LPT Request: What are some short-term jobs or hobbies that may dramatically enhance your life afterwards?
Though I would not need to make a profession of it, I am so glad that I spent just a few years working in kitchens. I might have realized the fundamentals of cooking and meals prep alone, however working within the business and studying from consultants boosted my proficiency actually rapidly. I am rather more comfy within the kitchen now and I am fairly positive that the abilities I picked up in these few years will follow me endlessly, even when I make no acutely aware effort to follow them.
What are another low barrier to entry jobs or hobbies an individual can do for a comparatively quick time frame that can appreciably enhance the remainder of their life?
Comments ( 30 )
Gardening/farming
Writing/journaling
Body weight exercise
Work retail or food. Hopefully you can become a decent and kind human being after realizing how shit these two industries are, solely due to the amount of assholes in this world
Work at a DIY-store. Gives you the retail experience and you learn the basics of fixing things around the house yourself.
Telephone customer service; you mainly learn you don’t want to do that for a long time but also pick up a lot of techniques and tricks to better communication
Exercise or movement of any kind.
Electronics repair (I used to restore old video game systems and made a killing with it)
Automotive repair (learn how cars work, how to identify all the parts, and what’s worth doing yourself vs. paying a shop for work)
Computer programming / Information processing (improve your ability to use computers effectively as tools, learn a programming language or maybe learn how to make things like artwork, music/sound engineering, etc.)
Tour guiding. You’ll practice communicating to a crowd as well as small-talking to people who are interested in you just because you are wearing the uniform and leading the tour they are on. Also, exercising sales and arranging events. Pretty universal skills I would say.
well i like to think that chess has improved my critical thinking skills
edit: not that I’m very good at either
Learning to play an instrument. Having the ability to play music for yourself or your loved one as you age is magic.
Cooking, masturbation, learning Excel.
Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity and learn some valuable carpentry/ home repair skills.
Learn another language
Running. That shiet was like a light switch for my depression.
Learning an instrument, or even easier but more difficult, take a welding class at a local high school and become a welder! Gotta fit in with the crowd though
To me, if you’ve never worked a service or retail job, there’s something to be learned or at least character to be grown from those. Waiting tables a handful of times or dealing with customers at their worst will make you be a lot more grateful for the things you do have.
Photography. You see the world through a different… uh, lens. Also having decent photos of loved ones, older parents and their friends could mean the world when you’re older yourself and miss them.
You also find a new appreciation for how lighting conditions can influence the mood of a shot, and see the day as more than dark > pink > cant see my monitor > purple > cant see shit.
Using a phone or chunky DSLR and everything in between, doesnt matter.
It’s almost summer sign up to get a job cleaning guestrooms, and a national park. I worked in Yosemite when I was young and it was one of the best things I ever did in my life. You live in a beautiful place for free. You get to meet people from all over the world. As a staff member, you have a discounted all the stores. And you can just travel from one national Park to the other without any responsibilities. Save up your vacation days and go hiking in the back country. Learn about all the cool places nobody else knows about unless you actually work there.
Crochet/knitting! Simple patterns can be really relaxing for your brain, it’s more productive than staring at your phone when you’re watching TV, and you can have a blanket or sweater (or a million other things) for yourself or someone you love when you’re done.
I would say just get out walking can improve your life
Not a job, but volunteering. Animal shelter, soup kitchen, library, whatever makes you happy. Hard to feel bad when you’re helping others.
Rock climbing – its good for your mind, body, and it can be either social, or a solo thing depending on your mood.
First Aid/CPR Instructor. Not only do you learn first aid, but you also gain confidence in public speaking and presenting.
Take jiu Jitsu for a year. Go 2-3 times a week and you’ll be in the best shape, with the best confidence you’ve ever had by the end. You’ll know how to defend yourself in most hand to hand situations and can help others also.
Embarrassing, but honestly, improv. I did it at summer camp when I was a kid. It permanently improved my sense of humor and public speaking skills. And just conquering the anxiety of performing is good practice.
A serious meditation commitment for a year or so pays lifelong benefits, even after you stop. You develop a viewpoint/understanding of your emotional self that allows a more stable, less stressful life.
Learn basic electronics. It’s amazing how much you can repair with basic electronics knowledge, a multimeter, and a soldering iron. It’s a hugely beneficial skill to have because things don’t die any more, they become faulty, which can most often be repaired.
You’ll save money. Save objects from the landfills. Repair unreplaceable vintage electronics. Customize things to your needs.
But mostly, you’ll learn to look at manufactured items in a different way. It’s low-key life-changing.
If you’re young, go work in a kitchen for a couple years. It’ll teach you loads of great skills and a good work ethic. Then when you’ve been chewed up and spit out, hopefully you’ll get sober and then every job after that will be a piece of cake.
Source: me, cook for 10 years, now doing manual labor with a smile.
Swimming. Its the best exercise you could ever get imo. Zero impact, helps decompress your spine, awesome cardio and so many options in how you can go at it.
Get yourself a waterproof MP3 player and some swimbuds ( waterproof earbuds ) and the time passes so fast. Or just listen to the sound of your own breathing and let your thoughts flow.
Totally life changing for me. Got rid of a lot of stress and got healthier overall.