What civilian skills did you have that transferred to your military experience?

I was an Eagle Scout and an apprentice Mason.
Map reading, orienteering, stalking, first aid, physical fitness, hiking, mountaineering, and marksmanship; all things we learned in scouting were useful. The intangibles of good ethics, morals, discipline and courtesy also helped.

I enlisted as a 51B in 1980 which is now a 12W Carpentry and Masonry Specialist. All my civilian training as a masons apprentice directly transferred to my MOS. I also took drafting and machine shop in high school which was really helpful in blueprint reading.

Growing up in northern NH in Coos county, where there were more cows than people and we had free reign of the woods, brooks and Connecticut river didn't hurt either.

I was pretty young when I went in, 17, and I grew up in a diverse area - both racially and socially economically. That was the only thing I ever knew but I really came to value those people skills when I got into the military because it wasn't the first time I'd been part of such a diverse group of backgrounds. In contrast some of my peers were a little shellshocked in basic since they'd never lived with people of difference races or sexualities.

Feb 2003 I was in Camp Virginia. One day after chow, walking back to work I passed a refer trailer where a couple soldiers were standing talking. I heard them talking over the running refer unit the trailer was load with frozen goods but not cooling. I stepped up to them asked what was wrong. Was told they couldn't get in touch with maintenance and the unit wasn't cooling. I ask if they had a ladder. The Mess SGT told the SPC to get one. I climbed up. The unit was a Thermoking unit, which I had been schooled on I looked at the gauges, ask the SGT if he had a hammer which he got. I then tapped the 3 way valve and heard the "clunk" of it changing. Looked at the pressure gauges, they returned to normal. The Mess SGT, "SGM, how did you do that". I replied, "I am a Reserve Soldier, many of us have different civilian skills as well. I was a trained Thermoking mechanic in another life."