When I think about my own skills, it is actually difficult for me to name one thing that I am really good at. I feel like I can do many different things, but I am probably more average at many things than excellent at one specific thing. This is why the idea of skill stacking felt interesting and also quite familiar to me. The main idea of the article is that you do not have to be the best at one skill. Instead, a combination of many different skills can become your strength.

I have had many different jobs during my life. I have worked in customer service, cleaning and childcare, and I have also been an entrepreneur in the café and clothing business. I have worked with planning in a construction company as well. I also know something about photography, marketing, social media and creating websites. I have a degree in community education, and I have also been a foster and support family for 13 years. At the moment, I am studying interior design. When I put all of these things together, my career path might look a little random, but today I see it more as a strength.

I feel that I have learned something useful from every job and experience. Customer service has taught me how to work with different kinds of people. Being an entrepreneur taught me responsibility, decision-making and especially that sometimes you just have to try to do things yourself, even if you do not know exactly how to do them yet. When I had my café, for example, I planned and decorated it myself and I also did the baking. Skills in marketing, social media and photography have also been useful in many situations. My education in community work and my experience with children and families have taught me a lot about working with people.

My personality is also an important part of my skill stack. I am very social and talkative, and I enjoy working with people. I also do not have a problem being in front of people or giving a speech. I think I am naturally quite a strong leader. I coach children’s football, and in many situations I easily end up being the person who takes responsibility and organizes everything.

Of course, this also has a negative side. Sometimes it is difficult for me to trust that other people will take care of their responsibilities. Because of this, I often prefer to do things myself because then I know what is happening. So organizing, leading and taking responsibility are some of my strengths, but I also need to learn how to share responsibility and trust other people more.

Interior design has interested me for a long time, even before I started studying it. My husband has a construction company, so over the years I have helped with material choices and other design decisions. We have also built a couple of houses and a summer cottage, so I have had many opportunities to practise my eye for design in real projects.

Some years ago, I also took a few SketchUp lessons because I thought it would help me learn how to design rooms in a more professional way. At that time, the course did not really give me what I was looking for. Now I am learning SketchUp at school, and I really enjoy it. I want to become much better at using it.

I think all my previous experiences can create a useful skill stack especially in interior design. An interior designer does not only need to have a good eye for design. You also need to communicate with clients and understand what they really want. You need creativity, but you also need practical knowledge about construction, materials and costs. If I become an entrepreneur again in the future, I already have experience in entrepreneurship, marketing, social media, photography and customer service. Maybe none of these skills make me special on their own, but together they can be a big advantage.

There is also something about the idea of skill stacking that makes me think about my own expectations. I agree that you do not have to be excellent at one thing to be successful. At the same time, I personally want to be excellent at everything I do. Now that I am studying interior design, I do not want to be just an average designer. I want to become a really good one. At the moment, I do not feel that my skills are good enough yet.

Maybe this is also why the idea of skill stacking is useful for me. I do not have to know everything already. Right now, I want to learn more about SketchUp, design, colours, combining different materials and basically everything connected to interior design. I learn quite quickly, but more importantly, I really want to learn. Maybe that is also one of my strengths. If I do not know how to do something, I am usually willing to try and learn.

I would describe myself as reliable, active, honest and hardworking. I am social and I think I am good at customer service. When I combine these qualities with my previous jobs, entrepreneurship, education, experience with different people and my creative and technical skills, I can understand the idea of skill stacking much better.

For me, the most important message of the article is that maybe I should not only ask myself what one thing I am best at. A better question could be: what kind of combination do all my different skills create? I still feel that I am not exceptionally good at one specific thing. But at the same time, I know a little about many different things, and I am always ready to learn more. Maybe that is actually one of my biggest strengths.