Here’s the deal. I love school. I always have, and I always will. Learning is the coolest thing ever, and there’s no better feeling than being maximum passionate about a subject matter. I get really excited when a poem or a novel makes me feel some deep emotion, I live for classes that keep me interested for the entire hour and a half lecture, and I love feeling inspired by professors who challenge me intellectually. School is seriously the best thing ever.

I have one complaint, though. I really wish school had taught me basic life requirements.

As a student ending her junior year of college this year, I have big plans for my future. I plan on applying to a million different jobs all over the country to end up exactly where I want to be: book editing and publishing. With that, I’ve been feeling frustrated with my lack of knowledge on how to apply to “big girl” jobs like this. I have no idea how to put together a resume, I don’t understand the point of a cover letter, and separate from jobs… how do I do my taxes?

I’m super lucky to have parents who have been able to help me through the process of learning how to adult on my own, but I know that isn’t the case for many others.

Sometimes, I feel like it’s less important to learn the Pythagorean Theorem, and it’s more important to learn crucial interview skills. This problem definitely existed more in high school than it does in college, but I wish I had learned more cooking and cleaning skills before living on my own.

While I totally understand and appreciate all of the knowledge I have gained from school over the years, I continue to find myself feeling a bit frustrated with how much I don’t know about the real world. At 21, I feel incredibly book smart, but not so street smart. I think what I’m trying to say is that I believe we should push for schools to offer classes on how to successfully live on our own as adults.