"Specialization is for insects. A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly." -- Heinlein
How to write clearly in their native language.
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Learning things quickly.
It's totally its own skill, and you can learn to learn faster. What skills are useful changes with time -- the ones used in your career now might age like milk for reasons beyond your control.
The ability to survive outside / without a roof over one's head.
I'm not talking surviving solely off the land type of outdoor survival, although that is an excellent set of skills to obtain.
- Learn how to set up shelter, or find shelter if a tent / tarp isn't available
- Learn how to start a fire in multiple ways
- Learn basic hunting skills
- Learn how to sanitize / store drinking water
- Learn basic first aid
- Always remember the order of operations in a survival situation: Shelter, water, fire, food
Insatiable curiosity
knowing boundaries of their own knowledge, so both knowing when to shut up and knowing when to say "know your place, trash" in discussion
Basic networking skills. Most lives can be significantly improved by basic home network. WiFi deadzones, wireless printing, shared folders for basic documents and resources etc. All while being relatively secure.
A really good bullshit-o-meter.
So many issues with major media, corporate announcements, government announcements, and probably many other things can be solved with a good bullshit-o-meter.
What I really mean is critical thinking. Because there are vacuous ways to calibrate a bullshit-o-meter that lack logic entirely and tie one into some ideological goal. Then you can still claim to have a bullshit-o-meter but lack the ultimate goal of it, but it's really not a helpful tool at that point. My original meaning is a true, logic-based bullshit-o-meter.
Reading. Being able to quickly skim and comprehend text will give you an edge in basically every field.
Common sense, or better yet, critical thinking.
Basic zipper merge
Cooking! We eat every day and eating out adds up quick.
Basic social skills. Let everyone talk and try not to disturb while they're at it. Hear others point of view. I think that would solve a lot of problems.
The ability to set and enforce personal boundaries.
Cope with stress
Cooking skills. It's so great to be able to make yourself a nice plate of food.
Basic plumbing skills
Know how to shut off a water line. Those knobs under your sink and behind the toilet? That's your water shut off for that line. Got a toilet that's about to overflow? Close the line in back quick enough and you won't have to mop the floor. Or ruin your neighbors ceiling.
Know how to clear a clog. Know the difference between a sink plunger and toilet plunger. Sink plungers are those short deals and terrible for just about anything, their surface coverage is awful and they're usually too shallow to push a serious clog. You want a flanged or accordion plunger for toilets. They make the best deal and do a lot do the work for you. A larger suction cup plunger, looks like the big boy version of the sink plunger, for sink drains.
For toilets, make a firm seal around the drain, push down once to clear the air out of the cup, make sure your seal is strong, then give several short, quick, full pumps like you're performing CPR. This will usually clear a paper clog. Repeat if it doesn't clear. It almost always will after a few tries. If your other drains back up when you're pumping, you have a main clog. It's time to call a plumber.
If your kitchen sink clogs, start by running hot water in the line with a little dawn soap. Most sink clogs are fat based, so hot water will help to loosen them by melting them a bit. Drain-o or other line clearer might work, but in my experience, if you don't clear the clog, you now have a caustic chemical sitting in the line. The chemical burn scars on my right hand say that's bad, and Tyler Durden agrees. If you haven't cleared the clog, let it sit a bit and then get back to it. I've fought shower clogs for an hour before, but if I don't see signs the clog is breaking up, it's time to give up and get a professional in to snake it.
Also, when clearing a clog, don't keep your mouth open! In fact, pucker your lips in. Trust me, speaking from experience.
Leaky faucet? Usually a 10¢ rubber washer, they only last about 10 years before they start to rot. Try to salvage the washer, bring it to your local hardware store, preferably plumbing supply, and ask someone to size it, otherwise bring the fixture. Toilet running nonstop? Adjust the chain or replace the flapper, again rubber parts only last about 10 years. A universal flapper will cost about $10. They usually just snap right in to place. Toilet base leaking? Replace the wax seal. They cost $5. Shower head clogged? Usually calcium or mold buildup. CLR for calcium, bleach for mold, and a scrub brush. Shower head joint leaking or spraying, remove it and apply plumbers tape, also called Teflon tape, to the threading, costs $1 a roll. In fact, apply it to any threaded plumbing joint you have to unscrew... It's necessary for making watertight seals.
That's like every basic water line in your house right there. If I could learn to do it as a teenage apprentice so many years ago, anyone can. If you're not sure, Google has guides and visual breakdowns for every fixture and how to take them apart now. Just be careful not to strip threads or screws. Knowing how to service these parts could save you hundreds or thousands of dollars over the years.
Lastly, don't flush spaghetti and meatballs down the toilet... Yes, that's a thing.
The self- and contextual-awareness and communicative ability to express consent or lack of consent for engaging in any activity.
A lot of shame, regret, and anger could be avoided if all of us knew how to do that.
Cooking! You don't need to be a Michelin-star chef (or even aspire to be) but if you can make your own meals regularly you can save so much money. It's a great way to bond with your kids, too!
Also, maybe it's weird to say, but 'learning' is an incredibly valuable skill that Will see you through a lot of hardship. The ability and drive to continue learning and having curiosity late into life makes people healthier, happier, and more well-rounded persons in my opinion.
How to not be an asshole. If everyone mastered that, I think the world would be a great place.
Being able to make their wine/mead/beer
Programming with Python
Edit: it doesn’t have to be Python, I just think everyone should know how to program and Python is a great starting point
