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What has been the most important school subject in your adult life?

226 replies

OneUmberJoker · 31/08/2025 18:28

Maths

OP posts:
tripleginandtonic · 31/08/2025 18:29

English

Justletmemoveon · 31/08/2025 18:30

English language

User456778976546 · 31/08/2025 18:31

Maths

WhatterySquash · 31/08/2025 18:35

English for my career, but also taking art because the art teachers were the ones who were really kind and helped me emotionally.

RampantIvy · 31/08/2025 18:35

I think it's a given that everyone needs maths and English, but I would add home economics to this.

I can cook. I understand about good nutrition and I understand about dietary restrictions, allergies and preferences and can make meals for coeliac, vegans and anyone with food allergies without making them ill.

BlueEyedBogWitch · 31/08/2025 18:36

English and touch-typing.

BreakingBroken · 31/08/2025 18:38

Besides the basics of reading/writing/math;
home ec, which included budgeting, cooking, sewing, clothing care and so much more. Including financial independence.
sociology

SimoneHere · 31/08/2025 18:39

R.E. … which was actually much more about philosophy and tolerance than about religion. It helped me thing more deeply, and understand other viewpoints better.

And Latin. I probably use Latin every day to help understand the root (and therefore deeper meaning) of words, to find commonality in different languages etc.

SlippySausage · 31/08/2025 18:40

Latin and music. And I was shit at both. Latin helped me understand the meaning of loads of words. Music because I ended up in the arts.

Tarkan · 31/08/2025 18:41

If we aren’t counting English and Maths then the subject I use the absolute most was a word processing short course where we learned to touch type. It’s made so many things so much easier and faster for me over the years. I now have a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing and touch typing made all my assessments much easier to type up. Some first drafts were literally finished in a couple of hours. I’ve also transcribed things for people where fast and accurate typing is necessary.

After that it’s probably a fabric craft short course where we learned to sew as I’m now wardrobe mistress at our local am dram theatre.

Yesidoactually · 31/08/2025 18:44

Politics O level (I'm old). Politics A level. BA Politics. MA Politics and a job in...Politics. Do something different now but it was a good foundation for the rest of my life.

Natsku · 31/08/2025 18:46

Drama. I was a shy child but drama increased my confidence which has been very helpful in life.

After that, probably maths - have to use that a lot in life generally, and I had to pass a maths course when I went to vocational school and that went easier when my maths memory kicked in, plus use it fairly often at work.

Missingthesea · 31/08/2025 18:48

German. Ended up living in Germany for several years, and now have a sister-in-law there. She's not German! But it comes in useful when I'm visiting her.

Bouledeneige · 31/08/2025 18:48

English literature and language. Writing has been very important to my career but I actually think my passion for reading was also a very significant factor in my writing ability.

BlackberryAppleCrumble · 31/08/2025 18:48

History - how to think and argue and analyse. I do it for a living.

Obviously basics of Maths and English are absolutely critical, but for higher level skills it’s History all the way.

lljkk · 31/08/2025 18:49

can't choose between math & English.

NetZeroZealot · 31/08/2025 18:51

Latin and economics.

Teenagerantruns · 31/08/2025 18:52

Im not sure, l can do mental athermatic, so probably that. Easy for me to add up shopping and work out percentages.
Other than that only the fact can read. Everything else was a bit pointless, I have never had to explain to anyone how and ox bow lake was formed or recite periodic table since l left school

BlueandWhitePorcelain · 31/08/2025 18:53

Maths, but if we don’t count that - Latin. It gives me a second level of understanding of words in English. There’s the English meaning of say concatenation of events. I look at it and think simultaneously the literal meaning of con catena in Latin - “with chain”, and then past participle of evenire, with the ending dropped off.

I read a lot of law and medical research - both use Latin words quite a bit, so I can understand the jargon literally.

DramaLlamacchiato · 31/08/2025 18:54

BlueEyedBogWitch · 31/08/2025 18:36

English and touch-typing.

This

and maths

The amount of people who can’t type properly does my head in

saveforthat · 31/08/2025 18:54

Geography. It sparked my love of travel.

Needmorelego · 31/08/2025 18:55

Reading, Writing and Maths really.
Everything else is just bits and bobs of random knowledge. Some useful, some not. Some interesting, some not.

AugustDieSheMust · 31/08/2025 18:57

Maths, but then I teach it.

Otherwise, English Language. It's become increasingly important with so much posting on the internet rather than meeting people, even with autocarrot.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 31/08/2025 18:57

Latin

CopperWhite · 31/08/2025 18:59

Maths, but only because not having the GCSE held my career back for years until I did it. I don’t have a job where I need any more than very basic maths skills and all it did was tick a box.

English, reading, writing and communication skills are needed all the time.