I was pondering a post apocalyptic earth. Where everything that we know and count on is gone. No shops, no public services and no government or structured society as we know it.

It came to me that I ought to have a skill, a talent, some knowledge that would make me useful in such a world.

Since I don't have one, I thought I'd give it up to ATS to tell me a skill that would make me an integral part of any new society.

For example, anyone with a knowledge of horticulture would be very valuable to a new civilisation. Someone who could make pots in a kiln, brew beer, fish or hunt too.

But what knowledge would be priceless. If there was a choice to be made between saving you or the person next to you, what skill would you have so as to be chosen over them?

Any suggestions people?

[edit on 10-5-2009 by kiwifoot]

Doctor would be the best imo

Since we are talking hypotheticals over a what-if scenario, I will pull something out of my gaming manuals.

Survival (Post-Apocalpytic)

Maybe not the answer you are looking for, but your question is missing a very important facet.

What skills are missing? The missing wanted skill is the most valuable one. If you have a good knowledge of horticulture, how useful is that knowledge if the surviving building is a school of horticulture, and everyone has the same skill? It is a variable question. If you want to survive for yourself, you need to have a good variety of skills. If you want to be crucial to a civilization, you need to know what they would be missing - and you can't possibly know that.

I would pick first aid.

which is why i am studying it dont kick me haha

these would be my top 5

1.first aid
2.hunting
3.cooking
4.Repair work so a engineer so something
5.A group leader is a skill to me some who will make the difficult choices even if they are not easy to do.



[edit on 10-5-2009 by thecrow001]

I'd say a physician who is also a master gunsmith.

Or a bartender who is also a silo keeper.

Negogiating skills

Hunting Skills

Sales / bartering skills

Botanics/chemistry/physics. And of course being able to drink radioactive water, being capable of photosinthes and being able to withstand minus God-knows-how-much of nuclear winter would ensure your survival. So if you are from Krypton, do not worry much.

Originally posted by TLomon
Since we are talking hypotheticals over a what-if scenario, I will pull something out of my gaming manuals.

Survival (Post-Apocalpytic)

Maybe not the answer you are looking for, but your question is missing a very important facet.

What skills are missing? The missing wanted skill is the most valuable one. If you have a good knowledge of horticulture, how useful is that knowledge if the surviving building is a school of horticulture, and everyone has the same skill? It is a variable question. If you want to survive for yourself, you need to have a good variety of skills. If you want to be crucial to a civilization, you need to know what they would be missing - and you can't possibly know that.

Very good point, so a combination of skills would be best, the chances of a 'school of all of them' making it are far less I'd assume!

your best skill, would be to be a jack of all trades.
a bit of everything.
some first aid
hunting
carpentry/building
making moonshine
horticultural
and even better..being a teacher to others of what you know.

1. Being bi-lingual in english and spanish
2. Self defense-hand to hand combat training
3. networking computer/computer repair skills
4. Leadership/management skills
5. Communicatins/telephony skills
6. Teaching/training skills

And then partnered with someone that has

7. cooking
8. minor first aid

You're all set unless it gets really bad and then

9. hunting
10. trapping
11. fishing
12 building
13 auto repair
14. Gun and explosive skills
15 gardening/farming

Being armed. Preferably having your friends with you, they also being armed and dangerous. Nobody can beat that skill

Food ? The farmer will die before the armed robbers. Being part of a gang (modern form of tribe) that is a good survival skill.

I would say..

1. Basic Survival skills.. This includes building shelter, hunting, gathering, ect..
2. Agriculture (If in a tribe, you'll need an adequate food supply)
3. Medical Skills
4. Engineering

Blacksmith. A person who can master the age-old skill of forging and shaping metal will be indespensable. It's heavy work, but at least there will be an abundance of raw materials to work from -- making tools, repairing..... I think any surviving civilization or group will come to depend upon and protect a smith.

I stopped by this thread a few minutes ago and couldn't really think of anything specific although I agree that a jack-of-all-trades would be quite "handy"

But as I wandered off into other threads the thought kept coming back to me that someone who is a teacher, someone with general knowledge would be advantageous. But a teacher of what? I stayed away from the college level because that train of thought would be too specific, too compartmentalized and limited to only a detailed examination of a singular topic.

But then I had an idea that prompted me to come back here. Librarian.

Even in a post-apocalyptic world, surely some things would survive. There would still be some structures left. Maybe architects had the right idea, unknowingly, to build all of our greatest libraries out of marble and stone. Sure they look pretty but they have the structural capabilities to escape anything but a direct hit or massive flood.

And who would know where to find and glean that information that would be crucial to survival? Library science is loosely based on the ability to tie together seemingly unrelated subjects and combine them into a recognizable form of understanding. From abstract art to Zen Buddhism. From agriculture to Zarathustra. From apples to zebras.

Even if our librarian didn't have access to books they would have that general knowledge of many diverse subjects that would come from their exposure to the multitude of books that passed through their hands on a daily basis.

Books don't just organize and stack themselves. Someone would have to generally know what that book was about so it can be grouped with other like subject matter, of which you would also have to know what they contained.

Even if our librarian didn't have all the information of a given subject they should at least have that seed of knowledge that others could then build upon.

Just a thought along a different path of understanding.

[edit on 10-5-2009 by zlots331]

it depends on the situation - but to be "priceless " you need to be unique - ans indespensible

its no good having basic EMT training if you are in a remote hotel hosting an international medical conference when the crasp hits the fan

but if you can convert the hotels boiler room to run on wood and make the emergency generator run on bio deisel which you make - then your the guy the elite medics need to survive

so ` being a jack of trades ` is best - because if you are a one trick pony - there is a danger that someone else will make you obsolete