What is your post-apocalyptic occupation?

[forinborin]

AIBU to ask you what your post-apocalyptic occupation would be?

With all the recent news about the shortage of skilled workers - HGV drivers, farm labourers, and today there are news about an emergency visa scheme considered for abattoir workers, I started wondering what would I do if the modern society suddenly fell back into - well, not Dark Ages exactly - but, say, mid-late 19th century ways of living.

And realised that I actually have very little in terms of real-life tradeable skills. In a world without computers, my other skills are worth zero to the community, and I would probably immediately fall to the bottom of the newly established social order.

What about you?

I’m really good at archery.

Local witch/medicine woman. I'm a health care scientist with an interest in history. I reackon I could find more wholesome cures and treatment when the drugs ran out.

I have previously worked in a hospital, so possibly mopping brows and cleaning up shit. I have no useful skills whatsoever and right hand doesn't work very well, so other than that maybe harvesting food/toiling in the fields.

I'm not much to look at but maybe prostitute if I was destitute? Desperate times call for desperate measures, for all

Combination wise woman/herbalist and herb and veg grower/teacher/ointment maker and Keeper of the Records/teller of tales. But especially the giver of knowledge about what you can safely forage and eat and what will kill you...

Hmm well, I’m pretty good with horses. I’m kind of mediocre with a bow and rifle but might be good enough. I fenced in college and I know how to sail and fish. And umm - I can catch chicken? So I have some minor skills I guess.

Oh I didn’t answer the question…. Horse trainer and/or fisher woman maybe?

Knowing my luck I'd be in charge of the kids 😂 when really I want to be recording it all in a book.

I’m quite good at remembering storylines from films and song lyrics so maybe I could write these down.

More likely though I think I will be making the tea with a trolley like Mrs Doyle.

@Gilmoregale

Combination wise woman/herbalist and herb and veg grower/teacher/ointment maker and Keeper of the Records/teller of tales. But especially the giver of knowledge about what you can safely forage and eat and what will kill you...

Can I be an apprentice? Willing to learn haha

I'd look after the horses lol

I’m in Aus so figured the zombie apocalypse would be over pretty quickly but the resulting fly plague would be the grossest part. (Why is there no flies or maggots in walking dead??)

Growing things, sewing cooking and really shitty knitting. Oh and I’m really good at lighting fires and cutting kindling.

Are we talking the “End of men” style men dying off?

I can make salami, capicola and Italian pasta sauce so that can go with the mozzarella.

@Mypathtriedtokillme

I can make salami, capicola and Italian pasta sauce so that can go with the mozzarella.

You're with me.

Woodworking and carpentry. and restoring old things.

I have a few 'old' skills, I m make pickles and chutneys, I can sew, knit, crochet, macramé and lace make.

I think the pickling and canning might be useful, I don't can meat but I know how.

I was once teaching 'Equality and Diversity' to a not very diverse group so we did E and D for the zombie apocalypse as a poster, so I'd possibly head over to that college and try to find the old students.

Between them they had alcohol making skills, shooting, tractor driving, knife throwing and a few other skills.

I can also build electronic circuits so assuming there are some left over windmill / solar panels I might be able to get a radio going or a telegraph tot he next village.

I'll join the sewing bee - although it sounds like we may have so many we have to chat and have a few gins from the secret stash whilst we wait for people to bring in their tattered clothing. Can also grow stuff & look after dogs & tell stories.

Other than that off the top of my head I am quite good at finding things & just generally keeping things going so maybe put me into the logistics corps

Crikey I really don't have any proper skills do I ? - I can paint & actually I once made a window box so maybe I could be a carpenter's apprentice.

Ignoring that without modern medicine I will be dead within a matter of weeks..

I can spin yarn, weave, sew, knit, crochet , make candles. make paper, and bind books.

@2bazookas

Nearly everyone died in the apocalypse, right? So I'm going to repopulate the country by farming high quality babies. Organic and freerange of course. I shall be recruiting suitable persons with a womb from MN, so form an orderly queue over there.

   Also recruited from MN  will be sensible  post menopausal  women with lots of expertise on men,  your job will be selecting suitable stud males. The studs  will live free-range  on  some small Scottish island, except during the mating season.  

  Lots of details to be ironed out.</div></div>

There seems to be quite a lot of detail already, you have been thinking about this for a while.

I've just remembered, my carer can make soap (for some reason the zombie apocalypse has made me able bodied, otherwise I'm one of the first to be bitten.)

I'm already working on befriending some local crows on my way to work every morning, so by the time the Apocalypse comes, I shall have raised a Crow army and have dominion over them and will command the skies.

Also weirdly good at cat whispering. Any use?

I could be a stud-male selector.

Failing that, I can muck out, tack up and ride, so would be useful around horses.

Mostly, I am very good at teaching children to read, and I quite like DC so could run the school. I can get a sourdough starter going and can make bread, can knit and crochet and used to be able to spin. I also used to keep sheep so that's your winter woollies sorted.

I can do basic butchery (you'd need DH for that, really, and to supply the meat, he's a very good shot; I can load and fire but my aim is terrible).

I'd also try and bring along friends who, between them, can build and repair houses, make furniture, run epically productive polytunnels, breed and train working dogs and do metalwork.

We'd also need a midwife, to add to the dentist and the apothecary. Someone who would be able to get the works of a watermill going would be handy, because otherwise you're grinding flour by hand and that is bloody tedious.

@DedalusBloom - those skills are marvellous. Who needs sewing when you control the skies.

I have a robin who perches quite close to me & they are territorial - I wonder if I should do some Robin whispering about the apocalypse - he may have some ideas.

Great thread! Love dystopian fiction.

I’m a teacher so multiskilled. Would like to think myself as Rick but I’m peri so no doubt be more like Negan 😳

DD amd DS are fast runners. I’ve been training them since birth for the moment the world ends. I would send them out to forage and DS is awesome with a Nerf gun.

I'm a midwife! And I can knit either blankets or scarves. Basically anything that doesn't require shaping. I'm a good cook and a good listener and I don't gossip so people can come to me to offload their worries and have a nice bowl of stew or soup.

I'm good at bread and I can brew beer with wild yeast.
I can amputate limbs and have done a C-section before.
I can also kill animals for food and milk cows or goats.

But I'm no fighter so I reckon I'll get killed by a zombie in the first wave (or vampire).

I'm a pretty good at driving so I'll be the get away driver for when we do the initially deserted but always end up as zombie filled shop runs. I also like shopping so I'll take my chances with load of zombies over having to take 2 under 4s to Tesco any day.