Guys- what skills do you wish you'd learned earlier in life?

[PDenbigh]

I started a Reddit Thread on "Guys - what skills do you wish you'd learned earlier?"

I'd love to hear MM's comments either there or here. Really curious to hear the replies, thoughts, and perspectives:

http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/commen...d_earlier/

(or at least help by upvoting so more of Reddit sees it)

Thanks!

Peter

[davej]

you better tag that as serious if you don't want a lot of 'learn to wank better with the other hand' answers

[WRXtranceformed]

Golf, because I would be shooting in the 70s consistently if I put all the focus / time / energy that I put into soccer from a young age into golf. My family just really didn't have the means to allow me to play / take lessons / etc. when I was a kid....golf is an expensive sport!! So much of it too is muscle memory and you pick that up so much easier when you are young. I bet if you gave me 10 soccer balls I could probably still curve 3 or 4 of them into the goal from a corner kick...it has taken me years to finally shoot fairly consistently in the mid-high 80s.

[CaptainHenreh]

Nice try, pete. But you're gonna have to work a lot harder than that to get my reddit username(s).

[Ken]

Financial Management - Not that I am great at it now, but I definitely could have used a better sense of fiscal responsibility when I was younger. I.e. not using student loans on a car.

Not sure if this is really what you're looking for, and I still don't know it, but coding. I know if/when I have kids, they will learn how to code.

[CaptainHenreh]

Not sure if this is really what you're looking for, and I still don't know it, but coding. I know if/when I have kids, they will learn how to code.

What do you mean?

[Senor_Taylor]

I wish I could have started playing baseball earlier in my life. I would have been pretty kickass. When I started playing, I was progressing really quickly, but as soon as I got good in the league I was in, I had to move up. I went rec -b team - travel ball - highschool in a span of 3 years.

[RawrImAMonster]

Not sure if this is really what you're looking for, and I still don't know it, but coding. I know if/when I have kids, they will learn how to code.

What do you mean?

If kenHasKids = True Then
teachKidsToCode = True
Else
teachKidsToCode = False
End If

It really is a quite useful skill to have. And will be even more so going forward.

[Goodspeed]

I don't think I feel wanting for anything now, but it'd have been cool to have:

- a bit more nature experience - learning to live off the land and all that.
- better knowledge of finances/fiscal responsibility
- working with my hands more - woodworking, mechanics, etc. I built a lot of cool models, rc cars/trucks, and was in some shop classes. But more would've been awesome.

Not sure if this is really what you're looking for, and I still don't know it, but coding. I know if/when I have kids, they will learn how to code.

I was going to say a greater immersion in emerging technology as one of my points, but in hindsight I was definitely on, if not ahead, of the curve growing up. I had just about all the skills a grade school kid in front of a computer could hope to have in the 90's/early 00's. Programmers are expensive in the marketplace, hence the industry-sponsored push to have every child in every school code! It's definitely a great skill to have, but it's not for everyone.

[CaptainHenreh]

It really is a quite useful skill to have. And will be even more so going forward.

Bah, you might think so, if you do it for a living. I'm sure carpenters think it's super important their kids know how to square up a truss, but I could give a shit.

What does that even mean, anyway? "Know how to code".

If you can do this:

#include<stdio.h>

main(){
printf("Hello World");
}

and

"gcc lolzicancode.c -o runmerofl"

Congratulations, you know "how to code". But that ain't what you meant, so what about a computer programming language do you REALLY want your kids to know?

[Ken]

Not sure if this is really what you're looking for, and I still don't know it, but coding. I know if/when I have kids, they will learn how to code.

What do you mean?

As in, computer programming. I wish I had taken some time to learn different coding languages and really know how to do it. Aside from the actual skill of coding, the thought process behind it is valuable as well.

[CaptainHenreh]

Coding language? Like Navajo?

[Ken]

It really is a quite useful skill to have. And will be even more so going forward.

Bah, you might think so, if you do it for a living. I'm sure carpenters think it's super important their kids know how to square up a truss, but I could give a shit.

What does that even mean, anyway? "Know how to code".

If you can do this:

#include<stdio.h>

main(){
printf("Hello World");
}

and

"gcc lolzicancode.c -o runmerofl"

Congratulations, you know "how to code". But that ain't what you meant, so what about a computer programming language do you REALLY want your kids to know?

See above response. The thought process behind it. Not just accepting the fact that you got "stuck;" finding another way to achieve the same end goal. There's plenty more to it but that was one of my big takeaways.

[Ken]

Coding language? Like Navajo?

You're awfully clever.

I really don't get how this isn't clear, but to feed your point, any computer programming language (C#, Java, Python, Smalltalk, JavaScript.)

The logic behind it and the train of thought you need to master are things that I think are of great value.

hope that's clear.

[HAULN-SS]

This is a completely different subject, but I pretty much write off any company that I interview me and they bring in some uber-nerd who gives me a language specific quiz on something. I've written code in 15 languages, and for probably 10 different computing architectures and I could give a shit if I can't remember the best way to build a string in Java. When I need it, I'll find out how to do it.

I almost failed 6th grade for sucking at math, and then learned how to do it and ended up majoring in it in college. Wish I had started sooner. Learn algebra from like age 5 onward.

[CaptainHenreh]

The logic behind it and the train of thought you need to master are things that I think are of great value. .

I'm glad you clarified, because I'm about to get to my point. I work with shit programmers every day. I don't want your kid to know C syntax, or, as derek says, "the best way to build a string in java". What's important isn't that they know a high level language, but that they understand logic, logical operations, and data structures.

The trick is, computer programming isn't even the most common use of those kinds of skills. If you really have a good understanding of logical operations, I can teach you to program anything, in any language. But you can write Candy Crush XIII and still be a shit programmer, if you don't have that.

I know that's what you were getting at and yes I'm feeling pedantic this morning blame it on the tea. But I dont' want people to get the idea that they can learn .NET syntax and fire up a really nice SDK and really have learned the skill they really need to..

[ScottyB]

- financial management. not because i got into a bad spot, thankfully, but because i could have started off way ahead of the game by the time i got into college
- welding
- web design
- self confidence

[Jake]

i'm feeling pedantic this morning.

Only this morning?

[SlimKlim]

:lol:

[RawrImAMonster]

It really is a quite useful skill to have. And will be even more so going forward.

Bah, you might think so, if you do it for a living. I'm sure carpenters think it's super important their kids know how to square up a truss, but I could give a shit.

Seems like an odd trade to pick to make your point. Carpentry is another extremely useful skill.

To actually add my piece to the conversation, I wish my parents would have forced me to learn something like piano or violin as a kid. I can still pick them up, but there's less time to do so and you just learn faster as a kid.

Also, I wish I knew more about the hardware side of electronics and electricity in general.