Valuable Life Skills

[20inchsuperstar]

All the practical things i know, i've learnt it all myself of with the help of my dad learn by doing its the easiest f***ing way.

i mean we learn so much in school but will only use about 25/30% of it when we leave. They dont teach you how to control your life, do things properly, do basic things that will help us in life. we dont need to know the chemical formation of beryllium-oxide when changing a f***ing light bulb!!

Oh god i just realised im only in year nine so i still have about four years of trying to comply with a screwed up system

one thing i learnt is not to piss about with electrics and not to take out bb's without the correct tools.

and dont take toasters into the bath with you

matt

learn by fiddling, doing, braking and electrocution

Edited December 21, 2006 by 20inchsuperstar

[Fixed Pants™]

Learnt most biking and car stuff from my mate Will, he's a legend and could probably fix anything bike/car related, just a few years shadowing someone annoying them with the stupidest questions paid off

He's not that smart either, got G's and E's in his GCSEs and it earning a decent wage now aswell.

Edited December 21, 2006 by Fat Pants

[20inchsuperstar]

He's not that smart either, got G's and E's in his GCSEs and it earning a decent wage now aswell.

thats like my mate jon!

he just finished building/restoring a land rover on his own but can spell DUDE with his gcse results

[Fixed Pants™]

Nice one, i think i'm gonna be able to do that; D in Maths, U in History, D in Science and E in English...

[20inchsuperstar]

Hi glen!!!

haha ur so dumb! im 13 and i got an A in my science GCSE

i love you no matter how dumb you are, as long as your good in the bedroom hehe only giggling

matt

xx

[Rebelistic]

Coincidence i guess... I have a wide vocabulary, i think.

Perhaps you subconsciously got the word after reading some posts I've made - I know we've posted in some of the same topics so you'll of seen it.

I like to think I derived the word myself - from rebel and realistic

On topic:

I think if people grow up without learning basic skills then it's their parent's fault really - I know I'd tech my kids practical skills if I had any (kids not skills).

[Joe_Elding]

I think it's a lot more important to learn lifeskills for yourself rather than being taught it, and that its usually down to you're upbringing as to how many 'lifeskills' you have.

For instance I was bought up in a road opposite a green woody area, with about 10+ children living pretty much next door to me. and i basically just played about in the woods all weekend making treehouses and catapults and razzing about on my bike and skateboard. meaning I actually learnt quite a lot (like not to fire catapults at a police car).

Whereas people that live in a cul de sac or small village or whatever where there isn't that many people of there own age to play with so they basically just entertain themselves (play computer/watch tv etc) rather than do more practical, outdoorsy sorta stuff.

if that makes any sense?

[Walleee]

Some people just can't be f**ked.

I'd say we are all fairly active guys who take an active approach to our lives, 90% of us anyway, there are people I know, who simply don't want to know basic thing's as they will pay someone else to worry about it.

Good example, mate buy's a new car, is driving around like a twat, hard on the brakes.

I jump in the car and when he brakes there is an awful grinding sound, as soon as I hear it I know what it is, does he? does he f**k!! Even after me telling him he take's it to a garage to confirm that the brake pad's are f**ked, and because he's been driving around like this for a few days, the metal on metal has cunted his disc's, so they also need replaced.

This is someone who is supposed to be a 'car enthuiast' with their alloy's and sub's in the boot.

[N.Wood]

I'm glad this is the way of the world.

It means people who want to go forward in life, have a thirst for knowledge etc can research anything they want, become more intelligent and have a better life.

Those who quit school as soon as possible, have no aspirations etc will provide services for those who have learnt their own stuff off their own back.

Of course there are many exceptions, and many of the worlds richest don't have a degree.

Sorry if this sounds arrogant in some way, but its the way the world works. If everyone earnt the same money as a result of having the same education, the world cease to function.

Of course this is partially bollocks as success is not dependant on formal education, and 2878479 other factors are involved.

[anzo]

One thing I really think would benefit people in school, regarding a life skill is handling money. Ok, they give advice on what to do if your in debt, but they don't tell you how to avoid it.

I mean, Id say 1 in 3 people are in debt, everyone I know seems to owe money (usually to me) and its a growing problem. People blame the bank because they're too pussy to admit they f**ked up big stylee.

[Fish-Finger-er]

i also agree with alot of your points...but you really undermined it for me when you rebuke the practicality of simply geometry. As a self proclaimed "handy-man?" you must surely realise that the difference between a bodge and repair is too often that you've cut something slightly too short! being able to draw properly won't hurt...

adam

yea i understand that, cant think when ive ever used sin cos and tan etc though since school. and sorry if it came across wrong, yes that stuff needs to be learnt, but the amount of time we spent in school going through it, an hour or 2 off that wouldnt have hurt, id still understand the lot of it, but might be able to wire a plug, or juggle with fire etc. (note i can wire a plug, was just an example, and juggling with fire, well cant see the appeal of it meself)

[Luke Williams!]

also i suspect theres a fair few others who dont know how to change a tyre, replace a bulb/fuse etc,

Hey leave fuses out of this man lol i struggled for half an hour trying to sort my fuses in my car out realised, where they were after 20 mins of searching.

But i do hear you alot of people dont have life skills, but you cant say they cant have a vehicle for stuff like that, if they get caught they get done its as simple as that. if they didnt know the minimum a tire should be they pay for it etc so its all gravy. You cant just say someone doesnt deserve something cause they dont know something, thats unfair and not giving them a chance. i for one dont do hardly any mechanical work on my car, i wouldnt really know how to change my bulb if i didnt ask someone and its a f**king pain in the arse on a civic so i would rather let a mechanic do it less hassle and effort from me, isnt that what money is for?

[boon racoon]

there are a lot of life skills a lot of people miss out on, besides knowing how to fix your bike.

such as talking, shock, horror face to face and dealing with people in the flesh. i predict this will only get worse with the evolution of technology. will we even need to leave our homes / bedrooms in the future?

i'd be more worried about those people, who can't cook a basic meal or do their own washing to live day to day than those who can't repair their own cars.

i reckon human interaction has decresed dramatically in our era, with everyone judging so much and people afraid to open up or even talk to people they don't know without feeling stupid.

but of course you can / would talk to anyone over the internet right? that's what i don't get with most people.

Edited December 22, 2006 by the boon

[Village Idiot]

The stuff you metioned in the first post (changing fuses, checking oil, mending punctures etc) would be more useful for the real world than things like pythagoras, how a plant works etc,

but it's not going to help anyone earn a living (unless you take the basic tasks and build on them, e.g. once you know how to check the oil, learn more about engines and become a mechanic).

You could be a doctor and know how to treat patients etc, earn a load of money but still not be able to mend a puncture, check oil and the like. Whereas someone who knows how to mend punctures, change oil won't really make a living unless they build on these things and become a bike/car mechanic.

I'm not saying we don't need to know these things (cos we do), but it maybe explains why it isn't taught at school.

(Anyway that's my views on it)

[ben_travis]

But the exams shouldnt be souly based on a f**king grade... Lets put it into perspective... You're an employer, i'm a smart arse that doesn't know any life skills what so ever, the other person is mediocaly educated and knows a lot of lifeskills, who you gonna employ? Some fanny that can't change his own tyre or check his oil but knows pi to 130k places or someone with average inteligence that will be useful. I know who i'd employ, the other guy.

Exams and education should slide together, 70% learning and 30% life skills, as a rough idea.

f**k the govenment f**k schools f**k THE SYSTEM! Wow, what a cool rebelistic motto.

can you not find a better way of saying the word f**k. seriously it gets on my nerves how many times i see you going off your head swearing. Fair enough you have a strong opinion on this topic.

but its not a case of "f**k the govenment f**k schools f**k THE SYSTEM!", this will not work. seriously calm down, and maybe more people will listen to what you have to say.

[Josephine]

can you not find a better way of saying the word f**k. seriously it gets on my nerves how many times i see you going off your head swearing. Fair enough you have a strong opinion on this topic.

but its not a case of "f**k the govenment f**k schools f**k THE SYSTEM!", this will not work. seriously calm down, and maybe more people will listen to what you have to say.

I'm glad you said it. I'm no angel with my language, but perfectly reasonable arguments can be become derisible if it's full of effing and blinding.

Joe x

[Fish-Finger-er]

Hey leave fuses out of this man lol i struggled for half an hour trying to sort my fuses in my car out realised, where they were after 20 mins of searching.

But i do hear you alot of people dont have life skills, but you cant say they cant have a vehicle for stuff like that, if they get caught they get done its as simple as that. if they didnt know the minimum a tire should be they pay for it etc so its all gravy. You cant just say someone doesnt deserve something cause they dont know something.

on the bulbs/fuses thing, then yea, its not totally essential, and i wouldnt say not being able to change one should render you carless. but as for tyres.i disagree, if you dont know how to/dont check your tyres, then i honestly dont think you should drive a car,unless you make a point of having someone else check your tyres every couple of weeks. . not on the fact you may get caught, but on the idea that your driving something, which weighs over 1000kg,is travelling at 70 mph, and has 4 bits of rubber connecting it to the floor on an area about the size of an a5 sheet of paper, if thats bald and the car in front slams on,someone walks out in front of you, it is a big deal, a lot bigger than £250 fine and 3 points. same can be said if its underinflated and blows out, or is down to the cords and blows out, even the best drivers would be hard pushed to react quick enough and in the correct way to keep a car in its current lane when travelling at 70mph.

only reason im focusing on cars is because i work with them everyday, and can use real life examples, and its one of those things thats got the potential to effect others, if you dont know how to reset a trip switch in your house, then yea, its really simple to do, and a couple of minutes, and youd of been taught how to do it, but at the end of the day, u sit in the dark for 3-4 hours, doesnt really effect anyone else. but with a car,something goes wrong due to your lack of knowledge/checkin a simple thing, you could easily kill 5-10 people or be responsible for the deaths of several more.

[tomturd]

I don't think life skills should be taught as such, you should just pick them up as you go along. If you ride bikes regularly, then you'll find out how to repair a puncture. If you are into cars, then find out how to fix them.

If every one, from every walk of life wrote down what they consider to be an essential life skill, then there would be a list as long as your arm.... a giants arm infact. Totally impossible to teach in schools.

When I was younger I'd spend hours making treehouses, fixing my bike, general hands on stuff. My brother however, didnt. He's very much academically minded. And for me thats fine, he wouldn't know how to fit a lock onto a door (I wouldn't either but I'm sure I can work it out), but I wouldn't know how to calculate when a star is going to implode. To him, he doesn't need 'life skills', the ones he needs he already has.

So yeah, leave it up to the person to decide what 'life skills' they need, as different ones will apply to different people.