How do you value skill?

[Cellmold]

As the title says.

How do you value skill? I know it's relative, but as a very broad example; myself attempting carpentry vs an individual who is extremely skilled and capable of achieving the right kinds of shapes and angles etc....or whatever is desired. Not just a matter of experience but a factor of being able to see the best possible applications.

I ask because I greatly value skill, being skilled at something is pretty close to the highest attainment of usefulness to my own species and a good justification of my usefulness within a context. I don't just want to be able to do something, I want to be able to do it well....to be skilled at it.

However, evidence is actually against me in terms of what I'm actually skilled at, which outside of ok miniature painting is not a lot. Now a lot of this is ego and arrogance I have no denial....I want...no need to be demonstrably good at something. It is the old issue of wanting to prove oneself, but not necessarily to others so much as myself. However I think that neurosis is something to hold you back rather then help you. I think people who are competent and skilled in an area are just so because they don't compare themselves with others all the time, unless someone were to physically come along who was so much better than they are at something they've always felt they could hang their self-worth on.

But yeah I think it's important. Good for jobs, self-esteem and generally a drive of the self towards something you desire. An ambition to become skilled or maintain a skill. I guess I'm curious about what others think because I've never had anything I excelled at, so you always want what you cannot have.

Thoughts?

 

[FemMecha]

I value progress and each individual reaching their potential, although I tend to value quality process over quality product if it comes down to one or the other.

Edit: I tend to be wary of perfectionism, which can be a natural outcome of valuing results over the process. We get this message that we must achieve at all costs, so we have the beautiful ballet dancer with broken, bruised feet and create inspirational posters out of that. It makes me nauseated when people are harmed for the good of achievement, and since I've been in environments that function that way, I have rejected the notion and value health, freedom, personal authenticity, and the continual process of moving towards greater accomplishment, without the harmful pressure. If each person is at least moving in the right direction, then they should feel free to move at their own natural, healthy pace.

 

[gromit]

I value skill. I wouldn't say theres anything I'm truly an EXPERT at, but I enjoy the process of improving at skills I find interesting and worthwhile.

- - - Updated - - -

I guess actually you could say I'm an expert at having a good time.

 

[Qlip]

There's beauty in skill, an economy, in seeing something done skillfully. My primary appreciation is aesthetic. Beyond that, the satisfaction in skill is what it accomplishes, and if that brings any value.

 

[Cellmold]

I value progress and each individual reaching their potential, although I tend to value quality process over quality product if it comes down to one or the other.

Edit: I tend to be wary of perfectionism, which can be a natural outcome of valuing results over the process. We get this message that we must achieve at all costs, so we have the beautiful ballet dancer with broken, bruised feet and create inspirational posters out of that. It makes me nauseated when people are harmed for the good of achievement, and since I've been in environments that function that way, I have rejected the notion and value health, freedom, personal authenticity, and the continual process of moving towards greater accomplishment, without the harmful pressure. If each person is at least moving in the right direction, then they should feel free to move at their own natural, healthy pace.

I see your point. Personally I'm all for a pace that suits the individual and I think one of the bigger issues that can damage a lot of individuals are the pressures to achieve by others expections, but I'm hard on myself in terms of what I expect. Of course as you pointed out that is it's own issue.

Perhaps I just need the right direction.

 

[Kas]

I do value skill and I think it should be appreciated. Otherwise what’s the difference between a poet and a scribbler? Between the ordinary musician and a virtuoso?

I really like to be good in something I do... But I learned to do a lot of things I’m not talented at because I don’t want to sit and do nothing when there is so much to learn ( as I don’t think I’m a very talented person). After all I value curiosity and the courage to make an attempt and try to learn a new skill too. For example I don’t think that somebody is a genius tailor if they sew a bag, but it’s still pretty cool.

 

[Cellmold]

I do value skill and I think it should be appreciated. Otherwise what’s the difference between a poet and a scribbler? Between the ordinary musician and a virtuoso?

I really like to be good in something I do... But I learned to do a lot of things I’m not talented at because I don’t want to sit and do nothing when there is so much to learn ( as I don’t think I’m a very talented person). After all I value curiosity and the courage to make an attempt and try to learn a new skill too. For example I don’t think that somebody is a genius tailor if they sew a bag, but it’s still pretty cool.

Good point.

A wide breadth of skill or knowledge in many areas is much better than none, or no effort. I'm similar to yourself in that I don't feel particularly talented. Anything I'm good at was either something I've done since I was very small (skiing from age 5 although not the best of the best even so) or something I've continuously worked at, such as my painting of models.

However I will admit to feeling jealousy when encountering those who just seem to see or perceive a more efficient or better way at approaching something. But I quickly recognise the jealousy for what it is and instead try to learn from those people, assuming I can....cause sometimes I just don't see or understand what they did.

 

[RobinSkye]

I do value skill and I think it should be appreciated. Otherwise what’s the difference between a poet and a scribbler? Between the ordinary musician and a virtuoso?

I really like to be good in something I do... But I learned to do a lot of things I’m not talented at because I don’t want to sit and do nothing when there is so much to learn ( as I don’t think I’m a very talented person). After all I value curiosity and the courage to make an attempt and try to learn a new skill too. For example I don’t think that somebody is a genius tailor if they sew a bag, but it’s still pretty cool.

There are no ordinary musicians. Only people who try to appear as musicians, and musicians.

 

[Bush]

Valuing skill in general, valuing your own skill, or valuing others'?

Others' skills are usually admirable, even the ones that have no real impact on the world out there. Curiosity gets ahold of me. How did you learn to cup stack? How the hell did you memorize pi to the 100th digit?

I often feel like mine have room for improvement. Because anyone can improve themselves in any skill, even if just incrementally. Around 75% of the time I just shrug off compliments or take them for granted; 25% of the time I reflect back and recognize it. Not meant in a self-depreciating way; just a matter of fact. All or nothing, man.

 

[Kas]

[MENTION=15392]AffirmitiveAnxiety[/MENTION] we may be secretly geniuses like this gentleman

"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious." Albert Einstein

 

[Opal]

A big element of progress (for me) is breaking up the gap between my current and desired skill into small, attainable goals. It's kind of like reading a book; the first few blocks go slow, but I lose myself in the rhythm. I'm not too skilled in any one domain, but my living space is littered with open books.

For a real response to the OP, skill is valuable, but so is breadth of experience. I'm convinced my areas of study will complement and inform each other.

 

[Destiny]

As the title says.

How do you value skill? I know it's relative, but as a very broad example; myself attempting carpentry vs an individual who is extremely skilled and capable of achieving the right kinds of shapes and angles etc....or whatever is desired. Not just a matter of experience but a factor of being able to see the best possible applications.

I ask because I greatly value skill, being skilled at something is pretty close to the highest attainment of usefulness to my own species and a good justification of my usefulness within a context. I don't just want to be able to do something, I want to be able to do it well....to be skilled at it.

However, evidence is actually against me in terms of what I'm actually skilled at, which outside of ok miniature painting is not a lot. Now a lot of this is ego and arrogance I have no denial....I want...no need to be demonstrably good at something. It is the old issue of wanting to prove oneself, but not necessarily to others so much as myself. However I think that neurosis is something to hold you back rather then help you. I think people who are competent and skilled in an area are just so because they don't compare themselves with others all the time, unless someone were to physically come along who was so much better than they are at something they've always felt they could hang their self-worth on.

But yeah I think it's important. Good for jobs, self-esteem and generally a drive of the self towards something you desire. An ambition to become skilled or maintain a skill. I guess I'm curious about what others think because I've never had anything I excelled at, so you always want what you cannot have.

Thoughts?

I tend to value talents more than I value skills. Why?

Because skills is something that can be learned over time, whereas talent is something that is inborn. I remembered reading from somewhere that if a person wants to master a skill they need to put in 10,000 hours and they will be able to master the skill. However, even with those 10,000 hours of practise, they can never be on the same level as those who are naturally talented.

Let's say a person who is naturally talented at art spend 10,000 hours drawing away vs a person who doesn't have any talents in art spent 10,000 hours trying to master the skills, in this situation, the one who is naturally talented will end up winning the one who isn't talented.

I will take music for example. I suck at music. I am always the slowest in my class when it comes to music, those musical notes tend to confuse me greatly, and I am also clumsy when it comes to the piano. No matter how much I practiced, I can never be good at it. And I also suck at math, I always fail my math in high school all the time
No matter how much I kept studying (I spent few hours studying math every day), I have difficulty scoring an A for math. Languages on the other hand, has always been my strong points. I only need to spend half an hour studying it, and I can ace it.

This shows that skills and just practicing alone isn't everything. If you want to excel in something, you need to have the natural talent in it too.

 

[Cellmold]

I tend to value talents more than I value skills. Why?

Because skills is something that can be learned over time, whereas talent is something that is inborn. I remembered reading from somewhere that if a person wants to master a skill they need to put in 10,000 hours and they will be able to master the skill. However, even with those 10,000 hours of practise, they can never be on the same level as those who are naturally talented.

Let's say a person who is naturally talented at art spend 10,000 hours drawing away vs a person who doesn't have any talents in art spent 10,000 hours trying to master the skills, in this situation, the one who is naturally talented will end up winning the one who isn't talented.

I will take music for example. I suck at music. I am always the slowest in my class when it comes to music, those musical notes tend to confuse me greatly, and I am also clumsy when it comes to the piano. No matter how much I practiced, I can never be good at it. And I also suck at math, I always fail my math in high school all the time
No matter how much I kept studying (I spent few hours studying math every day), I have difficulty scoring an A for math. Languages on the other hand, has always been my strong points. I only need to spend half an hour studying it, and I can ace it.

This shows that skills and just practicing alone isn't everything. If you want to excel in something, you need to have the natural talent in it too.

Isn't that a very nihilistic way to look at skill though? It's dangerously easy to justify a lack of effort in that way...as an example: "Oh it doesn't matter, I don't have to try hard because there is someone else I consider talented".

I'm not even sure what talent is or if it exists and isn't instead just a convenient term to describe when someone has favourable biological advantages in an area, if that is what it is. Much like luck is a word used for convenience to describe when variables too small for us to consciously organise fall into place in a certain pattern.

I think the less time spent encouraging notions of talent and the more time spent encouraging notions of hard work and effort....the better.

I do think people have limitations, but I want to find out what those are and it's hard to when people submit to the concept of talent.

 

[Jaguar]

I think the less time spent encouraging notions of talent and the more time spent encouraging notions of hard work and effort....the better.

Why is there a dichotomy? One can have talent, and applying hard work and effort will hit it out of the ballpark.

 

[indra]

If you ain't got a skill or trade, shut the hell up

Funky Del

 

[Cellmold]

Why is there a dichotomy? One can have talent, and applying hard work and effort will hit it out of the ballpark.

Well my point was that talent is one of those ill-defined convenience words for something most of us don't understand or follow intricately. Under that definition 'naturally good' personified in talent isn't an idea I hold legitimately since it's not being examined in context to understand why X person just appears to be better right off the bat.

But hard work should always be more important overall, 'talent' or not. It's also not really the point I was trying to make. More an aspect of what we focus on rather than a straight forward hard work vs talent.

I mean talent can even be a damaging concept, especially when people use it to justify jealousy or as an excuse for their own failings.

 

[wolfy]

Demand?

 

[Cellmold]

Demand?

This went over my head (not hard) what do you mean?

 

[wolfy]

This went over my head (not hard) what do you mean?

I think it was late at night when I posted that and it was off the top of my head.

I was just reflecting on how the value of a skill is defined a lot by how much demand there is for it. How useful it is, for whatever purpose.

 

[Cellmold]

I think it was late at night when I posted that and it was off the top of my head.

I was just reflecting on how the value of a skill is defined a lot by how much demand there is for it. How useful it is, for whatever purpose.

Ah ok. I did wonder but not sure, the value in demand...true. Although there is personal demand as well.