Preppers come from all walks of life. We are auto mechanics and doctors. We are bankers and farmers. We are construction workers and we are business owners.
In our day jobs, many preppers routinely use skills that will be even more useful in a post-collapse world. Those who know how to grow crops, maintain old machinery, and work with wood and metal using primitive tools will be highly valued in a post-TEOTWAWKI world. Professionals such as doctors, nurses, and engineers, also possess skills that will be in great demand.
But what about other professionals? What about the prepper whose day job is being a mid-level manager at a health insurance company? What about the software salesman and the lawyer? Do they have skills that will transfer to a post-TEOTWAWKI world? Certainly no survivor community will say “We only have enough food for one additional person. Let’s take the project manager; we don’t need a doctor. ”
Even though expert TPS report filing capabilities will not be needed after “it” hits the fan, the skills that allow managers, bankers, and even lawyers to excel at their day jobs will have some value in a post-collapse world.
- Leadership skills. Despite the romantic notion of surviving on your own, more than likely preppers will band together in small communities for mutual assistance and security. Developing the skills to effectively lead a small team will be helpful as you work within your community.
- Interpersonal skills. Getting along with some people even in the best of times is difficult enough. During the stress of a TEOTWAWKI world, it will be a hundred-fold worse. Knowing how to effectively communicate and work with other people will be beneficial during tough times.
- Budgeting skills. Many people believe that money will have little to no value after “it” hits the fan. They may indeed be right. However, budgeting your food and water consumption and making sure that your not blowing through your other resources faster than you can replace them will be critical during tough times.
- Negotiation skills. Bartering and trading services for material goods will become the new norm after an economic or societal collapse. Knowing good negotiation techniques can help you to ensure that you’re not taken advantage of.
- Project management skills. There will be many collaborative efforts in a post-TEOTWAWKI world. Those tasks will have lots of interdependencies and conflicting resource requirements. For example the best person to provide nighttime security may also be the person who knows the most about gardening. Knowing how to plan, schedule, prioritize is project management.
Even though your day job may not offer skills that directly translate to your prepping endeavors, you can learn business skills that will help during uncertain times. You will do well to nurture and develop these skills now before you need them.
