We all have our qualms with the public school system for different reasons, but one thing we often agree on as young adults, is that we really are not learning the more critical things that we need to know for our lives (like taxes, or how insurance works). Sometimes we start seeing these confusing milestones before we graduate high school, but many of these are just waiting for us to get ready to make a big adult decision. Just to emphasize how much we really need to reinstate classes like Home Ec and Personal Finance, here's a list of eleven times we have all be very underprepared for #adulting.
1. You filled out the FAFSA, and your award didn't cover all of your tuition.
First you think, "what now?!?!?!" Then you think, "It's fine I can just get take out some private student loans, right?" Wrong. Good luck doing that without a cosigner, or a credit history, right after you figure out what those words even mean.
2. You got a job, and now it's time to pay taxes.
This is a very real issue. It seems like only a very few wizards are capable of vanquishing the Tax Beast, and we have to take a magical quest to H&R Block to find these wizards and hope they can help us. And then we have to pay them. One does not simply "do taxes."
3. It's time to make a budget!
We all learned (vaguely) about budgets in math class, so this should be easy enough, right? WRONG AGAIN. We think, I get paid X dollars an hour, I worked Y hours, so I will have Z money! Wow, it's so much money! Then, we get our paystub (say hello to your new friend, taxes), we start paying for things like gas, food, the cellhphone bill... Even if you haven't moved out yet, that money suddenly seems like not so much at all.
4. When you have to go to the doctor and encounter this magical thing called insurance, and it makes no sense.
More money games? You bet. What's a copay? What insurance company do I have? Is this even on my plan? Why do I have to have insurance anyway?
Never mind making the appointment. Can I just drink some NyQuil and call myself cured?
5. It's time to make dinner... now what?
Especially when you're sick of pizza. Surely that could never happen, right? Well it has, and it will. And you've gained 15 pounds to boot?!? You think, "as long as I eat I'm fine," but it turns out vegetables actually might be important.
6. It's time to lease an apartment, buy a house, or pretty much just try not not to be homeless.
Deposits?! Contracts?! Home Equity?!
7. Making friends is suddenly rocket science.
How did we all make friends in school? I mean it just kind of happened right? How do you do that when you're an adult, so that people don't run away screaming?
8. Now when you have emotional problems, you have to #handleit... alone.
This one is heavy. When you're going through a hard time you can always call your parents, or friends, but everyone is so busy that it can suddenly seem very lonely when you're having a bad day or things start coming at you sideways.
9. Pretty much anything to do with maintenance is Greek to you.
Sure, you can change a lightbulb, but can you repair broken pipes? Change an A/C filter? Yeah, neither can I.
10. When you have to deal with identity theft, a break in, or a car wreck, and would rather die.
Yes, the universe hates you.
11. None of the above things include getting married or having kids.
*faints*
Life is hard. Being unprepared is harder. Reinstate life-skills education!
Sheetal Tadiparty
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