Hmmmm. For impressing the opposite sex with tricks - -- or for earning a decent living ?

Well, I was educated to be a research horticulturalist, but when I graduated the University in 1980 they wanted to offer me jobs like watering greenhouses for $900 a month.

Became an entrepreneur, landscaper, irrigator, etc. Never got wealthy.

Saw an opportunity to startup an international introductions agency, lasted 6 years, lot's of travels in the former USSR.

Finally found my "financial security" in a blue collar startup, installing and servicing underwater submersible pumps for the ultra wealthy living on lake front property in Texas. Retired now, debt free, massive savings, going to sell the business. Cannot complain about ski boating to and from work everyday while others are bumper to bumper in stop and go traffic on the highways. And the view, well, it's all nature. I was typically always on a large shaded dock or "boathouse" of a customer, if the heat got to me, just jump in the lake to cool off. Skills required: experienced scuba diver, electrical, plumbing, something of a pump specialist-engineer, chief salesman, chief website designer, head bottlewasher, etc, etc. Healthier than sitting in a office all day staring at screens.

Probably the most significant item I learned from so many different occupations ? For me, it was about your "overhead". What are your fixed and variable expenses ? What does it cost to run the business ? The lake pump gig was a business I could run almost by myself, only one day labor guy to help me on installs, so overhead was incredibly low. No lease space, ran it out of my garage.

Slight of hand, card mechanics (basic card tricks, forcing, double lifts, dealing under, etc), memorization games (rubiks, deck order, X random numbers from Y crowd members), mental math (give me any two two/three/four digit numbers to add/subtract/multiply/divide I'll beat your calculator), day of the week calculation (give me your birthday/anniversary I'll tell you the day of the week)

edit: instruments, double jointedness

The primary key to any such interesting display is discretion. If everyone knows you play the piano, no one cares. If no one knows, and you hit Tchaikovsky's 1812 in the mall, everyone's shocked.

Machining is a good skill to have. The ability to shape objects to tight tolerances comes in handy from time to time.

/grill-me | /grill-me-with-docs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaDdrDdczO4

looks like he has some new ones