*Disclaimer: in my opinion
Let me start off by providing you with two different definitions of “adulting” as mentioned by Urban Dictionary.
- Adulting (v): to do grown up things and hold responsibilities such as, a 9-5 job, a mortgage/rent, a car payment, or anything else that makes one think of grown ups.
- Being a responsible adult. Used by immature 20-somethings who are proud of themselves for paying a bill.
Those who are not in their twenties might ask themselves, “Why does Urban Dictionary feel the need for various definitions of the word adulting? This is because it is seen as a big deal when us “twenty-somethings” call the doctor to make our own appointments, or when we do our own laundry and don’t mess it up, or when we file our own tax returns.
I myself am guilty of these things. I hate calling Rite Aid and refilling my prescription, I still call my mom occasionally to ask questions about how exactly to use bleach when doing laundry. But those are things that are our own fault and it is something I can admit to. What worries me, and in result drives me to use said hashtag #adulting, is when it comes to things that will severely matter after I graduate (i.e., taxes and mortgages).
I partially blame myself. I am a 22-year-old senior in college who should know how to do these things. But where exactly do you expect us to learn this? Unless your parents sat you down and taught you every definition that will come to your attention as an adult and showed you step by step how to do any money related activity, you probably don’t know; or at least don’t have a full understanding of it all.
In no way am I blaming the parents. Yes, my mom does a lot of my finances and still makes some of my appointments (although that is definitely something I can do on my own) but I don’t know how to fully do my finances which is the reason my mom still helps me.
In my personal opinion, that is what the education system is for. In my whole life, I had one class related to real life adult things. I kind of remember learning about a checkbook? But that’s it. That’s all I remember, and no, it’s not my fault that I don’t remember what I learned nine years ago of something that was not relevant at that point in my life. Students joke all the time about how the moment after an exam they forget everything that was on it. And yet you expect me to remember what I learned briefly in 7th grade when I was not required to write checks anyway?
I do believe that millennials lack some basic adult skills (not all, but some), but not because we don’t try. Not because we don’t care. But, because no one ever taught us. So now, we have to put aside all of our school work we kill ourselves over just to receive a piece of paper, and quickly master all these skills that we are required to know and will have to use for the rest of our lives.
I propose two solutions:
- Education before college should require multiple classes with multiple levels related to real life things such as finances. You know, preparing you.
Or.. - When your college decides to assign you freshman year classes or require a million gen-eds that have nothing to do with your major or life after college, require/schedule us with finance classes so when its time to graduate, I won’t be a lost puppy scared as hell for the future.
