Think you know all you need to know? There are always new things you can learn, some of which are more useful than others. Sure, being able to write in calligraphy is a nice skill to have, but it’s not the most useful skill to learn in your spare time. Instead, here are six unexpectedly useful skills that might actually come in handy one day. 

The initial days of the pandemic seem like a lifetime ago, but they’re not something we’ll ever forget. The entire world into a state of panic, with many people resorting to panic buying. If you ventured into a supermarket at the beginning of the pandemic, you’ll remember there were vast shortages of lots of staple foods, including bread. Whilst the majority of people went without a slice for weeks, the bakers of the nation were able to whip up their own. Making bread is no mean feat, but as 2020 proved, it’s a necessary skill in times of need. Rather than learning how to cook Michelin star meals, make sure you can do the basics and learn how to bake bread. 

Sign language is undoubtedly useful, but still, so many people don’t know it, leaving deaf and hard of hearing members of society often feeling isolated and without an effective way to communicate. Make sure you’re being a responsible member of society by being able to communicate to everyone, even those who rely on sign language. It will take you a few months to perfect, but it’s well worth it. For the best results, we’d recommend learning from a hard of hearing person to ensure you’re getting it right first time. It’s no different to learning any other language – it’s best to learn from a native speaker. 

For as long as we use fabric in our everyday lives, there will always be a need for sewing. Unfortunately, a lot of people go the majority of their lives without knowing how to patch up a simple split seam, and that means items either get thrown away or sent to a tailor to repair. Knowing how to sew is far more sustainable, and it doesn’t take long to pick up, either. When you know how, you’ll find yourself undertaking all manner of textile tasks and you’ll ask yourself what you did to get by before you could sew! 

Welding might seem like a job best left to the professionals, but there are lots of instances where knowing how to join metals together can come in handy – mostly in the case of home improvements. There are several different types of welding, but from a beginners point of view, MIG welding is the easiest (and cheapest) to learn. When you know how to weld, you can do all sorts, including fixing minor issues on your car and doing small hobbyist home improvements. 

Lockpicking might sound like a sketchy skill, but we’re not referring to the criminal kind. Knowing how to pick a lock could save you a lot of distress in the case you forget your keys or accidentally lock yourself in a room in your house. It can also help if you lock yourself out of your house, too. 

The final skill we suggest you learn is how to make a spreadsheet. It might not be a vital part of your job, but knowing how to create one could help you massively with other things, such as creating a schedule or managing your finances. It’s a transferrable skill, making it worth the effort to learn because you never know when you might need or use it. 

What’s one skill you learned on a whim that turned out to be really useful in the long run?