I welcome you to my blog. Over the years one thing I have come to realize is the importance of having a skill, whether a digital or offline skill; just have a skill. One thing that helps give direction as an individual, especially in a country like mine, is having a skill; many of us are fresh graduates out of college with no skill at all and now feel lost, not knowing the direction we are going, while those with skills before graduation have embarked on a journey to perfect their skills.
As kids, many people did not see the importance of having a skill, and when friends tried to learn one, they tried to discourage them and even went as far as mocking and laughing at them for the type of skill they decided to learn. A friend of mine back then went to learn welding, and we really did not give him a break. At some point we even stopped calling him by his name, and we just said, "Welder," and he responded. Today I am glad he did not let all those taunts cause him to give up even though that was the aim.
Today he is setting up his own welding spot, while many of us who were taunting him are actually still finding direction. A skill gives you direction; it gives you options. Sometimes it is a passion that turns into a source of income. For me, I think every individual, whether young or old, should have a skill, whether digital or offline, and if you can have both, it is still fine, or one that you can incorporate digital skills into is still very fine. All that matters is that you have a skill.
Some people learn a particular skill because they have passion for it; some learn it because that is the only option available for them. For me, I think, whether they have passion or not, an individual should possess at least one skill they can sell once given the opportunity. So many people are self-employed today thanks to the skills they learned so many years ago, and currently they are unemployable because of how much they make from their skills.
Sometimes I wish I had someone tell me a lot earlier the importance of having a skill and not being allowed to see things from the view of a child; then I thought I knew it all and I had to learn from experience. They say it is the best teacher, but I think it is better to learn from other people's experience than to have the experience yourself. Learning and having a skill are not up for debate; they are something every individual should consider.
