Your Real Skills Are Never Outdated

Once upon a time, ten key by touch was one of the most sought-after skills I possessed. For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, it’s basically being able to quickly enter numerical data into a computer. I’m sure there are still jobs where it’s a helpful skill to have, but I haven’t seen it as a screening tool in job postings in a long, long time.

Back when I was in college, I learned Basic programming (it fulfilled my foreign language requirement). The idea was that everyone would have to learn how to program computers.

I’ve been good at countless skills that the world has long since moved past, but while I briefly mourned the loss of my glory days as the only person in the office who knew how to work the fax machine, I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about outdated skills.

Real Knowledge Never Goes Away

If there’s anything I’ve learned about the world of work, it’s that specific skills (being able to code in Basic, being able to enter numbers by touch) quickly become outdated. But the real knowledge behind the skill never goes away.

Ten key by touch is learned by a lot of boring, repetitive practice. If you can do boring, repetitive practice, you can accomplish just about anything.

Writing Basic code requires planning, logical analysis of the problem to be solved, and attention to detail. If you have those abilities, you can pick up almost any new skill.

Reskilling for a Retirement Career or Second Career

Sometimes when you reach a career crossroads it can feel like a real uphill battle to learn new skills to get a new job. But the truth is, you already have the background you need. You just have to look at it right.

I hear from people all the time who are interested in becoming freelance editors but they think their skills are outdated (maybe they’ve been out of the workforce for a while) or not relevant (they’ve been working in the tech industry for the past ten years).

But that’s just superficial details. You have to dig deeper than that.

Identifying Your Real Skills

Think about raising kids. Maybe you didn’t work a paid job but you organized, multitasked, put in a lot of repetitive and boring work. You developed judgment about when to intervene and when to stand back. You dealt with constantly shifting expectations and demands on the fly.

Those are real skills and they can be used in your new work.

If you’re worried about, say, an unhappy author questioning your editing, just remember that you lived through the toddler years.

If you start to feel self-doubt on your journey, you’re probably not giving yourself enough credit for all the relevant knowledge that you already have.