What Schools Never Taught You About Adult Life
School can teach us a lot of things, like how to write and convey our thoughts clearly, or how to ask where the bathroom is in Spanish.
But there are a lot of real-world skills that aren't taught in classrooms that would have been sooooo helpful to know. With that in mind, Reddit user shankar86 recently asked the r/Millennials subreddit, "What ridiculously simple thing do you wish school had covered that would have saved you tons of headaches later in life?" I nearly broke my neck nodding in agreement as I read the answers.
"Job hunting skills, how to negotiate pay or a raise, and how to interview well."
"A government class on your rights and how to protest safely."
"How to use a fire extinguisher properly. Basic cooking skills. Basic home maintenance."
"How insurance works."
"It would be helpful to know what public resources and social services there are in our community. It would be great to know not only if you need something, but good to know what you'd be funding."
"Sexual literacy."
"How to travel internationally."
"A whole ass finance class — complete with credit cards, compound interest, and a home budget."
"Everything involved in buying a house."
"How to spot a narcissistic personality."
"The difference between a 401k and a Roth IRA."
"Social skills."
"Critical thinking. You'd think schools would teach this. Nope! It's memorize and regurgitate. Stop thinking, simply memorize. We want parrots, not thinkers."
"A Home Economics class would have been nice."
"I kind of wish they talked more about the different types of jobs we could get."
"The basics of nutrition, survival skills, basics of gardening and growing your own food, and physical fitness."
"How to change a tire."
"Navigating a complex bureaucratic structure effectively."
"How to file your taxes."
"The basics of emotional intelligence and mental health."
"How to navigate the US healthcare system."
"I think what schools fail to teach is what the skills are actually useful for."
Are there any practical life skills you wish you'd learned in school? Tell me in the comments!
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