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Soft skills is often a way of dancing around saying that charisma matters. Can you teach your child to be more attractive? People focus on hard sciences, math

Soft skills is often a way of dancing around saying that charisma matters. Can you teach your child to be more attractive? People focus on hard sciences, math, and complex skills (like proficiency with a musical instrument) precisely because they are the areas where training matters. In the same way that instilling good eating habits and making sure your child exercises are important. Focusing on "creativity" is often just how people who suck at math and aren't particularly athletic or beautiful tell themselves that they've special too. Gonna really go full creative artist type? Then college is a waste.

goldenkey 10y ago
Acquiring soft skills comes naturally anyhow. So I agree, take on the hard technical training early when your mind is ripe. Being well rounded is doable on the downtime from the hard and exhaustive learning.
- veddox 10y ago
  > Acquiring soft skills comes naturally anyhow. Yes and no. Basically, learning how to get along with others is a skill you need to learn and practice just like coding. If you don't have the opportunities or take the time to practice, you won't learn it. In a good environment, you have enough contact with other people that "soft skills" seem to come automatically. But if you spend a significant portion of your developmental years isolated (for whatever reason), social skills are anything but natural.
CuriouslyC 10y ago
I'm fairly good at math and quite athletic, and creativity is definitely more important than either of them. Everything around you only exists because someone somewhere was creative at some point. On the other hand, plenty of gorgeous mosques, castles and cathedrals were built without any math at all. Not to mention all the art, music, delicious food, etc that makes your life worth living. A world of math and sport devoid of creativity would be an utterly depressing place.
- andai 10y ago
  But architecture and music are made of math! There's no point in arguing whether left brain or right brain is best brain. Both approaches are half-brained ;)

goldenkey 10y ago

Acquiring soft skills comes naturally anyhow. So I agree, take on the hard technical training early when your mind is ripe. Being well rounded is doable on the downtime from the hard and exhaustive learning.

veddox 10y ago
> Acquiring soft skills comes naturally anyhow. Yes and no. Basically, learning how to get along with others is a skill you need to learn and practice just like coding. If you don't have the opportunities or take the time to practice, you won't learn it. In a good environment, you have enough contact with other people that "soft skills" seem to come automatically. But if you spend a significant portion of your developmental years isolated (for whatever reason), social skills are anything but natural.

CuriouslyC 10y ago

I'm fairly good at math and quite athletic, and creativity is definitely more important than either of them. Everything around you only exists because someone somewhere was creative at some point. On the other hand, plenty of gorgeous mosques, castles and cathedrals were built without any math at all. Not to mention all the art, music, delicious food, etc that makes your life worth living. A world of math and sport devoid of creativity would be an utterly depressing place.

andai 10y ago
But architecture and music are made of math! There's no point in arguing whether left brain or right brain is best brain. Both approaches are half-brained ;)