The idea of going out into the adult world on your own can be pretty terrifying — especially when you have no clue what you’re doing. The lives of high school graduates would benefit greatly if they had the opportunity to learn basic life skills such as: basic financial management, proper job interview protocol and etiquette, common mistakes made in emails, basic directions, the ins and outs of public transportation, and more we might need on our way to becoming responsible functioning adults. UC High should offer a basic life skills workshop where students can learn some key components of adulthood during the last month of school.

   Basic financial management is a huge part of adulthood. Whether you’re doing taxes, trying to live off of a budget, balancing student loans, or looking to buy an apartment, you don’t want to just dive in blindly. An article from the official Campbellsville University website states, “Students who learn to manage their finances early often become adults who are better equipped to live independently. By teaching kids to make good financial decisions, they learn to pay down debt or avoid it altogether (campbellsville.edu). Senior Maya Arriaga added, “Learning how to manage money and pay bills is something I would say is very important going through college. At some point you’ll be be living on your own and paying your own bills, so the sooner you learn the better off you’ll be.” While the concepts of taxes and money management are taught in senior classes such as Government and Econ, the reality is that many students feel overwhelmed at the prospect of doing it themselves.

   First impressions are a powerful thing. People tend to remember the first time they meet someone new, and one snap judgement could impact everything. Oftentimes, they make or break your chance for success in a job interview. Even the slightest advantage during that first impression can go a long way in furthering your career, especially in today’s job market.  According to the Morgan McKinley Recruitment Consultancy official website, “Making a first impression is becoming more and more important in the current job market due to the competitiveness of it” (morgan.mckinley.com.au). While the idea of making a good first impression seems easy enough, it’s always good to review proper etiquette and protocol when meeting someone new. In addition, teachers and students alike would benefit from a course on common mistakes people make when sending emails: your and you’re; their, they’re and there; to and too — they’re not interchangeable!

   Transportation, public or otherwise, is something extremely hard to live without. It’s hard to be an independent adult when you don’t know where you are or where you’re going. For those who don’t know the I-5 from the I-805, or east from west, a workshop that goes over basic directions is an absolute necessity. One thing that future college attendees need to take into account is public transportation, seeing as many colleges do not allow freshmen to have vehicles on campus. If our seniors were given the opportunity to learn about available public transportation, it would be one less thing to worry about next fall.

   The prospect of including a life skills workshop may seem costly, but there are simple ways around the issue. Teachers and staff can teach different life skills based on their own experience. Why not make it the focus of certain senior classes after APs or during the SBAC testing? Another possibility is to have parents volunteer to teach different life skills.

   There is no doubt that UC High has multiple programs available to help prepare students for college when it comes to education, but now we need to focus on how to provide students with the proper resources that can help us improve our life skills.