Over half recent college graduates wish they were taught more life skills while in college

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WhatInThe

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A poll of recent college graduates says 81% wish they had more life skill classes in college. Topics that should've been included were budgeting and finance. Some even mentioned cooking and laundry

https://swnsdigital.com/2021/07/eig...re-taught-more-life-skills-before-graduating/

I can see high finance like retirement plans, stocks, funds, crypto, insurance etc but how to make/work a budget?
 

When I was at school, we were taught cooking and knitting, no I don't
know why either and I don't remember much about knitting.

Mike.
 
WhatInThe said:
Or by the parents especially the cooking and laundry. What they also need to know or be taught is what a contract is because too many don't seem to understand once they sign their name to credit card application, student or car loan etc they are obligated to honor the contract.
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High school. Contract law, to an extent relevant to our ages, was taught to me in high school. Too bad I rarely went, but the times I did I always learned something.
 
IMO this stuff should be an age-appropriate topic for kids of all ages at home and in school.

The earlier you learn and apply these life skills in your daily routine the better prepared you will be when you leave home.

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Nah... putting a condom on a cucumber is a much needed skill. Ranks right up there with a major in mid-century basket weaving. Nobody has to learn boring stuff like budgets,vs income, or saving for the future.
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Today, everyone thinks that a college degree is a Must. However, huge numbers of graduates, especially in things like Liberal Arts, are left with an education that does little other than qualify them to flip burgers at McDonalds, and burdens them with huge amounts of student debt.
 
The most important life skills we learn in school are how to locate and interpret the information we need. Presuming if you're smart enough to graduate college you're smart enough to do an internet search to learn cooking, laundry, budgeting, etc.

Youtube alone is a comprehensive university of life skills.
 
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At my high school, they had done away with the shop class requirement for the guys--we girls still had to take home economics; guess we still needed to know how to make good hors d'oeuvre for our husbands' cocktail parties--and they had done away with aptitude tests also. The whole attitude at my high school seemed to be: for the guys-the only mechanical skill they'd need is how to work a slide rule and dictaphone; for the gals-you need to catch a good (i.e., high-earning) husband or else learn how to type and answer phones if not pretty enough to catch a husband. (Future home of Silicon Valley, dontcha know, so the only acceptable future for us kids was in an office building; since it was already known back then that you couldn't even afford rent on a small apartment by "twisting wrenches".) In fact, it wasn't even considered acceptable (or, what made you popular) for guys to be able to work on or even know how to check the oil of their cars. I overheard one of the popular guys talking to another about how yucky it was that 1 of the poor guys in school worked on his own car; "I just use my dad's mechanic to work on mine."
 
Bonnie said:
In college? ... I agree with @Aunt Bea.
I think a great deal of life skills should come from home, and over-all experiences as you grow up.
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The problem is that there’re lots of families who didn’t have any skills so there were none to pass down. Look at the number of people in debt. They just follow in their parents footsteps.

Or there were parents who doted on their kids and they never had to do anything.
 
terry123 said:
Most don't know how to balance a checkbook but I guess they don't need to today since they all use debit cards.
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Actually that's all the more reason to teach them to balance their checking account. Because if they don't record everything then a delay in ATM Withdrawal or a payment, especially over a weekend could cause overdaft. When i worked customer service at a bank in Laramie, WY. I noticed the Foreign students from UW always knew their balances precisely when closing them out to go home. Few Americans did. Usually we'd have to put a hold on closing till we were sure everything posted.

When i asked the how they got things so correct, the Foreign students told me they simply wrote every transaction (ATM, debit card) down immediately in check register. Logical! I'd still been using checks (this was late 1990s) but went to debit card for most things, just recording it all. And i actually go online once a week and reconcile my acct. When I'm stressed, rushed i might make math error, and being able to check online helps me be sure.
 
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Pinky said:
I recall being rejected when I requested taking Shop classes instead of Home Economics in Grade 8.
In my opinion, I think both sexes should be required to take both those subjects.
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Absolutely! My Dad taught his four daughters how to use both hand and power tools, we helped him work on car and boat when we had one. It took better with Eldest and me. Tho the youngest i picked up enough to be able change a tire, check and add fluids, and i learned a bit more with each car i owned. 2nd hubby was a Mechanic and increased my knowledge.
 
I loved Home Ec and took it every year I could. When I first married My mother in law said I was too fancy for them because I used place mats. My mother always used them so I thought everybody did. I have to confess that I have them on my table now but since its just me I put a paper towel over the one I use.
 
win231 said:
I wish they would teach useful life skills in middle school.
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My daughter teaches middle school. Trust me, the schools' and students' plates are full with required classes in English, math, history, science, physical education, and computer skills, plus an elective like a foreign language, fine arts, music, performing arts, etc.

Maybe schools or parks could offer summer (no credit) classes in life skills like how to sew on buttons, change a flat, balance a checkbook, create a budget, etc., but trying to cram them into an already packed MS or HS curriculum would be a non-starter.
 
StarSong said:
My daughter teaches middle school. Trust me, the schools' and students' plates are full with required classes in English, math, history, science, physical education, and computer skills, plus an elective like a foreign language, fine arts, music, performing arts, etc.

Maybe schools or parks could offer summer (no credit) classes in life skills like how to sew on buttons, change a flat, balance a checkbook, create a budget, etc., but trying to cram them into an already packed MS or HS curriculum would be a non-starter.
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We had all those classes except computer skills and languages. There were also optional classes like home ec, etc al. No one class was everyday.
 
We loose about three months of teaching time each year- summer vacation. The hospitality industry would have a fit if we cut into that time with more school. I don't believe most understand that teaching kids is based on their maturity level equaling the sophistication of their courses. Kids minds are always changing and developing Those missed 90 days are missed forever.
 
terry123 said:
I loved Home Ec and took it every year I could.
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I did too and loved it. A lot of the stuff I knew from home, but we studied topics like ethics, time management (that one didn't stick unfortunately) community service in addition to sewing and cooking. If my school had offered more advanced science and math courses, I would've only taken one year of home ec.
 

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