Most useful skill for sims?

[Randox]

I often favor handiness. Usually, my sims end up with a high level just from fixing things all the time, without ever really needing to focus on it.

If you just want to have some fun though, I might give Alchemy a shot. It's a pretty easy and quick one to train, and if you have access to the ingredients, or can buy the potions you can't make, you can definitely have some fun with it. The top of the skill permits you to change life states at will, so if you feel like being something else for awhile, it's the perfect skill. You can also use it to make friends instantly, or enemies. Goes well with gardening and fishing both. Oh, and you can use it to advance your career faster if you wanted to do that.

[Serenity S.]

Handiness, cooking, gardening and fishing are all excellent. 

[scoed]

For me the choice is simple: Alchemy. With it you can instantly take care of social, fun, and energy needs, the three most time consuming needs adding time to each day. You can double the points from wishes and it has good wishes. It has some good moodlets. With the doubling of wish points, need fulfillment, and positive moodlets it can and will generate massive happiness points.  It allows easy switching of life states. It makes instant best friends of anyone. It allows fun jokes on other Sims. Helps with career gains. And skill gains in other skills but that is a bit random. It also is an OK money maker.

Now it has just one down side, finding ingredients. But that leads my second favorite skill: Science. Once you get an ingredients you need you can make said potion forever by cloning the ingredients. Plus science is easily the single best money making skill.

[MLMII]

Personally I think I'd vote for two skills;


Science:

The ability to play god and clone virtually anything is just wonderful, provided that you are able to get a sample of course.


Social Engineering:

Does your family hate each other? Not anymore they don't. Want grandchildren but your daughter is unable to find a spouse? Simply zap a random stranger and bam, you'll be hearing wedding bells and the pitter patter of little feet in no time. 

[Blackrosea]

Personally I think I'd vote for two skills;


Science:

The ability to play god and clone virtually anything is just wonderful, provided that you are able to get a sample of course.


Social Engineering:

Does your family hate each other? Not anymore they don't. Want grandchildren but your daughter is unable to find a spouse? Simply zap a random stranger and bam, you'll be hearing wedding bells and the pitter patter of little feet in no time.

Welcome to the forum MLMII. I agree those are both great skills for your Sims to have. There are so many skills I think that are wonderful for Sims to have, I wouldn't be able to choose. Good thing they can learn more than a few skills.

[jesirose]

I am wondering what skills would be most useful for a sim with a growing family. I don't mind about careers, traits or lifetime wishes, just something to do. He is on track to completing his lifetime wish and he is making good money. Any help would be appreciated.

Most useful, I'd have to say Alchemy. You can make potions to cover most needs, plus make extra money. You can do basically anything with it.

[bubbles]

Thank you for all the most recent responses. Although that family is no longer with us a year on, all of these different skills will come in handy in my Dynasty. Many thanks for keeping this thread active for a year, however on and off it was.

[Zaki]

I'd say Cooking, but Handiness is also useful.

[readingpuppies]

Definitely alchemy, cooking to keep up your mood and painting for a bit of extra cash.

[Playalot]

To me, charisma is the most useful skill for sims to learn. All my sims learn it. It makes it easy for them to make friends, so, they can easily get promotions at work, makes it easier for them to complete opportunities that involve doing something with other sims, easier to ask/demand raises, etc. It's an essential skill for my sims to learn.

I agree, but I'd also add in guitar. Guitar skill and charisma go really nicely together. Once your charisma skill is high enough you can make friends just by 'playing for tips' which obviously makes money for you at the same time. This can be done out of work hours so you sims can still have a career too. Double bonus!

[Lisa46]

I think my favorites are Social Networking, Science, Alchemy, Cooking, and Gardening. All sims can use these to make money and relationships.