Friends I "NEED"

I know many secretaries, accounting, and insurance types that are better prepared than electricians, plumbers, and mechanics. Many people on the list have genuine life skills like canning and gardening that will be necessary to survive. I figure I can barter for engine repair if I need it. If there isn't any gasoline, I'm not going to need an engine.

 

I don't know if you've made these as a subset skill of the included members, but how about a butcher, soldier (or someone with security), carpenter, mechanical engineer and possibly a teacher (or at least a decent library to teach the young).

 

I think you will find more folks are more knowledgeable that you think.

For me, food production, shelter building/maintence and self defense are on top of the list.

Jimmy

 

Seems like when you depend on a certain person for specials skills you are making a mistake. Several people with plain common sense, life experiences, an ability to learn on their feet, and a basic understanding of different skills would be much more valuable. Specializing might be a good thing now but when SHTF it might not be so sought after. A jack of all trades might be the answer.

 

Well said.

Jimmy

 

I agree with your basic premise, however I remember that the entire saying is: "Jack of all trades, Master of none!"

 

It isn't necessary to be a master at any of the trades. If you are a master of a trade we are back to the original post. Masters of any trade are not necessary and can be a drain on the rest. A basic knowledge of many trades is very valuable.
What happens to the group who has all masters of different trades when they loose some of the masters?

 

One other fault, I see, with your list... Let's say you have a Doctor. What happens if the Doctor gets ill or injured? Or killed/dies? So, now you need redundancies in each of the skills you want.

I see a farmer/master gardener... however unless it's a relatively small garden you're going to need lots more workers to work the land or lots of equipment which then begs the need for mechanics. Maybe metal workers/black smiths to fashion parts that you can't just go buy anymore. What about fuel? Someone who knows how to do biodiesel plus all the equipment to do it, etc.

Keeping this reasoning up and you eventually have a small town of skilled individuals. But, if they're focusing on their skill then you need a secondary work force for all the mundane and grunt work. And on and on.

The jack of all trades approach might be better. Someone who can pickup skills as necessary and is comfortable finding solutions and fixing things even though they may not be a specialist. Getting together a decent library with a number of books on each topic would allow almost anyone to at least get a basic working knowlege of the subject matter. While I may never need to extract a tooth, having a "Where there is no Dentist" and it's partner "Where there is no Doctor" would at least have a record of how to go about doing it.

 

When Jamestown was founded, the white collar types that were there did not want to do and were not able to perform physical labor. I would rather have preppers with common sense, weapons, and physical ability than a doctor, a mechanic, and a dentist sitting around my house while I bust my butt keeping the farm going.

 

Why not master of them all? Remember, a specialist is someone who learns more and more about less and less until he knows everything about nothing.

I'd rather have someone who is familiar with a variety of trades than someone who is confined to one narrow field (Brain surgery excluded! ) Some of our best and most innovative inventors had their hands in a variety of interests and were able to integrate previously learned skills into new discoveries. The Wright brothers fixed bicycles and did some engine work...then they they made airplanes. Bell was a teacher of the deaf and used his electrical knowledge to try to help the deaf communicate. He failed. His failure was called the telephone. :2thumb:

And let's not forget the value of cross-training members of a group in the skills that other members of the group have mastered. Everyone should have at least a working knowledge of all aspects of an operation. I worked in a burglar alarm operations center that was set up like this. One guy literally stepped up and took over when the on-duty supervisor had a heart attack (he survived). Everyone on my shift could handle any position from supervisory to computer operator, including some minor repair functions, if the system crashed. The standard joke was: "Who is going to be the dummy in charge tonight?"

 

A lot of the skills listed can be learned to some degree by yourself or others now. First aid skills or simple carpentry skills for instance. I don't have a degree in anything other than business, but I do have first aid training, canning and dehydrating skills, gardening skills, I have raised cattle, hogs, chickens and rabbits. I can change a tire and oil in a vehicle. I have helped to build several houses and roofed them. I'm sure I am forgetting something, but IMHO I would be useful.

 

The ideal situation would be to have some ole country boys/girls who also do something useful as a profession. Expertise & general know-how combined! "Jack of all trades master of none" is not always the case. Hubby was raised hunting, fishing, prepping his own meat, working on engines, doing electrical & plumbing, welding fences, & whatever else needed to be done. He is a master at building houses & anything out of wood. I'm a nurse but I can can, dehydrate, garden, sew, crochet, cook, shoot, homeschool, tend animals, etc. I think that's probably the case with many people, 'cept maybe them folks that's had all usefulness bred out of them.

 

I would describe myself as a Jack of all trades, master of some with my skill-set being way beyond what my current job-title shows. I hunt-n-fish and know how to butcher, cook and preserve the food. I also know how to cut and form and weld steel (my job-title is metal-fabrication-designer). I also have mechanic-skills - swapping engines, transmissions, rebuilding axles, brakes, etc. With my hunting skills comes my general outdoor skills (stealth hiking, cross-country-ski and snow-shoe and I have my wilderness first-aid certificates). I can drive just about anything with wheels (bus, dump-truck, 18-wheeler, off-road Jeep and motorbike) and I am no stranger to paddling a canoe (lake, river and mild white-water).

Just because some of your friend's work skill-sets are not suitable for a prepper, it does not automatically mean that their life skill-sets are to be discounted.

 

I'd like to ask... Would a pharmacist be of any use? Not a pharm tech, but one that studied in college and is liscensed.

 

Well, if you're only friends with these people because what they can DO for YOU, then I pity you and them. Thats a pathetic way to have friends.
I've noticed this sort of mind set in everyday life and a very very large number of people. I think thats just about the most ignorant thing to do to someone is to use them for what they can do for you and not who they actually are.I honestly do not remember people being this narcissistic before the late 80's. thats when I first noticed it in people. just about that time people would ask you: " What do you do for a living". they didn't care that you may have fed the homeless, or was a Sunday school teacher at your church. Sickening and pathetic

To me, a frined is friend. Not a "tool" that I can use.

I figure me and my friends can figure it all out post shtf. We've got each other's backs and not just because what we can "do" for each other but because of true friendship and caring about each other.

this sort of talk makes me sick. seriously, you people who think like this should one day find yourself all alone and people who you used gone from your life.
I suggest you pray for forgivness and ask Him to lead you the right way and show you the right way to BE a friend and to HAVE a friend.

 

I think that what Halfway was getting to was friends that have certain skills that compliment skill-sets that you currently have. While I have lots of skills in many things, I can't do everything - there are not enough hours in a year to keep up with my current projects, so, I need to have others with skill-sets that compliment my own to either give me guidance or help or to just take over.

I can fix a computer - any computer. My buddy can fix a car, any car. He can't fix a computer and I can hack-n-bash my way to a good running car. I can weld for him and he can feed me from his smoker. Our skill-sets compliment each others - we are great friends (hunting and off-roading, butchering, camping, etc) otherwise.

I don't believe that Halfway meant to get rid of friends that are "useless" in a SHTF situation, just that he (I think Halfway is a he) is looking for certain natural skill-sets that will make life easier.

 

A medium size mule is a good farm hand,don't eat much.A donkeys even better if foods scarce,he can live off a lot less food and no need for grains.A horse,well you know what they say about horses and eating..

Dr.s and dentist are use to living well,they may not be mentally able to stand the survival lifestyle.

 

Speaking for myself, I was lucky in that I was raised on a small farm by a family that believed in doing everything ourselves. I'm a mechinic by trade, but have farmed, gardened, canned, butchered, done plumbing, electrical, carpentry, construction and operated heavy equipment as well as hunting and fishing. I may not be a master at many of these, but I don't hire anybody to do these things and have made a living from many of them.