When I graduated high school in 2016, I was thrown into this massive world lacking knowledge on certain things I wish I had learned in high school. I understand the parent’s role in a child’s life such as being their mentor who teaches them manners, household skills, or even religious methods. There are also some things we can learn from experience. Although, we are in school to learn and what we learn does not always help us in the “real world” after high school. Sure, I graduated knowing mathematic formulas, run-on sentences, and all of the U.S. presidents although, I wish I had learned a lot more life skills to bring with me to college and the real world.
Conversation
Being an adult brings job interviews. Job interviews often require communication skills. The current generation that is most recently out of high school is considered “the silent generation” due to being very caught up in technology and social media. In my past experiences at job interviews, I have lacked knowledge as to what to say and how to come across to the hiring manager. I shouldn’t have to google “what to say to get the job” as frequently as I have. I wish I had learned in high school the skills needed to have a professional conversation.
How to handle money
Accounting, finance, and business classes explain money handling strategies and financial arrangements but do not focus much on personal finances, saving, or investing. Recently, I have found myself asking my parents or the bank questions that made me feel relatively childish, uneducated, and immature. I watch those around me questioning credit or loans, such as how to build and manage credit or how to take out a loan. Money is essential to living and that doesn’t mean you need to be rich, but you need to know how to handle it in order to live a successful life. I wish high school taught me how to handle my money and how to financially get started in life.
Insurance
What insurance do I need as I get older? Why do I need it? How do I get it? Why wasn’t I taught these things in high school? Knowing these things makes life so much easier. When it comes down to life’s necessities, such as insurance, I draw a blank. I can tell you things about comma splices and square roots, but I do not know anything about how to handle insurance in life. I wish I learned in high school the importance of insurance and how to approach it.
The law
Yes, we all do not go to school to be lawyers. However, we all live under the law and need to follow its rules. We should learn what a felony is and what a misdemeanor is. We are thrown out into the world uneducated on the judicial system. We need to know what the repercussions of our actions could possibly be rather than finding ourselves in a situation where we do not know what is at stake.