbles uphill all day, about 14 hours of it in front of a computer.  (Ugh.  Humans are not designed to sit in a swivel chair and stare at a glowing screen.)  That means keeping track of hundreds of things at once and often doing 2 or 3 complex tasks simultaneously and constantly recalculating what might happen tomorrow or next week or next year.  Lots of politics and persuasion, which I'm actually good at it (which no one here will believe) but it's not in my nature.  Also lots of deadline pushing and holding people accountable, which I am better at (which everyone here WILL believe.)

My day job has a few relevant meta- and mental skills, but very little practical.  The effort to be political, smooth tense situations and help people compromise is my hardest skill to work at, but probably the most relevant in a PO world.

Evenings and early mornings, I train the dog and sometimes I work with my neighbor's dog, mostly teaching her to train her own dog.  (The dog gets it; she doesn't.).  I do a bit of gardening in what space I have, fix and repair things for people since I'm a pretty good tinkerer.  Weekends, at least those when I am NOT working, I do more of the same and try to get some mileage in on the bike for exercise and to get out and see/interact with real people face to face.  These are more practical skills.

Soon, my schedule should change dramatically.  Since I will be telecommuting, I'm promoting someone to handle most of the crisis issues that I handle now.  I'm going to have to learn to do the politics when I can see people and read their body language.  And I'll be in a different time zone, which will make those 5am emergencies part of my regular workday instead of being in addition to it.  With the extra time and space, I plan to dust off those practical skills I have but haven't been using, like self-defense and weapon skills, more advanced gardening, preserving food, sewing and mending, carpentry and I want to learn basic masonry and graduate from tinkerer to having more solid skills in general repair.  I also want to learn how to fix my own bike.

Skills unused grow rusty and aren't always there when you need them.

[Wednesday]

Take notes.

Yes.

[Chip Haynes]

On the subject of "Taking Notes", I've managed to round up all of the "Foxfire" books. Seems a sound investment.