Job Skills That Could be Useful

[Fatty]

Perhaps we should get a list going for good post shtf job skills. I haven't seen on on here yet atleast.

[izzyscout21]

Looks like post shtf, it's going to be too many warriors and not enough farmers. it's going to be bloody.

I agree.
I can't seem to get anything to grow to save my life. I guess I'll just have to protect the farmers.....or whore myself out for my daily serving of veggies.

[mitunnelrat]

Prior service Army, but its been over a decade since I've used the skill sets particular to that training. I do know it wouldn't take me long to become proficient again with the right manuals and equipment on hand.

I've also run the gamut of private sector security options. In the past I've worked armored car and done armed patrols of my area homes and businesses through alarm response and contracts. I worked on a team for the armored car, but my patrol work was solo, and at night. Those jobs helped me develop better SA. I've worked at businesses closing their doors, beer tents/ bars/ a hotel, and a teen club. I got tons of face time with disgruntled employees, belligerent drunks, guests whose room was overbooked (ever seen that done to a newlyweds suite? It gets ugly) and pissy kids. Looking back, I'm amazed I've never once been held up, jumped, or involved in any physical fight. I know I developed some effective communication skills for talking to all of them, but there was obviously a good bit of luck or divine intervention in there as well. Now I sit in an isolated location, up to 96 hours per week at one point. Happily, not anymore. I'm ready for a change.

Back in the day I was certified for small engine repair. Its a perishable skill, but again, with the right manuals and tools I could regain some proficiency there.

[Grumpy Old Man]

Currently I'm the General Manager of a concrete block plant. I still keep my professional geologist registration and have worked on numerous dam and other engineering geology projects. As my undergrad and grad degrees are in geochemistry, I have a reasonable skill level of finding and extracting metals from ores using old methods. Probably my most useful skills come from my hobbies of fly fishing, my horses and buckskinning (pre-1840 fur trade re-enactment). I can tan leather using several methods, I've made black powder that actually works in my muzzleloaders, I have the equipment to sew leather and cloth, including a Singer treadle sewing machine, I garden, make mead and hard cider, can vegetables and meat and I'm a reasonably good hunter. My trapping skills need honing but I am already pretty good at setting small game snares. Drawbacks are I smoke and chew and (I really hate owning up to this) I'm pushing 60 real hard; I've had a number of broken bones from the horses over the years, and my eyesight is not what it once was. In a tribal situation I'd probably be one of the elders passing on skills to the young. I can, however still hit what I aim out out to about 500 yds. Beyond that it's iffy.

[AlphaTea]

Sounds similar to what I do. Well used to. I'm still in the same department, just doing some different stuff now.
Used to work for a company that made detectors, got sold to Canberra and shut down my department.
Life goes on.

Tennelec?

[gunbuilder69]

I guess i"m more in line w/ Alphatea and bacpacker...
I started out life as an NBC officer in the 9th I.D. finishing/retiring 21 yrs later as a Battalion Commander w/ HQ Bn 502,101st.
I am currently employed as a senior Nuclear Chemist/Physicist at the Turkey point nuclear plant in Florida.
I am a licensed gunsmith and teach NRA rifle,pistol,shotgun and tactical law enforcement, tactical emergency medicine,BLS ( to include AED) with a company I co- with another combat vet friend.
I love to fish/hunt with my kids,we camp every fall and have a small garden at home.
My lovely wife of 20yrs is a BSN RN and helps us out when we have the 'couples' firearms classes.(priceless)
Did I mention I have lots of resources...

[bacpacker]

Alpha, exactly right, Spent 10 years there as a maintenace tech on their Ion Implanter which was older than dirt when I started. I was able to allow them to drop their maintenace contract with the manufacture, Varian. I also worked in the germanium test lab and did a lot of the QC process. After canberra bought them I had to move into the germainium growing lab. I was mainly working with chemicals, which I knew nothing about and didn't really care for. Just didn't fit my skill set.

This is a very good thread, it's interesting to me seeing a little about folks backgrounds.

[mitunnelrat]

My lovely wife of 20yrs is a BSN RN and helps us out when we have the 'couples' firearms classes.(priceless)

Can you link your site again for me please? I had it bookmarked before my computer crashed. I am desperately in need of 3 things: Training, a vacation, and integrating my fiancee in the first process.

[AlphaTea]

Alpha, exactly right, Spent 10 years there as a maintenace tech on their Ion Implanter which was older than dirt when I started. I was able to allow them to drop their maintenace contract with the manufacture, Varian. I also worked in the germanium test lab and did a lot of the QC process. After canberra bought them I had to move into the germainium growing lab. I was mainly working with chemicals, which I knew nothing about and didn't really care for. Just didn't fit my skill set.

This is a very good thread, it's interesting to me seeing a little about folks backgrounds.

I never met them but I did spend a lot of time on the phone with Wes, Lee and Kay and Craig at Tennelec...

[bacpacker]

Lee and kay are good friends of mine. Worked with wes a little. Craig don't sound familiar to me. Some good people.