Most useful skill for sims?

[bubbles]

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.

[Wai]

I would go for artist because it improves mood and can be done in small increments.  This is good if you have a baby or toddler needing attention.  Paint a little while waiting for them to need changing, potty etc.  You can stop and start painting at anytime without problems.  I usually have two easels for my painting sim so if they complete a painting while your eye is elsewhere they will move immediately to the next (queued) easel.  You may need to place your easels in a locked study, bedroom or fenced garden area which permits only your artist sim if you want to prevent other sims from using the easel(s).

[ratchie]

I guess cooking would be a useful skill for a Sim to have as they have to eat. Also handiness is pretty useful so you can upgrade household stuff to unbreakable which saves time and money.

Rachel

[Katie123urgreat]

Gardening is also useful because of the high quality ingredients, which also improves your meals. Same goes to fishing.

[bubbles]

Thank you to everyone who replied. I might give them all a go

[billjenkins]

if you can afford the skill books, then any skill  that you can get a book for is good as well read the book a while then take care of what you need.

[RainBeau]

I agree that cooking, gardening, fishing, and handiness are all useful skills for staying around the house. They contribute to good moodlets from good food, etc. Painting is also a good moneymaker if you need that. Added bonus, if you do fishing, gardening, and handiness you can do Science career later on after the kids grow up.

[smartburn]

I agree with all of these, though another one I would consider is logic since at level 5 you can tutor your children for better grades, and if you have Generations there are some nifty potions you can make, particularly the sleep one and Young Again (just in case).

[Schipperke]

I agree with those who have mentioned Cooking and Handiness - those have always seemed to me to be important skills for any Sim, especially cooking, because of the mood boost Sims get from good food.  But I have to say, since Supernatural, that Alchemy has become one of my favourite skills.  They can create so many potions, from the most basic to the most esoteric.  When I was playing a couple with children, I would have the kids each take a vial of bliss before going to school, to keep their mood up.  And the wish enhancing serum, making every fulfilled wish worth double the happiness points, is pure gold.  Oh yeah, and speaking of gold - midas touch! 

[RainBeau]

Alchemy is indeed a very useful skill. It can also be a good moneymaker. If you get one skill point in Alchemy you can register as a self-employed Alchemist and then you can buy elixirs at the Elixir Consignment Shop and then turn right around and consign them back. You can make money pretty quickly this way. You can also consign the free honey and beeswax from the beehives behind the shop, and that is good money.

As far as Cooking and Handiness--I am playing the Household Skills Project currently and my house is doing Cooking because it's so hard to avoid keeping Sims from doing it, and of course it's necessary. They haven't unlocked Handiness yet and it's driving me crazy to have to call the repairman or replace everything that breaks.

[LemonBonBons]

Probably Cooking because your sims need to eat and maybe Handiness because you would need to fix the household objects.

[Deklitch]

I like photography, personally. Not useful as such, but I like it.

[Mahmeya]

Gardening is very useful too. Especially when you complete the opportunity leading to being able plant omniplants, you can feed it almost anything to grow that anything.
Like chicken meat.

[knt1229]

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.

[Frey]

My all-time faves are painting and gardening. They both increase moodlets, make some money and are also great for decorating/landscaping purposes. I usually have at least one sim with both skills in all my households.