I Have No Useful Skills

Whenever there’s a natural disaster I often think that it would be nice to go and volunteer to help out. But then I realize I have no skills that would be useful in such a situation. I’m not a doctor, nurse, or paramedic; I’m not an electrician, plumber, or carpenter; I have no engineering background so I know nothing about irrigation systems or repairing bridges.

In other words,  if I went to such a place I would just be another mouth to feed, and not earning my keep.

There likely isn’t a lot of demand in a natural disaster situation for someone to come in and teach people the difference between debits and credits or how to analyze financial statements. Someone who can teach kids how to juggle is unlikely to be on any Red Cross list of “critical personnel”. And helping someone set up an iTunes playlist can probably wait until the disaster situation is under control.

While I realize there are certainly other ways to help out in a natural disaster, such as through donations, it would still be nice to be able to provide hands–on help.

So what to do? Well my guess is that becoming a doctor isn’t a feasible option at the age of 57. I also just don’t have the interest in learning a trade such as an electrician or plumber. And  pursuing a degree in engineering intimidates me.

So that leaves nursing school, or becoming a paramedic. I have actually thought about both of these options in the past, but I think I am at the point where I need to give more serious consideration to which path I may pursue.

Nursing would seem to require a longer education/training time than a paramedic, but nurses, in my opinion, play the most critical role in the health care system.

Becoming either one would certainly provide me with a skill set that would be useful anywhere I go, and that would certainly be a step up from where I’m at now.