Things you didn't learn in high school*

[TaftCoach]

* but wish you had.

I teach a course for college bound high school seniors. The fall semester is filled with applications, scholarships, and general college info. As we get to April and May we move towards life after college. I'm always looking for new ideas.

[Scott]

Finances. How to manage your money (keep a checkbook, create a budget, save for retirement, afford a house, car, RV, etc.). Loans and interest rates. How to get and keep a good credit score. How to get, use, and pay the bill for a credit card. How much savings do you need and why. How do you your own taxes. I learned a lot of this from my parents but many people do not.

[Midnightmoon]

Digital footprint. What employers will be looking at for potential candidates during the application process. It's not something that we had to worry about. But, definitely a reality for this upcoming generation.

[Happy wife / happy life]

Originally Posted by Scott

Finances.

X2! Young people that haven’t had the opportunity to learn these life skills is a major roadblock to their financial success.

[JDug66]

I'd suggest to them take a "Gap Year", get an RV or Tent and travel the U.S. Park System with several friends.

[RPR]

All the above and one thing we went by. Live within your means. We did and retired very comfortable.

[Old and soft]

Working for a living inhales profusely.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by TaftCoach

* but wish you had.

I teach a course for college bound high school seniors. The fall semester is filled with applications, scholarships, and general college info. As we get to April and May we move towards life after college. I'm always looking for new ideas.

I'm pretty sure this is NOT what you're after, but last year I sent a note to our HS leadership staff suggesting they expand the science core to include a small amount of immunology and virology.


My suggest was it's all four years with increasing depth.


I'm one of those "whackos" that thinks there are more pandemics coming and would like our kids to be more informed.

[norty1]

Stress that in college a balanced life is not a cold beer in each hand. I agree that unless a student is very mature they should take a year between HS and college.
Avoid student loans, they will strap your life for many years after graduation and degree.

[hoppers4]

Get a house paid off and live mortgage free. Avoid the pull to buy keep buying bigger and better. Improve what you've already got by saving this mortgage money and paying as you go. Twenty three years with no mortgage has given us huge financial freedom to spend money on things like RVs. Having no monetary stress is HUGE.

[THE MEEKER]

“Learn to change a tire!”

Which means have the courage to tackle basic home and car repairs and maintenance.

When my kids were growing up, they witnessed me install a hot water tank, replace a roof, install a dishwasher, paint a wall, mow the lawn, snow blow the driveway, replace a faucet, etc etc etc. Now both are in their 30’s, each are married, own their own home (smaller than the one they grew up in) and both hire services to do basic home maintenance. Both have a snow plowing service for a driveway they could shovel in under an hour, less than 10 minutes in they had a snow blower. Neither one of them including their spouses mows the lawn, they hire that chore out too. I explained that the money they spend on hiring out these service could easily fund a nice retirement account. But what do I know, I’m just a Boomer! (This Boomer has no mortgage, paid cash for 2 vehicles and TT and retired at 62.)
I took notes from my parents and grandparents who survived the Depression and were able to accumulate moderate wealth from living below their means, saving money and being self reliant.

[JFlightRisk]

Along with the financial advice stated above, start a 401K or some type of retirement fund EARLY. Contributing at least 10% of income every paycheck and taking the max advantage of an employer's matching funds...if they still do that. It really won't be missed, and they'll have a nice retirement nest egg.

[camjam]

Originally Posted by the meeker

“learn to change a tire!”

which means have the courage to tackle basic home and car repairs and maintenance.

When my kids were growing up, they witnessed me install a hot water tank, replace a roof, install a dishwasher, paint a wall, mow the lawn, snow blow the driveway, replace a faucet, etc etc etc. Now both are in their 30’s, each are married, own their own home (smaller than the one they grew up in) and both hire services to do basic home maintenance. Both have a snow plowing service for a driveway they could shovel in under an hour, less than 10 minutes in they had a snow blower. Neither one of them including their spouses mows the lawn, they hire that chore out too. I explained that the money they spend on hiring out these service could easily fund a nice retirement account. But what do i know, i’m just a boomer! (this boomer has no mortgage, paid cash for 2 vehicles and tt and retired at 62.)
i took notes from my parents and grandparents who survived the depression and were able to accumulate moderate wealth from living below their means, saving money and being self reliant.

this ^

[Jacjayco]

Practice simple kindness.

[TaftCoach]

Thank you. I appreciate it. I cover most of those and it's great to have confirmation.

[22Seneca]

The whole idea that we should do "something that makes us happy" for work is a cruel concept to teach kids. Most of what I needed to know about basic life I learned in K-12 from great teachers. But it was all geared towards this idea of success, being happy and doing something I "wanted" to do for work. I've spent a lot of time divorcing my identity, "who I am", from what I do for work and my perceived failures therein, aka, why am I not making more money, why does the employment situation feel so unfair, why, even though I've been exceptional at what I do, why don't I get rewarded commensurately?

I don't know how a teacher in high school would teach these concepts without sounding like a grouchy old person with a crushed soul; I guess it's something that just has to be experienced except by the vanishingly few who do go on to live and work their passion.

/heavy.

This whole idea we're giving kids about they need to be competitive rockstars at everything they do and that anything less than perfection is not OK needs to be addressed, though. They need to know that they're worthy of a gold star for just holding it together, some days.

[TaftCoach]

One of the principals I worked with always used Phil Collins as an example of not necessarily needing to follow what you love to a career.

Phil was a huge Alamo fan from his days watching Crockett on Disney. Instead of becoming an archeologist he made his vocation as a musician and became the largest collector of Alamo memorabilia.

[Parcany]

Have common sense, To get ahead in this world you have to work for it. Nothing is free.

[Lake Huron]

I hate to say it but kids are soft these days, and it came from their parents, if that's what you want to call them, parents. They are more like their friends. "You can't talk to my kid like that", "I'll sue you if you..."... WAY too many people give their kids everything and never tell them "NO". You run your kids life, not the other way around. I dont know of one person under 30 that has a checkbook and barely know anyone over 40 that has one let alone know how to use it including balancing one. I honestly dont know anyone under 30 that has a vehicle loan payment. They have vehicle payments, but it's a lease payment. Dumb! And there's part of the reason they will NEVER know what retirement is. They have no idea of how to save anything. Like previuosly posted by others they always want the best and biggest.
People I work with, including older people, think I'm weird. I HAVE a checkbook and use it regularly, pay half my bills via snail mail, OWN 5 vehicles free and clear and 4 were PURCHASED brand new, not leased, owe $15k on my trailer and have it paid off in 9 months, slam 25% in my 401 every year, have no credit card payments (never have) will have the ability to retire in 3 years at 52.5 yrs old and be debt free at that time and can't figure out how I'm affording to live the way I do.
I guess I'm not the "cool dad" and can tell my kid no, don't give her everything, but have taught her responsibility, accountability, morals and ethics and second place is first place. The first loser. I guess she's gonna be a really messed up kid out there in life. Sorry.

[THE MEEKER]

Originally Posted by Lake Huron

I hate to say it but kids are soft these days, and it came from their parents, if that's what you want to call them, parents. They are more like their friends. "You can't talk to my kid like that", "I'll sue you if you..."... WAY too many people give their kids everything and never tell them "NO". You run your kids life, not the other way around. I dont know of one person under 30 that has a checkbook and barely know anyone over 40 that has one let alone know how to use it including balancing one. I honestly dont know anyone under 30 that has a vehicle loan payment. They have vehicle payments, but it's a lease payment. Dumb! And there's part of the reason they will NEVER know what retirement is. They have no idea of how to save anything. Like previuosly posted by others they always want the best and biggest.
People I work with, including older people, think I'm weird. I HAVE a checkbook and use it regularly, pay half my bills via snail mail, OWN 5 vehicles free and clear and 4 were PURCHASED brand new, not leased, owe $15k on my trailer and have it paid off in 9 months, slam 25% in my 401 every year, have no credit card payments (never have) will have the ability to retire in 3 years at 52.5 yrs old and be debt free at that time and can't figure out how I'm affording to live the way I do.
I guess I'm not the "cool dad" and can tell my kid no, don't give her everything, but have taught her responsibility, accountability, morals and ethics and second place is first place. The first loser. I guess she's gonna be a really messed up kid out there in life. Sorry.

I think I finally found my long lost twin brother!