There was a time when being a teenager meant learning certain skills that they didn’t even think about. In the 1970s, things were different as technology wasn’t doing everything for you, so a lot of learning came from figuring things out the hard way. Here are 15 skills that nearly every teen knew back then.
Using a Rotary Phone
You’d slide your finger into the hole for the number you wanted, turn the dial until it stopped, and then let it spin back on its own before moving to the next digit. One wrong move meant starting all over again.
Teens could dial a friend’s number entirely from muscle memory, sometimes while holding the phone wedged between their shoulder and ear.
Balancing a Checkbook
The truth is, teenagers back then often opened a checking account as soon as they got their first part-time job. With it came the responsibility of logging every single transaction in a ledger. You’d write down the date and whether it was a deposit or withdrawal, then do the math by hand to keep your balance accurate.
Changing a Tire
No joke, learning to change a tire wasn’t optional if you wanted to drive in the ’70s. Cars didn’t have emergency call buttons, and roadside assistance wasn’t common unless you were willing to wait hours. Youngsters learned where the jack was stored and how to mount the spare so it wouldn’t wobble.
Writing in Cursive
One thing for sure was that penmanship was treated as an important skill in school. Cursive writing was a requirement for everything, such as essays and formal letters. Birthday cards and job applications were all done in flowing script, but today, many schools skip cursive entirely, being more keyboard-driven.
Sewing a Button
Under no circumstances would you ever throw out a shirt because of a missing button. Younger people could quickly thread a needle and sew the button back in place, making it as good as new. They learned to match the stitching style of the other buttons and make sure it was tight enough to last.
Reading a Paper Map
The thing about traveling in the ’70s is that you had to be your own GPS, which meant teenagers knew how to unfold a massive road map without tearing it and trace a route using road numbers and landmarks.
This skill built spatial awareness in a way that following a phone’s turn-by-turn instructions just can’t replicate.
Cooking from Scratch
Okay, so there were frozen dinners and boxed mixes, but they weren’t the main event. Many teens were expected to help prepare family meals from raw ingredients, and that meant peeling vegetables, measuring flour and sugar, seasoning dishes by taste, and keeping an eye on multiple pots at once.
Typing on a Typewriter
What you may not know is that typing on a typewriter required real physical effort, as each key needed a firm press to make the letter imprint on paper. When you reached the end of a line, you’d push the carriage return lever to start the next one. The rhythmic clack of the keys and ding of the carriage return were what productivity sounded like.
Making a Collect Call
Payphones were everywhere, but they weren’t free, so if you didn’t have change, you had to make a collect call, asking the operator to bill the recipient. Teens learned to speak clearly when giving their name so it would be accepted.
Clever kids even found ways to squeeze a short message into that name slot, like ‘Pickmeupatseven’ before the operator connected the call.
Using a Camera with Film
Photography required some real planning, where you had to load the roll of film in the dark and watch your light meter if your camera had one. Every click of the shutter cost you one of your limited exposures, so you thought carefully about each shot. When the roll was finished, you’d drop it off for development and wait days for the prints.
Knitting or Crocheting
Not every teen learned this, but it was common enough to be a recognizable skill. Knitting or crocheting a scarf or blanket took hours of patient work. Patterns were often passed down or learned from a magazine, and making gifts by hand was a way to show care.
The repetitive motions were calming, and you could work while talking with friends or watching TV.
Shorthand Writing
Those who took office skills or journalism classes learned how to use symbols and abbreviations to record information much faster than longhand.
This was invaluable for taking notes in lectures or meetings. It looked like scribbles to anyone else, but the writer could read it back perfectly.
Ironing Clothes Properly
No doubt about it, looking presentable often meant knowing how to iron. Younger folks learned to set the iron to the right temperature for each fabric and press collars so they lay perfectly flat. A crisp shirt or dress was standard for job interviews and church.
Making a Mix Tape
As a labor of love, teens would wait by the radio with a blank cassette, ready to hit record when a favorite song came on. You had to time it perfectly to avoid cutting off the intro or outro and arrange the tracks so they flowed just right.
Changing a Light Fixture
Lastly, small home repairs weren’t just reserved for adults, which meant many teenagers learned how to remove an outdated light fixture and wire in a new one. It required caution and a bit of mechanical skill, but it also gave you confidence that you could handle basic maintenance.
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