Most simple skills that young adults should learn before they are off on their own are usually put under the umbrella term of "adulting." However, I think cooking is the most important skill to know for any young person about to live on their own.

I’ll preface my arguments by saying that there are plenty of things that are important to know as an adult like managing expenses and paying taxes. Those are well and good, but I would not call those things skills as much as responsibilities. Once you know how to balance a checkbook and do it a few times, you more or less know how to do it for the rest of your life.

Cooking is a basic task that does take some real practice and know-how to get right. It’s not the most challenging point in the world, but having a diploma and burning ramen is a bit of a low point.

One of the most obvious reasons why it is important to cook is that it is much cheaper and healthier than just ordering food. Uber Eats can start to add up really quickly and can only order from certain fast food chains. Making something even as simple as spaghetti and meatballs might just be the thing to eat after a day of classes and studying, and it certainly helps that leftovers can be eaten throughout the week.

People that have not cooked much before may be worried that they’ll screw something up and make the whole dish taste awful. That fear is real and I understand that, but there is no better time to learn and go through the growing pains of cooking than by doing it in your dorm while you’re in college.

If nothing else, there will always be the dining hall to fall back on if things go horribly wrong.

Cooking takes time and creativity, but it won’t be too long before you will have a few dishes that you know how to make well. That’s the ultimate goal; having a base of certain dishes that can be easily cooked so that you can fall back on them and not always have to shell out money elsewhere.

Learning to do things by yourself is an important part of growing up, and being able to make good meals in the kitchen is crucial in leading a much healthier life.