The Hidden Value of Learning Multiple Skills

Picking up a new skill can change your life in ways you might not expect, sometimes even years down the line. I just experienced this firsthand when my old building design know-how ended up saving me hundreds of dollars and made me feel a lot more confident about handling my construction project.

All my life, I have believed that there's no such thing as a useless skill. This way of thinking has done wonders for my family. We have turned into a real mix of talents, from car mechanics to computer wizards. My son, who's in Form 3 in high school, has even become our go-to guy for fixing phones, which has saved us a ton of money on repairs. This didn't just magically happen. Instead of letting him waste his holidays glued to the TV or playing games on his phone, I signed him up at a local computer repair shop where he could learn some real-world skills.

I have always been a firm believer in the power of learning by watching and inquiry. I have picked up a whole range of hands-on skills just by observing mechanics tinkering with my car and asking questions of electricians while they fix things around the house. This passion for constantly learning new things has saved our family a ton of money on repairs and upkeep over the years.

My interest in building design took root when I was studying urban and regional planning. While a lot of my classmates saw the intro to building design classes as just another hoop to jump through, I really immersed myself in the subject. I was so keen that I even managed to complete a few building projects for clients while I was still a student. Yet, a few professional constraints and the practical aspects of earning an income compelled me to change my approach, which led to these skills remaining untouched for a long period of time.

So, when I required architectural designs for my upcoming construction project, the estimates I received from the experts were approximately $250 for merely two days' work. That's when it really paid off to have some old building design knowledge up my sleeve. By dusting off some of my previous materials and having a quick chat with my architect nephew, I was able to whip up some pretty decent building plans on my laptop. The whole thing only cost me a dollar to print.

But the benefits go way beyond just saving some cash in the short term. Having these skills means I can actually oversee the building construction process myself. Yeah, I had to revise some of the more technical aspects, particularly construction balance and other terms, but there was a reasonable amount of prior knowledge.

This entire journey has been amazing and it’s not the most impressive thing for me is the money I have saved, but the confident feeling and independence you feel from doing things by yourself. It really shows that learning shouldn't be limited by what our current job demands or what we think we'll immediately need.

This really drove home the point that learning is a lifelong journey. All those skills you pick up along the way become tools in your personal toolbox, waiting for the right moment to be put to use. It could be anything from fixing a phone, wrapping your head around electrical wiring, to even designing a building. These skills make us more independent and better problem solvers.

Putting money into your own growth and developing your talents is the smartest investment you can make. You never know when a course you took a while back might suddenly become really useful and end up being a lifesaver later on. So start learning something new right now, even if it seems completely unrelated to what you're doing. Your future self will be incredibly grateful for the knowledge and abilities you've gathered, even if they seem outside the scope of your current job.

Posted Using INLEO