Latest news with #lifeSkills
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Mitch Albom: Adulting 101? Did we use to take that course at home?
I took a lot of classes at college, but never one in how to become an adult. That I had to learn on my own. Apparently, I was born at the wrong time. Several universities, including Michigan State, are responding to an apparent lack of basic life skills by offering programs to undergrads in how to be a grown-up. No joke. According to Vice: 'They can edit videos in their sleep and build TikTok empires — but ask some Gen Z college students to roast a chicken or figure out a lease, and they're turning to 'Adulting 101' crash courses to fill in the blanks.' Adulting 101? That would have been a punch line 40 years ago. Today, according to the schools that offer them, such classes are amongst their most popular. Topics include cleaning, budgeting, healthy eating, maintaining your living space, even 'how to ask for help.' What? You mean Siri doesn't take care of that? Now the easy thing would be to criticize today's parents for not providing these skills. To criticize today's kids for being too spoiled to learn them. To criticize today's high schools for dropping home economics, shop, bookkeeping. To criticize today's society for creating too many distractions in the name of money, ratings and social media clicks. That would be the easy thing. Also, the correct thing. So I'm going to do it. It's ridiculous that a university has to offer classes in how to sew, make a chicken or balance a basic checkbook. Yes, high schools once taught such things. But the truth is, if you can learn to post a selfie, you can learn to change a tire. If you can discern when to use a dozen different emojis, you can figure out which column means 'deposit' and which means 'withdrawal.' Our kids' inability to master basic adulting skills isn't a lack of intelligence or maturity. It's a lack of examples. Or desire. Let's start with the examples. That means mother and father. Sorry to have to whip out the old 'when I was a kid' card, but there's no better way to explain it. When I turned 11, my father said it was time for me to pull my own weight. Allowance stopped. I was told to get a summer job, which I did, selling programs at a baseball stadium. When I came home with money, I put it in my bank account, which, like so many kids in our neighborhood, my parents had helped me open. Before I had a hair on my chin, I knew how to write down the few dollars I was putting in from birthday gifts, and what I was taking out. Checking the oil in a car? Not hard. All you need is Dad or Mom to show you where the dipstick is, and maybe remind you to always have the car engine off. How to sew? How to scramble eggs? How to apply for a job? These are things that used to be standard knowledge in a family, taught by parents, grandparents, visiting relatives. If they are not being taught now, it can only be because the parents don't insist on it, or are too preoccupied themselves, or are split up and not prioritizing their kids' development, or are worn out from trying to get their children to look up from their phones. Which brings us to the other reason. Lack of desire. Until they reach college, I'm not sure how many kids today even want to grow up. Life is better when Mom, Dad or Siri take care of everything. Back when we turned 16 or 17, we were salivating to drive. Today, you hear about kids who don't want to bother, because they don't want the responsibility. More: Mitch Albom: Don't forget the many who cross the border for all the right reasons When we were young, you couldn't buy anything unless you had cash in your pocket. Today, teenagers can order fast food on DoorDash and actually pay for it on a layaway plan. And back then, the idea of living at home after you graduated high school was embarrassing. Today, a recent 'Jeopardy' winner, a 27-year-old unemployed man with a master's degree in political science, asked to be introduced as 'a stay-at-home son.' A stay-at-home son? What's ironic is that many of these kids who seem miles from adulthood have probably crisscrossed the country playing travel ball or had computers since they were 10 or can overlay music onto a TikTok video of themselves dancing. But they can't work a mop. What's the difference between those things? Simple. Some you want to do. The others you don't. That's not a good enough excuse. As any adult will tell you. I also hear a lot about how this is due to COVID-19, kids staying inside, doing virtual schooling. Yeah. No. Sorry. COVID was awful. But so was the Depression. So was World War II. People who lived through those things came out more mature, not less. Don't tell me that having to do your history class online somehow prevented you from learning how put air in a tire. Mitch Albom: Don't forget the many who cross the border for all the right reasons The truth is, universities are offering Adulting 101 because growing up has become an elective. Yet that hasn't stopped college kids from telling the world how it should behave. So maybe, just as there are proficiency exams for language, math and other disciplines, so, too, should there be a minimum level of adulthood before college admission is granted. For example, no one gets admitted if he or she can't fill a car with gas. Or know what temperature water you use with whites versus colors. Or write a check. Or construct a letter. Or get insurance. Or tie a tie. Or understand minimum wage. Or utilize everything in a first-aid kit. It may not sound like fun, but trust us, kids, this is for your own good. The only person who never had to grow up was Peter Pan. And do you really want to wear green tights for the rest of your life? Contact Mitch Albom: malbom@ Check out the latest updates with his charities, books and events at Follow him @mitchalbom. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Mitch Albom: Adulting 101? Did we use to take that course at home?
Fast Company
3 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
A third of Gen Z feels ‘pressure' to become social media creators—and most say their schools encourage it
Graduating from high school is a huge rite of passage, but entering the working world, especially in uncertain economic times, can be intimidating. According to a new study, a big chunk of high school graduates say they don't exactly feel prepared for post-school challenges, especially when it comes to a few necessary life skills. And many feel pressured to lean into influencer culture as a way to make ends meet. The national survey, which was commissioned by K12, an accredited online K through 12 school, asked 300 recent high school graduates and 200 parents about how confident they were upon entering the real world. Notably, less than a third (32%) of recent grads said they felt their high school years had equipped them. Teen boys felt less prepared than girls, with 23% rating their 'real world' confidence at 3 or below on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most confident. Meanwhile, 16% of female grads said the same. Questions on where their confidence was lacking highlighted a few areas where recent grads felt most insecure, which, somewhat surprisingly, seemed to be the very rites of passage that young adults once looked forward to: 34% said they didn't feel confident about managing their own money, 27% didn't feel ready to live independently, and 26% cited communicating effectively as a concern—perhaps a display of how online communication has peaked in recent years in lieu of in-person communication. Recent grads' biggest fears echoed those insecurities, with 44% saying that they were worried about becoming financially secure. In addition to a challenging job market and an uncertain economy, those grads largely felt that their high schools didn't equip them with some key life skills—mainly, financial skills. A staggering 62% said they wish they'd learned how to do their taxes, 60% said the same of being taught about credit scores and loans, and 51% also noted that they wished they had learned how to invest. Given many high school grads don't feel quite ready for the real world, it makes sense that most teens said they plan on attending college after graduation: 90% said college is in their future. However, there was another notable trend that grads are likely to lean into after high school: becoming an influencer. More than a third, or 34% said they felt pressure from social media to become content creators or entrepreneurs, which is hardly surprising given just how common the side gig, or even full-time career, has become. But interestingly, it's not just social media that's steering teens toward content creation. According to the report, 56% said their high school actually encouraged students to 'explore alternative career paths.' Those alternatives were things like trades, gig work, and yes, content creation. Given the lives of young adults today are so broadly shaped by social media and influencer culture, the pull to dive into content creation makes perfect sense. Still, teens are rightly worried about whether or not they have the financial literacy to turn influencing into income.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Canadian university launches 'Adulting 101' course
A renowned Canadian university has launched a bizarre 'Adulting 101' crash course for pampered students who can't perform the most basic life tasks like changing a tire, buying groceries or doing laundry. In an era dominated by digital innovation, Generation Z - or those born between 1997 and 2012 - are in desperate need of practical knowledge that older generations might otherwise consider 'common sense'. 'I don't know how to change a tire. I don't have a car at all,' Aldhen Garcia, a first-year student at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), told CBC's The Current . 'I don't know how to sew,' he added. 'I don't know how to do a lot of things, other than cooking.' The University of Waterloo, a top-ranked institution in Ontario known for its programs in math, computer science and engineering, has responded to the growing demand by launching the online course - Adulting 101. Adulting 101 is designed to teach basic life skills that Gen Z often struggles with, including cooking, budgeting, basic nutrition, laundry and even navigating a grocery store. 'You've probably already started to notice that things won't get done unless you do them,' a course description on the university's website reads . 'From managing your finances, grocery shopping, keeping your laundry whites... white, staying organized - there are a lot of important life skills you might have wished you learned sooner.' Beyond teaching basic life skills, the program emphasizes mental and physical health - encouraging students to explore their personal growth. The university also offers skill evaluations to help students identify their strengths and areas for improvement. 'What you're experiencing is normal,' director of student success Pam Charbonneau said in a message to those struggling. 'A lot of your peers are going through the same thing at the same time.' The course covers everything from maintaining healthy relationships, practicing fire safety in the kitchen and changing a tire. For many, the course has been a saving grace - not only helping them personally, but also boosting their daily confidence in navigating the ins and outs of adulthood. According to Charbonneau, many students report feeling anxious or stressed as they figure out their life post-secondary school, and that access to resources like 'Adulting 101' helps normalize their experiences. She added that many students have also expressed a wish that they had learned these skills earlier in life. Experts have attributed the generation's lack of skills to several factors, including the decreasing independence these young adults are given during childhood. Jean Twenge (pictured), a researcher and psychology professor at San Diego State University, suggests that prolonged adolescence and 'helicopter' parenting have delayed development among Gen Z. Twenge, who studies generational differences, argued that limiting children's freedom and failing to teach them practical skills is only doing them 'a disservice', as reported by CBC. 'We send them off to adulthood without other skills,' she told the outlet. 'If they're not learning how to make decisions on their own and solve problems, that can be challenging.' As the author of several books, Twenge has extensively researched how a lack of foundational knowledge leaves young people more prone to making costly mistakes in everyday life. In her 2017 book titled iGen, Twenge introduced the concept of the 'slow life strategy' - an idea where people live longer, spend more time in school and parents tend to have fewer children, but raise them with greater care and intention. This approach, she explained, often leads to kids gaining independence later than previous generations. Another reason for the gap may be that students are living at home for longer periods, which often results in them taking on fewer responsibilities as parents continue to manage the household tasks. She encouraged parents to move away from the mindset that they must do everything for their children, and instead start involving them in tasks like cooking and laundry at an earlier age. However, Twenge's primary concern while analyzing the gap is the rising rates of depression and other mental health issues among young people. A 2023 commentary published in the Journal of Pediatrics reviewed dozens of studies and reports, concluding that the rise in mental health issues among young people is linked to fewer opportunities for children and teens to socialize away from adults. The commentary suggested that depriving young people of independence can contribute to elevated levels of anxiety and depression.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Woke university launches 'Adulting 101' course for embarrassingly basic life skills fragile students can't handle
A renowned Canadian university has launched a bizarre 'Adulting 101' crash course for pampered students who can't perform the most basic life tasks like changing a tire, buying groceries or doing laundry. In an era dominated by digital innovation, Generation Z - or those born between 1997 and 2012 - are in desperate need of practical knowledge that older generations might otherwise consider 'common sense'. 'I don't know how to change a tire. I don't have a car at all,' Aldhen Garcia, a first-year student at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), told CBC's The Current. 'I don't know how to sew,' he added. 'I don't know how to do a lot of things, other than cooking.' The University of Waterloo, a top-ranked institution in Ontario known for its programs in math, computer science and engineering, has responded to the growing demand by launching the online course - Adulting 101. Adulting 101 is designed to teach basic life skills that Gen Z often struggles with, including cooking, budgeting, basic nutrition, laundry and even navigating a grocery store. 'You've probably already started to notice that things won't get done unless you do them,' a course description on the university's website reads. 'From managing your finances, grocery shopping, keeping your laundry whites... white, staying organized - there are a lot of important life skills you might have wished you learned sooner.' Beyond teaching basic life skills, the program emphasizes mental and physical health - encouraging students to explore their personal growth. The university also offers skill evaluations to help students identify their strengths and areas for improvement. 'What you're experiencing is normal,' director of student success Pam Charbonneau said in a message to those struggling. 'A lot of your peers are going through the same thing at the same time.' The course covers everything from maintaining healthy relationships, practicing fire safety in the kitchen and changing a tire. For many, the course has been a saving grace - not only helping them personally, but also boosting their daily confidence in navigating the ins and outs of adulthood. According to Charbonneau, many students report feeing anxious or stressed as they figure out their life post-secondary school, and that access to resources like 'Adulting 101' helps normalize their experiences. She added that many students have also expressed a wish that they had learned these skills earlier in life. The university's director of student success, Pam Charbonneau, said that many students report feeing anxious or stressed as they figure out their life post-secondary school, and that access to resources like 'Adulting 101' helps normalize their experiences Experts have attributed the generation's lack of skills to several factors, including the decreasing independence these young adults are given during childhood. Jean Twenge, a researcher and psychology professor at San Diego State University, suggests that prolonged adolescence and 'helicopter' parenting have delayed development among Gen Z. Twenge, who studies generational differences, argued that limiting children's freedom and failing to teach them practical skills is only doing them 'a disservice', as reported by CBC. 'We send them off to adulthood without other skills,' she told the outlet. 'If they're not learning how to make decisions on their own and solve problems, that can be challenging.' As the author of several books, Twenge has extensively researched how a lack of foundational knowledge leaves young people more prone to making costly mistakes in everyday life. In her 2017 book titled iGen, Twenge introduced the concept of the 'slow life strategy' - an idea where people live longer, spend more time in school and parents tend to have fewer children, but raise them with greater care and intention. This approach, she explained, often leads to kids gaining independence later than previous generations. Another reason for the gap may be that students are living at home for longer periods, which often results in them taking on fewer responsibilities as parents continue to manage the household tasks. Twenge's primary concern while analyzing the basic skill gap is the rising rates of depression and other mental health issues among young people in Gen Z (pictured: Twenge) She encouraged parents to move away from the mindset that they must do everything for their children, and instead start involving them in tasks like cooking and laundry at an earlier age. However, Twenge's primary concern while analyzing the gap is the rising rates of depression and other mental health issues among young people. A 2023 commentary published in the Journal of Pediatrics reviewed dozens of studies and reports, concluding that the rise in mental health issues among young people is linked to fewer opportunities for children and teens to socialize away from adults. The commentary suggested that depriving young people of independence can contribute to elevated levels of anxiety, depression and suicide. 'Self-advocacy is probably the most important piece and probably where the gap is right when they come in, if they really haven't had to do much of that before,' Charbonneau said, as reported by CBC. 'You see their shoulders drop when they realize there's actually someone and something here to help me solve my problem.' Other universities have also began offering programs that address topics such as planning, finances and first aid. While Twenge supports universities offering basic life skills courses for Gen Z, she emphasizes that the real solution must start much earlier.
South China Morning Post
25-05-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
Carers in Hong Kong face stress and long hours looking after autistic children
A survey has found that three out of four carers in Hong Kong experience significant stress while taking care of children with conditions like autism. They reported long hours and insufficient support as some of their main concerns. The To Dream Charity Foundation recently shared the results of a poll conducted in April with 220 carers. Nearly 80 per cent of the carers surveyed were women, while about 60 per cent were aged between 36 and 55. The poll found that 30 per cent said they provided care for more than 17 hours a day. About half of the carers rated their current life satisfaction as five or below out of 10. Significant stress was reported by 75 per cent of respondents. Carers shared their concerns about the future of the people they care for. Over 60 per cent reported that they believe these young individuals will face 'limited job opportunities or future prospects,' which they see as a significant challenge. Almost 30 per cent of carers also reported having no plans for when the children left school, saying they had the primary responsibility for teaching life skills without structured school support.
