# What is the most useful skill you could learn in two hours? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 15, 2021, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620 "2021-01-15T19:13:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/61 "2021-01-19T06:14:58Z")
Three basic chords on a guitar… may I suggest D, G and A? As the tonic, sub-dominant and dominant chords (I, IV and V) in the key of D, you’ve just learned enough to play 90% of all folk and rock songs. They’re also some of the easiest chords to play. If that doesn’t take all of your two hours, add a couple of minors, and an E chord (then you also have the key of A covered). … (Oh, same applies to a ukulele) ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/62 "2021-01-19T06:46:38Z")
I once took a cooking class where they taught how to cut and slice vegetables and stuff with a real (large) knife. Took two hours, and I did learn how to cut stff in really tiny bits. Use this skill almost every day. I could of course already shred stuff for cooking, but not in this way and not so good. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/63 "2021-01-19T07:06:59Z")
Can someone learn to solve a Rubik’s cube in 2 hours? (“useful” as far as bar bets and impressing your relatives go…) ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/64 "2021-01-19T09:13:46Z")
Nit-pick… Single **pin** picking. How long does it take to learn nit-picking? 😃 Anyway… Basic cooking skills. Eggs, boiled, scrambled, or fried Spaghetti from a package with browned beef and sauce from a jar. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/65 "2021-01-19T10:44:43Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > It makes me wonder: can you teach a adult to ride a bicycle faster than you can a child? Bikes are a lot easier to ride than children. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2021, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/66 "2021-01-19T11:31:03Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, I was thinking about that, as I stare at my lock picking tools on my desk. I was wondering if two hours is enough. I mean, I guess you can learn to rake a lock in that time, like something like a cheap Master padlock. Raking might help you with basic locks, and two hours might be doable for that. To get good at it and then get into single pick picking, and dealing with anti-picking spools and all that – that takes a hell of a lot of practice. Thinking back on my locksmith training, I recall being taught that lockpicking is “equal parts skill, art, and luck.” I was pretty good at it, but there always still plenty of locks that just wouldn’t ever pick for various reasons. I think I could easily teach someone to drill out and replace a lock in two hours. Drilling is just drilling, and replacing the lockset is basically just a handful of screws. Repinning the cylinder is a bit more complicated, but I think I could teach a mechanically inclined person how to repin a cylinder in two hours. (I always really enjoyed repinning. It appealed to my meticulous nature.) ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2021, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/67 "2021-01-20T00:19:44Z")
How to sharpen the blades on almost anything/everything: knives, chisels, planes, saw blades. Two hours would be plenty. How to change your own oil/filter and air filter. How to make a good pot of stock and then a good pot of stew. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2021, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/68 "2021-01-20T00:21:21Z")
> [@digs](#): > > If that doesn’t take all of your two hours, add a couple of minors, and an E chord (then you also have the key of A covered). And then you can add the blues to your repertoire. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Brayne\_Ded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Brayne\_Ded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brayne_Ded)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2021, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/69 "2021-01-22T19:06:28Z")
Basic First Aid **A B C**. US style? **A** Are they insured? **B** Are they breathing? **C** Call a lawyer ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2021, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/70 "2021-01-22T19:12:13Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > The idea of this thread is not that you become a worldbeating expert in two hours, which is unlikely. It’s to understand the basics, have a degree of proficiency and be able to apply the skill to simple common applications. Okay, then I’ll nominate sex. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Sponge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dark_sponge/32/121_2.png) [@Dark\_Sponge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Sponge)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2021, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/71 "2021-01-22T19:20:08Z")
Learning “how do you say” in other languages is an extremely useful skill, at least while visiting the country which speaks that language. With just that one phrase & hand gestures/signals you can go quite far in picking up the language. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2021, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/72 "2021-01-22T19:48:54Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Okay, then I’ll nominate sex. I was a quick learner. And I **really** enjoyed studying. Pop quizzes were my favorite. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2021, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/73 "2021-01-22T20:31:47Z")
The problem is not pop quizzes. It isn’t even a multiple choice format, which I’ve always liked. It’s the long essay questions afterward. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2021, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/74 "2021-01-22T20:34:59Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > It isn’t even a multiple choice format, which I’ve always liked. It’s the long essay questions afterward. Personally, I always enjoyed _Independent Study_. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2021, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/75 "2021-01-22T20:36:05Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > Personally, I always enjoyed _Independent Study_ . Small study groups were also quite nice. ---
**Author:** ![DMC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dmc/32/18049_2.png) [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2021, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/76 "2021-01-22T20:58:28Z")
I can teach someone how to write simple SQL queries in two hours with no prior experience, which is shocking to many of the people at my company when they attend the class. Twice a year, I give a course of 11 classes to anyone in our company that is interested. On day 1 they haven’t done joins, aggregates, various string and date functions or any other more advanced topics, but data structures, data types, the SELECT statement and the WHERE clause are all covered in 2 hours. It’s not worth much by itself, but I’ve had students take that knowledge and run with it and have seen their salaries skyrocket as a result. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2021, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/77 "2021-01-23T09:40:12Z")
Two hours is better than zero, but for someone wanting to learn a difficult foreign language then it’s essentially close to zero. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2021, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/78 "2021-01-23T10:25:38Z")
As I said upthread though, you could learn to read out various phonetically written languages. It’s annoying seeing newsreaders butcher “Huawei” week after week and I’ve even seen whole video series on China where the presenter hasn’t bothered to learn how to read out pinyin. I didn’t persevere very long with such a series; if he can’t spend the couple hours, why should I? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2021, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/79 "2021-01-23T10:34:44Z")
It is important to carefully and completely remove the oil of the cat before burying it to avoid groundwater pollution, even if burying then takes over [four hours](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWvf7c7qMgI). ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2021, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620/80 "2021-01-23T16:02:23Z")
You can’t learn a language in a couple hours. But you could learn perhaps ten basic phrases. That won’t help you communicate. People who do it think it makes them seem more worldly or polite, which it might, somewhat. That can go a long way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-useful-skill-you-could-learn-in-two-hours/930620.md?page=5)