(ThyBlackMan.com) Recently, I had something of a revelation. I spent most of my teens learning art and most of my twenties pursuing art and technology—mainly anything online. When confronted with a mechanical problem I was totally lost. I was like a deer in headlights. To sum it up, automobiles are not my wheelhouse. They never have been.
The kicker is that I’m the son of a mechanic. My father worked on cars since his teens and worked at several auto shops in my home neighborhood. My siblings and I went with him on several outside jobs when he’d go and work on cars while my mother was at work. He was out there for hours at a time and there were plenty of trips to Auto Zone and other parts stores.
Even as a child these trips never really interested me. I stayed out of the way when he worked but I never involved myself or got under there when he worked. My involvement ended at handing him something when he needed. My thing at the time were art, academics, and 
computers.
When he left, the house was without a car for years. Since there was no car, I had no interest to learn how to fix them, how to drive, or how they worked. I was taking apart computers, learning how to fix them, how they worked, and what I could do with them. Time was spent becoming a better artist and learning how to apply them for what I wanted to do (I wanted to be a comic book artist at the time).
So, there’s one life skill I never really picked up on when I should’ve: driving. But there’s also a useful skill I never pursued: basic car repair.
Learning Everything Now
It’s never too late to learn. I’m 34 now and I’m studying the laws of the road and making sure I’m familiar with operating a car before I start learning. I have to say, there was a bit of fear when it came to not learning to drive. It’s not so much I’m afraid of failing and not getting my license, I can always take the test again. Plus, I’ve learned things that were harder to learn and apply. It’s everyone else on the road.
You have to worry about everyone else’s driving and as we know, not everyone obeys the state’s laws of the road. On top of that, I would end up driving in Alabama. Thank goodness, everything you’re reading from me will be on the internet for years to come because I’m not sure I’m going to make it with these drivers.
As far as car repair, I’ve been taking the time to learn what I can about vehicles and some of the common things that need and can be repaired by drivers. Everything can be repaired but just like computer repair, somethings are better left to professionals.
Just Learn Everything You Can
After being dead in the water on car repair when it was necessary, I’m putting in the effort to learn it now. I admit, I should’ve at least had some familiarity with these things. Then again, if you don’t have a big interest in cooking, you’re not going to really care about safety procedures and what all goes into making a flavorful meal. You just want it to taste good and be edible. That’s it.
I say learn everything you can while you can. You don’t have to master everything. In most cases, it’s best to be a jack of all trades. There are times when things you’ve mastered or you have a high degree of skill in doesn’t have a practical use. Most of the things I’ve
Staff Writer; M. Swift
This talented writer is also a podcast host, and comic book fan who loves all things old school. One may also find him on Twitter at; metalswift.