We learn new things to improve at work, get one step closer to that coveted promotion, exercise our cognitive muscles, or just fit in and have something interesting to say during conversations at the yearly class reunion party. But does every skill we learn have to be for a goal? Or can it just be plain silly or fun?
While most skills make us better people, some skills are as useful as a book underwater. That being said, being useless doesn’t make them any less fun to learn.
On an online forum, people shared a list of useless skills that are greatly appreciated by those who decide to perfect them.
1. Whistling
In these golden days of Uber and Lyft, the amazing art of whistling to hail a taxi is no longer necessary. However, learning to whistle is still a great skill everyone should learn, even if you never use it for anything life-changing.
2. Learning Z-A
Learning your alphabet is the foundation of all learning in life, but have you tried learning the alphabet backward? One online user suggests learning your alphabet from Z-A might be fun. Another user advised to learn them in blocks of three, with the WV block having two letters.
This might work better than counting sheep on those insomnia-ridden nights.
3. Learn NATO Alphabet
Alfa, Bravo, Charlie … sounds pretty cool in the movies and may even be cooler in real life. The NATO alphabet helps avoid ambiguity in security-sensitive situations, and it’d be a rather interesting—albeit useless—skill to have unless you’re in customer service or work at an airport.
4. Juggling
As one user comments, throwing things in the air and catching them might not seem very useful, but it’s a great skill to learn. It might come in handy if you ever compete in a talent show.
5. A Good Joke, or Three
It’s good to have a couple of jokes up your sleeve for the days you need to break the ice in an impossible encounter. You may eventually be known as the “one-joke-man,” but new people won’t know it’s the only joke in your bag.
6. The Cricket Chirp
Social media today has been using the cricket chirp soundtrack to indicate an awkward situation or an imminent failure. You can learn to chirp like a cricket and annoy all your friends when they tell a bad joke. How hilarious.
7. Know Your States Alphabetically
If you’re a US citizen, knowing all the states is good knowledge. To name the states in their alphabetical order would be an added skill—which is also not very useful.
8. Yodelling
The lilting sound of the yodel sounds cool and would be an interesting skill to earn. It may have been useful to the herders of ancient Switzerland, but its only use now would be to impress your little nieces and nephews at the Christmas barbecue.
9. Solving a Rubik’s Cube
You will be fine if you never learn to solve a Rubik’s cube, but solving one will give you quite a sense of accomplishment. Learning to solve one may not overtly change anything in your life, but it helps your brain coordinate and multi-task.
10. Writing with Your Non-Dominant Hand
The chicken scribbles from writing with your non-dominant hand might not be legible, but it’ll be fun to train it, an online user notes. It might not be entirely useless, though; you’ll be aware of hand muscles you previously didn’t notice.
11. Bunny-Hop
Getting down on all fours and hoping around like a bunny is a great, useless skill to learn. It may not appear as a special skill in your resume, but it’ll add to your workout routine and make kids giggle.
12. Making a Fire
Luckily, we live in the days of matchboxes and lighters, and we may not need to learn how to make a fire from stones and twigs, but it’s still a good skill to have. Just pray that you never need to use the skill out of desperation.
13. Flipping Coins
You never know when an important decision will need to be made, so you need to learn how to flip a coin. These days, there’s probably an app for that too.
14. Doing a Wheelie
Learning to do a tricky maneuver with your bike (motorized or not) is fun and great for your adrenaline thirst but entirely unnecessary. Nevertheless, one online user says it’s a skill one should learn, especially if you want to impress the ladies (supposedly). Remember to wear a helmet if you decide to try it.
15. Riding a Skateboard
Riding a skateboard feels like a rite of passage that everyone must learn in their teen years but then forget about once they start paying bills.
Strictly speaking, no skill is entirely useless—the time spent learning is always good for the brain.
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I’m a Language and Literary Studies (Honors) graduate with 11 years of experience in magazine and blog writing and content creation. I’m passionate about storytelling for change and believe in the power of words to make a difference. My writing is thought-provoking, accessible, and engaging, focusing on the Psychology of human behavior, complex social issues, personal experiences, and the latest trends. I’m a wife and a Mom of three.
