
Ask HN: What skills would you invest in learning? - chakkop
I&#x27;m considering taking time off work (up to 6 months) to invest in learning some new skills. I&#x27;m 28, have a solid background in math, and my professional experience is mostly in finance (sigh). What are some useful (technical or non-technical) skills that it&#x27;s worth investing into learning?
======
patio11
When I look around me at conspicuously happy people I see a) cooking, b)
exercise (less of a skill than a lifestyle but there you go), and c) a wide,
wide variety of X plus Y such that you're better at Y than anyone who can do
better at X and vice versa, for X and Y which are chosen to be commercially
valuable.

Professionally, if you want a skill with a stupid amount of leverage, public
speaking is pretty high up there for white collar workers.

If you're technical there are many, many options for adding one more arrow to
the quiver. My specific recommendations would depend on your career goals, but
for generic HNers, mastering the deployment story for your stack of choice
(DevOps is more than a bit buzzwordy but some of the tools available now are
just fantastic -- Ansible, Consul, Docker, the AWS stack, etc) would be up
there. For people who are more comfortable on backends, learn React, which
will take you through a nice swathe of modern front-end tools and practices.
For folks who work more on the frontend, maybe Rails if you see CRUD/apps in
your future or Go if you enjoy systems programming more.

~~~
solutionyogi
Could you please given an example or two for X + Y? I am not following that.

~~~
patio11
For me the original plan was bilingual (English/Japanese) plus engineering but
I ended up getting more career mileage out of being able to program rings
around most SaaS companies' marketing teams. (A high bar that is not.)

You can pick many, many things here, though. Combining programming (any stack
which lets you ship things) plus any other white collar profession works well,
too. Try embedding in anybody's workday and just sit on your hands and watch
the insanity as they do any data-processing work, for example. It's insane how
much of day-to-day accounting work exists because of the lack of 50 lines of
Ruby.

~~~
lsniddy
could you elaborate on what you do when "programming rings around most SaaS
companies' marketing teams" ? Thanks!

~~~
HeyLaughingBoy
His blog does a really good job of explaining this. And you'll probably learn
a lot of other stuff. It's worth getting sucked into kalzumeus :-)

------
brc
Sales. Learn to sell something. If you're taking time off, why not consider
doing phone cold calling for a charity. This is particularly brutal but
probably a sharp, free course in improving your sales and cold calling skills.

Everyone needs sales skills, whether it is to understand why people buy, or
just to 'sell' ideas, whether pitching to investors or convincing a
partner/superior or team to implement your idea.

~~~
kenny-log_ins
On this note, design and web skills. Whatever you do, its useful to be able to
make it look good. If you are working with people who aren't savvy with web
tech then it is very useful to be able to knock good looking sites up quickly
and will impress easily. learn how to use bootstrap templates to generate
simple nice looking web pages. also bonus points for learning basic graphic
design skills so you can generate your own images to customise your pages
further.

------
traverseda
I appreciate the skills the Center For Applied rationality instilled in me
most every day.

>Ever made a mistake? Missed an opportunity? Of course; but what’s interesting
is how cognitive scientists have found even highly educated and successful
people to make predictable errors in judgement, and just knowing about these
experiments often isn’t enough to prevent these mistakes. It actually takes
practice to form new mental habits. At our workshops, you can learn about
newly discovered failure patterns in human decision-making, and begin training
to overcome them…

Think of it as martial arts for rationality. You know about things like the
sunk cost fallacy, but they do workshops to make sure you recognize it when
it's happening to you.

A great bunch of very skilled people. The personal advice helped me get over
some hangups about procrastination.

I think it's a great foundation to help learn other skills, and asses what
information will be valuable to you.

~~~
aswanson
Sounds interesting. Do they have a pdf or book out?

~~~
shareit
They have a collection of resources including recommended readings:
[http://rationality.org/videos/](http://rationality.org/videos/)

------
crdb
If I had 6 months and no obligations, I'd learn to draw and to storytell, and
I'd make and publish (for free if I can afford it) a graphic novel adaptation
of Asimov's Foundation.

Current item 1 on my "to do once we exit" list.

It's a brilliant set of books by one of the most brilliant authors ever, and
IMHO has a philosophy and structure that is rarely found in contemporary books
or graphic novels. It would be a challenge to bring that vision to the paper
well.

~~~
normloman
In 6 months, you could learn the basics of drawing. Enough to make a simple
graphic novel, to have fun and get the experience. But something tells me the
source material demands a more complex approach. The best illustrators take
years to refine their technique.

Not trying to dissuade you. If you love drawing, absolutely do as much of it
as you can. Just don't stop after 6 months.

------
mtrn
Asset allocation - so to speak - over one's personal time is usually a very
personal thing. Six month is a long time, but it is not enough to get
reasonable good in piano playing. Or to acquire a black belt.

If you have a bit of talent and help, you could get fluent in a foreign
language in 24 weeks.

But then, there are some talents, that you wanted to foster during the last
years, but just did not have the time. Maybe it's easier to start from there.

Anyway, some suggestions into the blue:

\- read books and travel

\- learn excellent writing skills by writing a short book about what you
learned so far in math/finance

\- move to a foreign country where you do not speak the language and try to
survive (two of my friends did this, and they did well)

------
dankruss
Code. Teach yourself how to code. Create a project that you would find useful.
Given your finance background, create a system to manage your personal
finances or automate some of the tasks you perform at work. You have the
mathematics background, so logic isn't a hurdle. If the glove fits... code.

~~~
h0phead
Which language though? Coming from someone who knows a bit but doesn't work in
the field.

~~~
shareit
Its gotta be JavaScript. Given Meteor, JS is all you need to get an idea out
the door.

~~~
zeckalpha
To get an idea _for a web site_ out the door. Not all ideas are web sites.

------
civilframe
I'd recommend putting some time into learning how to change your body
composition, improve your fitness, and control your mood. Better physiology
improves all other aspects of one's life. Also practical psychology (why
people do what they do, etc) is helpful. After that, learn how to create
software.

~~~
C0d3r
Which subjects/areas of psychology would you recommend for someone looking for
learning about practical psychology?

~~~
aj__
Here are several books I've found extremely useful. Ranked by how important I
view them.

1\. Thinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman. If you're going to read one,
read this. A lot of theory undergirding how people think. Decision making by
people will make a lot more sense after this.

2\. Influence - Robert Cialdani. Less theory and more pragmatic advice on how
to influence people.

3\. Drive - Daniel Pink, Switch - Chip Heath, Made to Stick - Chip Heath,
Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely. Books on specific sub-categories. More
pop-psych. Information density is less, but easier to read.

4\. Poor Charlie's Almanac - Charlie Munger. Best known as Warren Buffett's
partner, this book is a collection of his speeches, letters, etc... You get an
idea of how he thinks but, but you have to dig through the repetitive ramble
to get it. Think of it as Charlie observing a lot of the prior principles but
putting it into a real life/business context.

~~~
C0d3r
Thanks for the list! I had #1 and #3 in my list already, I'll check the others
too :).

------
keywonc
Why "finance (sigh)"?

I'm aware HN doesn't have the highest regard for the finance industry, but I'd
like to hear your perspective: What makes you not so proud of your current
skills?

~~~
cryowaffle
I think "sigh" implies low work satisfaction. OP didn't come here for a
therapy session, he wants to learn new valuable skills!

~~~
hogu
OP where are you at? I've consulted in a variety of different places in the
financial industry, the opportunities range from terrible, boring and soul
sucking, to extremely profitable and very interesting - the financial space is
actually quite diverse

------
agentultra
Try building a computer from first principles[0]. You'll learn logic,
circuits, systems programming, etc. Everything that runs our lives.

If you have a solid background in maths perhaps look into picking up a
semester in some theoretical maths. You might develop a few hunches that could
turn into innovative ideas when you return to your job.

Work on an open problem in maths with a small prize. See if you can crack
it[1]. You could end up with a proof, some pocket change, and your name in the
history books. At the least you'll learn what it takes to get there.

Pick up a few online courses or books on machine learning and dig through the
Kepler data archive[2]. You'll learn statistics and modelling and perhaps
confirm valuable research results! Space!

Go plant some trees. It's a small favor for the environment. It's hard work
and you'll get really dirty. This is its own reward.

Volunteer in a foreign country. You'll meet new people and introduce yourself
to problems you would never have considered in your lifetime.

[0] [http://www.projectoberon.com/](http://www.projectoberon.com/) [1]
[http://www.numberphile.com/videos/happy_ending.html](http://www.numberphile.com/videos/happy_ending.html)
[2]
[http://kepler.nasa.gov/Science/ForScientists/dataarchive/](http://kepler.nasa.gov/Science/ForScientists/dataarchive/)

------
IgorPartola
Depends on what your goal is. If you want to make a lot of money, I'd say
learn about an industry, especially one that's in a bad need of a
technological overhaul. Make connections with people who can help you shape
and advance a product. Almost nobody ever made money creating TODO apps, but
plenty of people made loads of money bringing technology to where it was
absent.

As for specific skills, sales and marketing are great ideas. If you want to be
a very desirable coder, I'd say learning two technologies that don't normally
go together but are both in demand at all times. For example, I have met very
few people who have equal passion and skill for developing for iOS and
Android. Add Windows Phone for completeness and most small companies would
hire you on the spot because they can't afford a separate developer for each
platform.

Another example of that might be front-end and backend work. Basically, if you
can code up your own device drivers, then quickly create beautiful browser or
mobile interfaces, you have become a truly full stack developer.

The ultimate triple threat would be: backend, front-end (web + mobile), and
design. People that can quickly design beautiful things, then implement them
are incredibly rare.

~~~
Balgair
While we are all here, lets make a list of some industries that are very badly
in need of a tech overhaul. I'll start:

Any sport where girls are required to put bows in their hair. Ballet sure
could use some carbon fiber thingy in those shoes. Same with figure skating.
Gymnastics is a bit better, but I'm sure there is room for something.

Pipe and cigar smoking. The vaping trend hasn't hit them yet, but it will.

Road construction. It is terrible! Potholes everywhere!

------
mikexstudios
I agree with others here who recommend learning how to code.

But instead of chasing the latest trends in frameworks, I would recommend
learning ruby on rails instead. It's a mature framework that is still very
popular. Learning it instills good principles that you carry over when
learning future frameworks.

The best way to learn rails is:
[https://www.railstutorial.org/book](https://www.railstutorial.org/book)

It's written for absolute beginners. Work through the entire book, and you'll
have a good foundation for web development.

------
normloman
That's a question you have to answer yourself. It sounds like you're
dissatisfied with your finance career. If that's true, don't make the same
mistake again. Don't try to figure out what skills are worth investing in (in
other words, don't try to calculate ROI). Work on whatever you're passionate
about (and if you aren't sure what that is, work on whatever peeks your
curiosity).

------
vlladin
It's an interesting question, and maybe a wrong question altogether. From my
current experience I've noticed that it does not really matter what you learn
as long as you learn something. To go event further, choose something
unrelated to your current skill set. When you learn something new, the way you
perceive the world, the way you think in general changes because you have more
variables to work with. You will start observing things that were always
there, but the subconscious part of your brain was filtering it out because it
was considered "useless". You will understand more, and at some point will be
able to make connections between apparently unconnected topics, get new ideas,
innovate. But if you want to learn a new skill just to monetize it (get a good
payed job quickly), things are a bit different. Then you must stay in your
area of expertise, and choose something close to that, something that either
has potential in the near-future, of it can be monetized now. You will have to
make a bit of research on that one depending on the area you live in and the
number of open jobs available.

------
mrborgen
I just did this actually. I ran a startup for 2.5 years as the CEO, and when
we ran out of money, I moved to London for 3-4 months and joined the code
school/coding cooperative Founders&Coders. Never learned as much in so short
time ever.

It's probably best to try and learn something that you get excited about
learning. You're going to be your own motivator, and if you give up half ways,
it's probably not worth it.

Another tip is to try to get in touch with a community of people you can learn
together with. After I moved away from London, I've learned a lot less, even
though I have just as much time. I'm just not around as knowledge hungry
people. This makes all the difference.

Another technique is to try and devote one week to a subject and check if you
like it. I did it with machine learning:
[https://medium.com/@oslokommuneper/machine-learning-in-a-
wee...](https://medium.com/@oslokommuneper/machine-learning-in-a-
week-a0da25d59850)

You can try coding, design, marketing etc. Whatever you like. Worst case, you
waste a week. Best case, you discover a new passion.

------
radmuzom
Write a book.

While it appears to be an "activity" rather than a "skill", I believe it is a
skill.

My recommendation is write on something which you know well; most probably in
finance as you appear to be most experienced in this field. It will be even
better if you can make it programming oriented, as there are a dearth of
programming books specific to specialized domains.

1\. Writing well is something which sets apart great technical people from the
good technical people.

2\. Writing is much more difficult than it sounds. It requires much more
clarity of thought than when you are working. At work, some things may be
obvious to you - only when you write about it do you think about the
fundamentals of a domain.

3\. Depending on your goals and the medium of publishing, it may teach you
something else - like HTML or Latex, for example. It may also lead you to
explore options for self-publishing a book, which can be a good skill later
on.

------
m52go
Sales, marketing, and JavaScript. In that order. Then you'll be unstoppable in
anything you decide to do.

~~~
icpmacdo
Third ones covered, what are the best resources for the first two?

~~~
m52go
Here are the resources I've found most helpful:

Sales \-------------

Steli Efti: his YouTube videos + blog posts at blog.close.io

Smart Calling by Art Sobczak

Question Your Way to Sales Success by Dave Kahle

Marketing \-------------

Traction by Gabriel Weinberg

------
Delmania
Marketing yourself. [http://talsraviv.com/2012/07/26/being-a-developer-makes-
you-...](http://talsraviv.com/2012/07/26/being-a-developer-makes-you-valuable-
learning-how-to-market-makes-you-dangerous/)

------
FranOntanaya
To add,

* Good regexp chops in a scripting language.

* Cooking, because it's a proxy for skills in procedures, taste and aesthetics, and makes you more able to keep a healthy diet.

* How to set up, maintain and use a commuting bicycle. Easier and more productive than the gym.

------
falcolas
6 months is a long time. If I were to do the same, here's what I would work
towards:

\- Guitar

\- Programming language in a paradigm I don't currently work in

\- Join a hackerspace and build something small but new every few weeks

\- Wildlife Photography

I spend a lot of time in the computer, and while I would not want to give that
up, given the time, I'd like to pick up some skills which have bugger all to
do with using a computer in a way that I'm used to. I'm already doing two of
those things in my spare time, but if I had 6 months, I'd make those my
primary focus, and add in the others as my "hobbies".

------
mohawk
Your question is hard to answer because it's not clear what your goal is. More
math is always useful, but you wrote you already have a solid background
there. Public speaking, communication, and "people skills" in general are
always good to have and might become more important later on in your career.

If you want a fun list of topics, here are some off the top of my head that i
might look at in your situation:

\- fully homomorphic encryption

\- recurrent neural networks & machine learning

\- proving computer programs correct & computer-aided mathematical proofs

------
hal9000xp
I'm surprised that nobody advised to learn algorithms. It's not only fun but
also algorithmic skills offer bright career perspectives.

Top-tier employers requires deep knowledge of algorithms and math rather than
concrete technologies (in case of average employers it's quite opposite).

If you strong in math, it would be easy for you.

In general, if I had solid background in math, I would consider to join
research team.

------
francisb07
I come from a very technical background--CS with Machine Learning, and I'm
currently diving into the humanities and arts. I'm using Hackdesign as a
primer into the arts and design frame of mind.

I think it's best to engage in domains of thinking that are worlds apart from
where you currently are.

------
Raphmedia
Drones.

Not buying one and flying it.

Building one.

There are a lot of guides online. People online will help you. They are
exciting. They teach you about a lot of skills from soldering to robotics to
design to flying to rigging cameras.

They are exiting and you will end up with a nice product you can keep forever
or give as a gift.

------
pmelendez
> learning some new skills.

I would say whatever sparks your curiosity. In most cases and somehow it would
fit in your daily tasks.

------
adamzerner
For what purpose? To advance your career? Self-improvement? Fun?

1) I'm guessing more finance and math.

2) I second the CFAR recommendation.

3) Whatever you want!

------
aswanson
I want to do about 90 percent of what the comments on this page say. Very good
ideas...so little time...

------
drelihan
how to help people --- you learn to do that and a lot of other stuff will fall
in place.

------
3pt14159
Three most profitable things I've learned: writing, sales, and machine
learning.

~~~
mofeeta
I'm curious - are there resources you'd recommend to bone up on sales?

------
gull
Learning to write embarrassingly clearly.

------
GarvielLoken
Languages.

------
m0llusk
nonviolent communication (cnvc.org)

------
arisAlexis
machine learning and data analysis obviously!

