Cooking. You should be able to cook meals beyond sticking things in a microwave.
i bought one of those 'old people veggie chopper' plastic things and it's really nice, it reduces the effort barrier to entry of cooking a meal any given night by a ton. like i know how to chop properly but being able to use the dumb thing makes getting up and starting to cook way easier
Typically I'd agree, but in this day and age and its emphasis on efficiency and lack of free time individuals get to spend with family and/or have a hobby - knowing how to prep nutritionally healthy foods in under 5 minutes can go a long way.
I eat a lotttttt of Soup, Frozen Vegetables and Frozen Protien. Its not glamorous but its better than spending an hour cooking every day.
Also, I hate cooking.
Basic troubleshooting and repair skills.
Idk where I originally heard it, but “learned helplessness” is definitely an epidemic among the average population. With how easy it is to just look stuff up these days, you have to be actively going out of your way to avoid picking up basic skills like these.
Basic first aid and CPR. Hopefully you never need it, but if you do the ability to recognize a medical situation and react accordingly can save lives.
Balancing a checkbook/bank account and understanding basic financial principles like compound interest.
Balance a checkbook?! Who even uses checks anymore... I bought a box once and have used maybe 3 over the last 10 years or so and definitely haven't used any in the last few years.
I balance my checking account by logging into the mobile app and looking at the balance lol
I think 'balancing your checkbook' nowadays means making financially sound decisions, not literally sitting there with an actual checkbook. I might be wrong though, I'm not a native English speaker.Nevermind, I was wrong.
Accountant here.
Nobody needs to balance a checkbook. We have live access to our banking 24/7 with apps. And who even uses personal checks anymore? Maybe just for rent - if you have an old landlord. Even then, it’s one check a month.
But yes - having basic financial literacy is really important and should be part of any High School curriculum. It’s a little discouraging when we hire folks, tell them a 401k is part of their benefits and hear “what’s that mean?”
Reading.
If you can read.. you can learn anything.
Sorry to the dyslextics out there. I know. It sucks.
How to build a fire, shelter, and provide yourself with food and water. It blows my mind how many people have never built a fire before.
Swimming, cooking, and self defense are the big ones I always bring up. All three will likely be really useful throughout your life.
You may not feel the need to learn to defend yourself depending on how safe your area is, but I still think its more important than people realize. Learning the physical skills as well as deescalation techniques taught in martial arts can easily save your life as well as others.
Spotting BS. There's so much, it's best just to assume everything is until proven otherwise. Watching people fall for it, and get taken advantage of, constantly, is frustrating as hell.
I.e. critical thinking. A skill far too many people lack.
Sewing a button or a small rip/tear.
Came here to say "sewing." And a little beyond buttons and tears—hems, darning a sock, simple alterations. And sewing a few simple garments will not only net you those clothes, but an understanding of how garments should be constructed, so you can look at ready-made clothes and tell if they're likely to be durable, or fall apart the first time you wash them.
How to read.
Illiteracy still exists throughout the world (~15%). I think it is important for every human being to be able to access information this way more than ever now that we are in the digital/information age. I also think that a higher literacy rate probably has a higher chance of ending conflicts in many parts in the world, result in less global poverty, and elevate general human well-being.
Critical-constructive thinking (as described by Wolfgang Klafki <3). Boy would the world be a better place if everyone could think for them self, and not only criticise but also ‘build something’ better.
Knowing now to get your car unstuck in the snow. So many people just gun it, but they're just digging themselves in deeper. The key is getting the car to rock back and forth in the dip and once you reach the peak of the dip, then you give it some gas as it rolls back down the dip to use gravity to your advantage.
And if you aren't going to get snow tires, at least get all season tires that work well in snow. My last tires were purchased with that goal in mind and it was a night and day difference vs my previous all seasons (that seemed like they might as well be slicks if there was slush or wet snow on the road).
Getting a good rock on is a huge thing. It'll get you out of like 90% of snow stuckedness. That last 10% will be digging and getting traction mixed with rocking.
Kitty litter helps with traction and if you have room, some boards too.
Basic foraging and entamophagy.
When I see the video from Ukraine, maybe electronics, soldering skills and how to fly drone. That might keep you away from the front line.
