Skills You Never Thought Would Be So Valuable

By Lauren | February 10, 2017 | 0 Comment

We likely all had those moments throughout our life and education where we seriously wondered what the point of learning something or doing a particular exercise was. At the time, we just couldn’t understand what purpose these things served or would serve in our lives. It wasn’t until we got older and out into the workforce that we realized what role some of these things actually played.

Here are a few things I’ve learned over the years that at the time I may have not realized would be so valuable today.

Team work

I can’t even count the amount of times that I got stuck in groups or with a partner that I couldn’t stand throughout all my years of education and was forced to work with them. I hated when teachers wouldn’t let you work with your friends and never understood why they wanted to put us through so much pain when it could be quite simple—they could’ve just let us work with people we liked. Years later I’ve realize the purpose of this was to teach us to be people that were adaptable and could work with anyone. In the workplace you likely aren’t going to be able to choose who you work with, so it’s important to figure out ways to work with different types of personalities. It may have taken years and years before I realized this was a valuable skill, but now I’m so grateful to have been taught it.

Financial literacy

Alright, I have to admit that this wasn’t really something they taught me in school but I wish they did. My parents however were people that really focused on teaching my sister and I throughout university about staying on top of our finances. At the time I was always super annoyed when my mom would track everything I spent my money on, however, it taught me a lot about budgeting and how much the real world cost. This is something that many students don’t learn because their parents coddle them too much and then they’re hit by a ton of bricks once it’s time to face reality. Financial literacy is a skill I’m so thankful to now have as it’s the real reason I’ve been able to juggle having the life I live that makes me happy.

Taking criticism

We now live in a world where every kid gets a gold star in school and a participation trophy at soccer because we’re too afraid that their feelings may get hurt. Learning how to take criticism is one of the most valuable skills I’ve ever learned over my lifetime. Whether it was from my dance teacher or from my school teacher, some lessons are hard to learn but often times very important to learn. Knowing how to not only take criticism but also learn from it and understand the motive behind it is very important. You should be able to know how you can use this and be constructive with it and also when to ignore it because it’s just made to bring you down. This is an important thing in any role you ever hold throughout your career.

Organization

Whether you’re organized or not you’ll likely still get through life. Not everyone is an organized person, however it’s an incredibly valuable skill. Knowing how to organize your time, be productive and ensure nothing falls through the cracks is so important in life and also your career. Technically I learned to be so organized from my mom and also from balancing competitive dance with school, part-time jobs and everything else a kid has going on growing up. My life now consists of to-do lists in my phone, on paper, in my agenda, etc. and this is what I’ve found works for me. I rarely forget about things and am not someone to miss deadlines.

I remember so clearly my parents trying to explain to me the reasoning behind the stuff we learned growing up. I remember them telling me that one day I’d understand why and they were 110% right. What were some of those lessons or skills you acquired growing up that you’re so thankful for today? Share below!

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