Technology has made life easier but has caused many to become complacent in their survival skills. Preppers use these necessary skill sets daily to provide themselves and their families with adequate food, shelter and electricity.
If an economic collapse happens, these skills could become much more valuable. In fact, you can convert these abilities into a career now.
Here’s a guide on using your survivalist skills for financial gain.
What Marketable Skills Can Survivalists Leverage?
Survivalists have an advantage in the economy because they have wide-ranging skills. These nine skills are the most marketable because they lead to jobs. Some careers can come with lucrative salaries if you make the right connections.
1. Emergency Preparedness
Emergency preparedness is one of the top skills for survivalists. Disaster can strike anytime and come in many forms, whether manufactured or natural. Hurricanes in the summer and fall devastate communities on the eastern seaboard, whereas earthquakes on the West Coast can bring cities to their knees. No matter their location, survivalists are up to the task with their emergency preparedness skills.
Government agencies and nonprofits are the best places to use your emergency preparedness skills. These organizations include the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Red Cross, ShelterBox and more. With your skills, you can coordinate emergency response and help communities prepare for disaster before it happens.
2. Search and Rescue
Preparedness is essential, but there’s little you can do to stop a Category 5 hurricane or a volcanic eruption. When these disasters strike, there’s only so much time for search and rescue before missing people start to lose their lives. During natural disasters, people get stuck under collapsed buildings or in floodwaters. Search and rescue may also be necessary in forests, mountains and bodies of water to locate missing people.
Survivalists are terrific options for search and rescue because of their outdoor expertise. They know how to track footprints, navigate the terrain and endure harsh weather conditions. Search and rescue jobs also fit survivalists because you must treat the victims when you find them. Administering first aid includes performing CPR, treating burns and other necessities.
People with search and rescue skills often find jobs with first responder agencies, such as police departments, fire departments and paramedics. Canadian residents can join the Canadian Armed Forces Search and Rescue (CAFSAR) division and put their skills to the test.
3. Vehicle Maintenance
Bugging out is one of the best ways to react in a SHTF scenario. Ideally, you’ll grab your keys and safely escape in a fortified big rig. Preparing a vehicle for bugging out takes time, effort and mechanical knowledge to get your machine at peak performance. These automotive skills are essential for repairing, modifying or simply maintaining a vehicle. Knowing your way around cars, trucks and SUVs can easily become a job.
The auto industry has a technician shortage, so there are open doors in the field. Mechanics are in high demand all year, especially in the summer and winter. You can be a general automotive technician for all vehicles or specialize in various niches. For example, you can be an off-road technician and help people maintain their trucks and ATVs. Learning electric vehicle (EV) maintenance could be lucrative, considering the increasing demand in this sector.
4. Firearm Knowledge
Firearms have been essential to survivalists since the musket days of the 18th century. With these handy weapons, it’s much easier to defend yourself from intruders and hunt for food in survival situations. Knowing your way around a gun is essential, from maintaining your rifles to repairing a shotgun when it suffers damage. Firearm skills are critical for survival, and you can leverage them into a career.
Being a firearms expert can land you in a few different fields. First, you can be a gunsmith. These professionals are responsible for building, repairing and customizing firearms for clients. Gunsmiths must know how to weld and use milling machines, buzzsaws, drill presses and other equipment.
Another solid option is a firearms instructor. These teachers are responsible for instructing people on using firearms safely and effectively. Teaching others is an excellent way to keep your gun skills and knowledge sharp through the years. Plus, you may save someone’s life by helping them defend themselves in scary situations.
5. Security
Who’s better than a survivalist at protecting their property and family? Survivalists prioritize security skills and implement them through securing their homes. For example, you may install cameras and alarm systems throughout the house to prepare for home invaders and looters. Those with extensive properties may have watchtowers and other mechanisms to cover their bases.
These skills prepare you for jobs in the security field. Security guards are in high demand for office buildings, school campuses, retail stores and other settings requiring a security presence. Bodyguard positions could be ideal for survivalists who don’t mind the pressure of protecting high-profile celebrities, athletes and executives worldwide.
6. Hunting
Hunting has been an essential human skill for over a million years. There are still plenty of hunters nationwide, but it’s not nearly as common as it once was. Survivalists keep their hunting skills sharp because relying on the grocery store could become a liability in SHTF scenarios. Plus, you could be stuck in the woods needing sustainable food sources to keep going. Regardless, your hunting skills are handy for particular jobs.
Hunting is just as much about caring for the environment as it is about acquiring meat. Passion for animals and their ecosystems makes you fit to be a game warden or a hunting guide. These professionals can lead hunting trips and enforce regulations to ensure people care for the environment and keep themselves safe. If you enjoy independent work, you could try your hand at wildlife research or photography.
7. Cooking
Acquiring the meat for cooking is only half the battle. Now, you have to cook it to eliminate the bacteria and make it safe for consumption. Survival situations require you to make something out of nothing because ovens, air fryers and microwaves aren’t always available in the woods. Knowing how to cook makes you self-reliant and more confident in your survival skills no matter where you are.
The food industry is a natural place to start if you’re a confident cook. You could be a restaurant chef, personal chef or caterer. Corporate chefs have a fun job of testing meals before the company sells them in restaurants. Survivalists who enjoy creating content can be food bloggers or photographers. Many people desire to hone their cooking craft, so teaching is also in the cards.
8. Teaching
Technology has rapidly become embedded in daily life in the last century. Each generation seems to know less and less about basic survival skills because they’re less likely to need them growing up. However, the pandemic changed everything.
Being stuck at home has renewed interest in survival skills, especially those who telework. Working from home has become popular with Millennials and Gen Z, so it’s likely here to stay in the next few decades. Remote work has also led to a rise in remote education and entertainment opportunities. Survivalists can take advantage of this with teaching and media skills.
For example, you can start a YouTube channel dedicated to teaching young people what survival skills they need. These videos may include guides for building shelter, starting a fire and how to find food and water. Capturing your firsthand experiences immerses the viewers and shows practical solutions on what to do.
If teaching is in your skillset, try creating courses for your best survival skills. An online classroom lets you interact with students by answering their questions, giving feedback on assignments and encouraging them to stick with their survivalist journey.
9. Construction
Building a shelter is challenging, whether in the woods, desert or backyard. Even if you haven’t been on a construction site, you likely have some skills required to enter this field. Construction is a vast industry with many opportunities for entry.
For instance, carpentry skills are necessary for installing doors, cabinets, windows and other essential building parts. Masonry is another important survivalist skill in construction because it’s fundamental to shelter building, fireplace construction and outdoor ovens. Other survivalist skills you need for construction include communication, first aid, electrical wiring, plumbing and more.
Now is an excellent time for survivalists to enter the construction industry due to labor shortages. The Great Recession and the recent pandemic caused early retirements and influenced people to leave the industry, so many in-demand positions are available.
How Can You Improve Your Skills and Learn New Ones?
The world is at your fingertips nowadays, with numerous learning opportunities to hone your craft. YouTube videos are an excellent start because you can access most of the content for free. Some government agencies, such as the National Park Service, may offer low-cost or free classes to the public to teach survival skills.
For extended learning, research community college or university classes and apprenticeships in your area. These learning opportunities may teach specific skills, such as welding, navigation, medicine and other essential concepts.
Attaining Marketable Skills in the Modern Age
Do you have a skill in mind you want to hone? What weaknesses can you turn into strengths? These nine skills are only some marketable abilities survivalists can leverage in today’s economy. Focus on your best skills and turn them into a career, whether you enjoy teaching, cooking, firearms, security or another part of the survivalist lifestyle.
If you’re not confident in your abilities, there are ways you can improve your craft. Attain survivalist skills by reading books, joining a club or watching videos online. These guides give you firsthand knowledge and are some of your best resources for making yourself more marketable. As the world depends more on technology, it needs survivalists to teach them how to live off the land.
