Start with the basics, learning things you'll definitely be using in your day-to-day life.

Just Get It All Done

"General fixing things around the house like hanging up frames or repairing basic things like holes in the drywall, painting etc, basic electrical work like light switches."

"Sewing/hemming"

"Cooking and cleaning"

rudebish

"Of course with learning basic electrical work, definitely learn about electrical safety. Safe practices are critical, as mistakes can be fatal."

"Source: am an electrical engineer and also work on home electrical."

trummell95

Learn Something New Every Time

"To Cook"

Bishab

"Before I learned to cook I was an incredibly picky eater. Cooking helps you get more comfortable with ingredients. The best part is it gives you full control over your flavours. You aren't stuck picking from a menu. You are only limited by your creativity, skill and accessibility to ingredients when you cook for yourself."

"It can be as complicated as cooking a beef Wellington, or jazzing up some packaged ramen noodles. The best part is you learn something new every time you cook."

Zhalorous

All The Fast and the Furious Folks Look So Cool When They Do It

"Driving a manual. No one will steal your car if it's a manual, because 98% of people don't know how to drive stick."

"Note: this might only apply in the US."

Playingpokerwithgod

Some of these activities are life-saving, in that they could save your life in the heat of a moment. While it might feel silly to practice something like, say, knot tying right now, these people make a good argument for mastering it for future reference.

Learn A Few. You Don't Have To Learn All Of Them.

"Knot tying and sewing"

archeous123

"+1 on knot tying especially. I never did Boy Scouts or anything like that, but I had an odd job in my 20s where I had to learn proper mooring technique: figure 8, sailor's knot etc."

"I wouldn't say it changed my life or anything. But I've never failed to secure anything since, and even just the practice of keeping consistent tautness while tying shoelaces has saved me time on many a run/soccer match etc."

Caruthers

People Reveal The Things That Are Unnecessarily Expensive | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

Sometimes shelling out the extra cash for better quality is totally worth it. It can cost money to keep replacing cheaper items repeatedly. But some items ar...

You Never Know When You'll Need It

"Swimming"

saladgardenfixens

"I finally learned how to swim this year at 26. It felt amazing just jumping in the deep end being able to swim comfortably."

bluebinds

Understand What You're Working With

"Handling and using a gun. Even if you don't own one know your way around one is valuable."

wake4coffee

Learning A Few Phrases In Any Language Can Help You

"Sign language"

itbemythrowaway

"I totally agree. I learned some sign language as a kid after taking classes one summer and I'm glad I did."

"I remember a few years ago when I was in a foreign country a young woman was with her little brother and panhandling (people were treating them like garbage) and I had some change and gave it to them. She started signing "thank you" and signed that I was pretty (which was sweet of her). She was shocked when I signed back to her a simple "you're welcome" and it seemed to make her day."

BlondeBobaFett

"Morse Code. I'm currently learning it. It's really not too difficult but is absolutely useful in a survival situation. Either way, it's just kind of fun. I also learned Sign Language (ASL). My Uncle is deaf and I wanted to learn it."

Extrasherman

Keep The Lights On

"How to check and replace your outlets in your house. Especially in houses that where either cheaply made or are old."

"Our house is about 110 years old, and we checked the outlets about a year in. There were some with knob and tube, some that were severely cracked inside and some that were a fire waiting to happen."

"You can legitimately prevent electrical fires for quite cheap. Just get an electrical receptor tester from Lowes, Harbor Freight, etc (in the US; you can probably get one on Amazon or your local tool shop in other countries). Read the instructions, test ALL of the outlets."

"Then, turn off the electricity going to the area being checked (and ensure it's off), unscrew the outer covering to check the wiring. An easy Google search can help you through the differences of wiring and what is potentially dangerous."

OwlOnASill

And then there's these, skills which, on the surface, may not feel like they matter a whole lot. To get by in this day and age, however, they may be the most critical skills of all. ​

Recall What They're Saying

"Listening. Not just paying attention, but learning to figure out what the end goal is for someone because sometimes they can't articulate what it is they actually need/want."

FrustratedTwenty21

Go A Step Further

"How to separate fact from fiction - fake from true - especially with regard to news."

Back2Bach

"The number of people who don't know the difference between a journalist and a pundit is a lot. It's not necessarily "news" just because you get it from a purported news channel."

SouthOfOz

What Does Make All The Computer Magic Work?

"Programming."

"I'm an entrepreneur with a bunch of tech business ideas. Only problem was, I didn't know how to code. So, I've been learning how for the past few weeks and it really does make you feel like a wizard."

RED_DEAD_REVENANT

Learn To Recognize Them, Not How To Name Them

"Logical fallacies. It would help with knowing when someone's misleading you in an argument and will also help you communicate your thoughts more clearly"

addicuss

"Just don't literally name-drop the logical fallacy during the argument. Not particularly persuasive. Guaranteed to roll some eyes. Explain it in plain English instead. Use an example to show how it's a problem."

spankymuffin

Know Where The Money Comes From

"Accounting. If you want to run a successful business, you really should do an accounting course. Not so that you can do your own accounting. But so that you can understand what others are telling you."

arkofjoy

"Agreed. My granddad always said "watch the pennies and the dollars will watch themselves". Understanding accounting is a must for anyone in business."

ncurry18

Get out there and try something new. You never know when the thing you learn will come in handy. After all, better to know something and not need it than needing something and not know how to swim.

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