Job skills that a person can fall back on

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JamesATyler

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I had a thought about jobs. I had been thinking for a while that it would be nice to have a skill that enabled me to sustain myself even if I were self employed and I had no other partners or help. It wouldn’t have to be my only skill or working alone wouldn’t have to be the only way I used the skill. Sometimes, it it more satisfying, profitable, or helpful to work with teams, but it would be nice to have something to fall back on.

I remembered that Jesus chose carpentry as a work profession. It made me wonder if he thought that having a skill for the reasons above was a good idea too. Of course, he went on to other things. Ha ha. Well, whether he did or didn’t think that way, who can say, but I think it is useful to have a 1 person skill that can make money, in the event that you find yourself without help.

Besides carpentry, what other kinds of skills are there that can be a fall back skill? Does anyone have any ideas?
 
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JamesATyler said:
I remembered that Jesus chose carpentry as a work profession. It made me wonder if he thought that having a skill for the reasons above was a good idea too.
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To be fair, Jesus did what boys of the day were expected to do: he went into his father’s business. He wasn’t a ‘carpenter’, per se, but a ‘builder’, and therefore, so was Jesus. And then Jesus really went into his Father’s business…! 😉
 
Jesus didnt choose carpentry as a skill to learn. He was broughr up into it by his stepfather Joseph. Thata how it worked back then. Sons for most part were bright up in the business of their father and then continuing it on for their lifes work.
 
Carpentry is the best one I can think of. Mechanic, plumbing and electrical (including fixing small electric appliance)would be a few more.

For women: sewing/mending, house cleaning, supply cooked or baked foods.
 
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JGD said:
Mechanic, plumbing and electrical (including fixing small electric appliance)would be a few more.

For women: sewing/mending, house cleaning, supply cooked or baked foods.
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For women: plumbing and electrical (including fixing small appliances.)

The skills you listed for women (not sure why those would be gender segregated ) don’t pay well.
 
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There are a lot of skill sets always needed. Think of healthcare right now. Patient aides can work alone, contracting to care for an elderly, sick or handicapped person. Respiratory techs to give breathing treatments and, of course, nurses. Medical transcriptionists often work from home.

The repair industry would include, elec. plumbing, AC and heating as well as computer repair or other electronics.

Services would be lawn care, landscaping, painting, packing and moving, general cleanups.

Finally, any area you already have skills at can be turned into a consulting business. Tax preparation is handy. A good seamstress is worth their weight in gold. Good at English? A typist or editor, proof reader. User manuals…they are harder to write than one thinks! Ever get a bad one? 😂😂😂

Just go through the various industries and you can come up with ideas!
 
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It’s 2020. Lots of women have plumbing, electrical or mechanical skills. And lots of men know how to sew, clean house and cook.

Is there a point to your separating skills by gender?
 
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I have a friend of mine, she is a woman a beautiful woman, and I’ve known her for many years, and she knows how to do carpentry and electrical work, she was trained in it.
 
JulianN said:
For women: plumbing and electrical (including fixing small appliances.)
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I’m a woman - just not as touchy as some, I guess. 🙂
I know what women are capable of; my mother absolutely loved fixing electrical appliances. Maybe that’s why I didn’t even mention a gender for the first list.

Also, I’ve personally helped my husband with major additions on 2 houses and building one house from scratch - pounding nails, carrying lumber, sheet rock pasting, etc. I designed the floor plans, he drew the blueprints. Also broke up and wheelbarrowed away a blacktop driveway. But, none of the women I know ever helped with such things (and over the years I’ve met quite a few women). I’d never tackle doing the part my husband did, but realize there are women who have.
The skills you listed for women … don’t pay well.
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You do whatever you’re capable of when you have to eat.
The OP was asking for “fallback skills”. I took that to mean when one’s regular job or profession had ended or was no longer sufficient .
 
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Irishmom2 said:
It’s 2020. Lots of women have plumbing, electrical or mechanical skills. And lots of men know how to sew, clean house and cook.

Is there a point to your separating skills by gender?
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Not sure why the responders to my post are accusing me of limiting that first list to men when I didn’t mention a gender for it !

Regarding the jobs I gave for women. Altho men are capable of doing it, as a rule, I don’t think they clean nearly as good as women!!. Basing this statement on my limited experience: a husband and 3 sons - one of them a bachelor. 🙂
And please, allow for a little humor.
Now, I’m sorry my post sidetracked this thread. Hopefully this will end it and let it get back to more good suggestions.
 
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JGD said:
Regarding the jobs I gave for women. Altho men are capable of doing it, as a rule, I don’t think they clean nearly as good as women!!.
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We’ll have to agree to disagree on this one. My husband and son both are better cleaners than anyone I know.

All the things on your list can be done by both men and women, but the things you specifically listed for women don’t pay that well.
 
JGD said:
Not sure why the responders to my post are accusing me of limiting that first list to men when I didn’t mention a gender for it !
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It could just be because you made a list for women, that we assumed your first list was for men.
 
Computer programming and administration. Most people know how to use a computer, but few know how to make a computer do new and useful things, and fewer understand computer networking and security.

Learn a foreign language which is spoken in your community. For me, that would be Spanish. For many jobs, this could set you apart from most of the other qualified job candidates.
 
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JGD said:
But, none of the women I know ever helped with such things (and over the years I’ve met quite a few women). I’d never tackle doing the part my husband did, but realize there are women who have.
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Some wag observed that, “there has never been a woman so liberated as to catch her own mice and spiders.”
😱 :crazy_face: :roll_eyes:

(yes, I know there are exceptions).

More seriously, as long as the average size and strength of men and women remains different, there are likely to be differences.

Also, as long as a significant fraction of women choose to stay at home with children for significant periods, there will be significant differences between career choices.

I expect nursing in particular to stay female dominated–not because of any difference between aptitude or interest, but because it seems to beat every other occupation, hands down, in the ability to jump in and out of the workforce quickly, and to choose not just between full-time and part-time, but how many part-time hours.

Law, medicine, etc. don’t even come close–although I’ve long thought that women should band together in “mommy track” law firms to take advantage of the situation, starting the firm with the understanding that all of the members will vary between full time and various amounts of part time work at different stages and with different life events.
JGD said:
The OP was asking for “fallback skills”. I took that to mean when one’s regular job or profession had ended or was no longer sufficient .
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ideal fallback skills would be those still needed by others when the economy utterly tanks. I’'d think that the various types of household repairs needed would be ideal.

Also, for such a list, there are skills that would make sense for someone who could do them while staying home that could never make it as full time employment, particularly those that take a few minutes an hour but require staying nearby while they happen.
JGD said:
Altho men are capable of doing it, as a rule, I don’t think they clean nearly as good as women!!
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My wife doesn’t even let me in the kitchen, and I’m not supposed to touch her appliances unless I’m installing or repairing them . . . (she was so horrified by my laundry skills when we were dating that if I didn’t hand over my clothes, she would break in and take them . . . 😱)
 
🤣 :crazy_face:

I dunno. Do they actually repair the appliances for you, or just wonder why they don’t have clean clothes?

And have you ever had to get your own gas? I think my mother has more fingers on one hand than trips to the gas station. Initially my father, and then brothers and I as we started driving.
 
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