Down Home: Listen to Dalton Roberts podcast about what he learned from James "Bookie" Turner.
"Suitcase skills" perfectly describes all the personal and professional abilities we can carry into any job we might ever hold in this life. I can see in my own life that few things have contributed more to my personal happiness and success in my various jobs.
We live in an age of specialization so I am aware that it appears strange for me to advocate that you move a little more in the direction of becoming a jack-of-all-trades. Come to think of it, we are all specialists in one way or another. Most of us can do a thing or two so well that we become known for it. But being self-sufficient and possessing a broad range of skills carries its own sweet rewards in personal happiness.
Typing was a suitcase skill that I picked up in college that has helped me in every job I have ever held, even those that did not require a lot of typing. For example, as a classroom teacher typed lesson plans were so much more readable although the actual teaching did not require that they be typed.
Now that computers have become a necessity in personal communication as well as business, I would have had to learn to type if I had not learned it on my own. Your advantage today is that touch-typing classes are available and you can learn to do it right. By all means, do become proficient at it.
Even a suitcase skill like simple English composition will be helpful on almost any job. I heard of one employer who became so distressed over the inability of employees to write clear English that he asked each applicant to write "my life up to now" in 10 short paragraphs. He could quickly check proficiency in communication with this one technique.
One job promotion I got at a needy time in my life was the result of a letter I wrote to the editor. It impressed a supervisor enough to call me in for an interview and then to move me into a higher-paying job. The message is that the more things you can do and do well, the better your chances are of being noticed and rewarded. Even two songs I wrote for a staff play got me an interview with the top man in the organization.
The money is less important to me than the personal fulfillment of being able to do many interesting things. Learning to play a musical instrument had financial rewards when I had a band and played for dances but the greatest reward by far has been the joy of jamming with friends and just sitting alone with the comfort of a good guitar.
TFP tech columnist Donnie Jenkins bought the first computer ever made, tore it apart and put it back together to see how it worked. He did the same with subsequent models. At that time it was just a possible suitcase skill to him, but he had the intuition to see a technological revolution on the way and computer repair is now his bread and butter.
Decide on your own suitcase skills. It is possible that one of them will become your main source of income. One thing's for sure: whether it's calligraphy, computer repair, guitar or carpentry it will make your life more interesting.
E-mail Dalton Roberts at DownhomeP@aol.com.