Skills are certainly a good thing, and the more numerous across a wider range the better. It's hard to locate disadvantages.
Using random circuitry to send a distress signal isn't happening - and such plots in films are commonly a source of amusment to myself - you need specific things for this to happen. That's not to say these things will not exist, but just grabbing random things and wiring them together isn't likely to be good. Additional to how to spot the difference between a capacitor and a timing crystal, being able to pick out a 555 timer - or even what you would want to be doing with these - education on basic principles of signals and signal encoding would be required in order to transmit something intelligable. Like many other things, it draws on much previous knowlege to become workable. Opening a jammed door is easier when you know how the door mechanism is designed to operate. You don't end up pushing when you should be sliding it sideways. The operating principles of things, and the understanding of, is what allows for "effective repurposement in inconsiderate situations".
Being able to wear a space suit incorrectly is quite frankly poor design. Current space suits are kind of unsuitable for general civillian use, and take much effort to get on. There's already tangible efforts in redesigning this, there have been some improvements already, and we should definitely be taking a stab at this soon as it's not as if we can be cloning their designs rightly unless these are open sourced, and we will ideally be requiring these.