Writing is an endlessly valuable skill
And a bartering mechanism
A good education includes the acquisition of skills. Reading is the most important skill derived from a good education. The ability to read well opens the door to endless opportunities. Navigating the world becomes difficult without the ability to read, and, even with the Internet, acquiring knowledge becomes challenging to those who cannot read. Their ability to know is limited. Programs and entire schools set out to help kids overcome disabilities like dyslexia because they understand how crucially important and prized is the skill of reading.
As far as important skills goes, writing comes in at a close second. You cannot call an education good if the educated cannot write well. Although not everyone will mature to become a great writer, everyone can and should learn how to communicate their thoughts in writing. To do so well is to understand words and their meaning, the mechanics of a good sentence, and the fundamentals of grammar. A good writer should also be acquainted with the different types of writing (persuasive, expository, etc.) and their uses.
As of late, there has been an obsession in the world of education with teaching kids how to code and become computer programmers. The process of learning to code—learning how to anticipate and solve problems, for example—is certainly valuable to students, but learning to be a good writer is more so. And writing can certainly bear more fruit. Not every student is going to become a computer programmer, but they all will have to write something at some point in their lives—in reality, many things.
If they are receiving an education of any sort, kids are already learning how to write. But the importance of knowing how to write well and all of the uses for the honed skill are rarely explicitly stated.
Writing comes in handy to suit more than just day-to-day communication needs. More and more, businesses conduct their business online. Thus, to share about the products they sell and their usefulness, companies have to write. To reach their target audience and be successful, they have to create website copy, advertise on social media sites, and maintain blogs. Nonprofit and for-profit businesses alike maintain some sort of outlet to share what they are selling, whether products or ideas. And they write content to share on their social media sites and to their email subscribers. Even podcasters, whose success depends on whether they can communicate well orally, either write their own show notes or hire someone who can do so.
The service industries and product industries need good writers. If they don't have one in-house, they bring on contract workers who can write reports, blog posts, curriculum, and content for their website. If you're starting a small business and you know how to write well, you can become your own marketer. You can write op-eds describing the problem you solve, share what you do on Instagram, Facebook, or wherever your audience spends time, and create engaging content, such as tip-sheets or how-to guides, to attract new customers or a new audience.
Writing is also a skill that can be used to trade for something else. Good writers can use their skill to barter, as I recently did. The cloth diaper company where I purchase products for my daughter gives contributors to their blog a store credit in return for writing an article. Because I am a skilled (enough) writer, and I have opinions about cloth diapering, I could cash in on the opportunity. I sat down at my computer, spent a couple hours sharing about my personal experience, and, voila, I have credit to spend on products I would have bought anyway. Of course, I had to pay with my time, which is also immensely valuable, but the trade of time for products was worth it in my case.
This is just one example. My skill as a writer pays off in a myriad of other ways.
Although their use may not be as widespread as writing, other skills bear similar fruit. My father, an electrician, fixed the wiring in a house of a fellow construction workers, and in exchange my father’s colleague painted his house for him. A yoga instructor I know, who is also a masseur, got dental work done in exchange for a one-on-one yoga session followed by a massage. A travel agent goes on an all-expenses-paid yoga retreat in exchange for organizing the trip. A web designer gets access to an exclusive virtual course for creative writers because she built the course's online portal. And the list goes on.
Writing well ranks high on my list of valuable skills that all children should be taught. Everyone has to write something at some point—a resume, a job application, a college essay, an email, a thank-you card—and the written word is integrated into nearly every industry that employs workers. Considering most children spend at least 12 years of their life in school, in addition to learning how to read well, they might as well learn how to write well. And then, on top of those two skills, they can learn a skill, like electrical work, that brings value to other's lives.