Learn English – Word for a person who learned something in the past, but is now back down to beginner level

single-word-requests

What do you call a person who learned something a long time ago and now is at the same level in that skill as a beginner would be?

Guy isn't a novice. He isn't a veteran either. He was proficient in the skill long time back and can quickly (faster than a beginner for sure) get to the same proficiency level again, given sufficient resources.

Update: I'm looking for a formal word. Rusty suggested by Dan is perfect. So is old hand. Is there a word that can used to describe the above person in a professional context?

Best Answer

The OP has asked me to post my comment as an answer.

If the future employee had several years of experience in the trade, he is still experienced; if several years have passed since he was last employed, then I'd say “formerly skilled”, “previously trained”, “semi-skilled”, or “in need of retraining”.

If you remain an [software] engineer until retirement then you need to be prepared to constantly learn new tools and techniques in order to remain relevant. Generally speaking, you will need to be able to fully retrain yourself roughly every 4 to 6 years (while still working full-time). The only way to do that without burning out is to love what you do.

Source: Quora

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