Welcome to Adulthood! No Instructions Included!

Growing up in schools and

colleges as a 90s kid, we were all bubble wrapped and safely protected from the adversities of the real world. Our options about the future were limited to Science Commerce Arts while the occupation was limited to Engineers Doctors Lawyers. Anything beyond the preset choices was looked down upon.

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Marks and grades were prioritized over learning and education, bookish knowledge over practical skills; we were not prepared for the day to day hardships of adulthood (Lock-down made sure to make us realize it).

Here are 5 practical skills I wish were taught during my high school, so that I was prepared for the surprises life threw on my path.

1) Smart Work, not just Hard Work

In school, we were always taught that success can be achieved through hard work. Finding an easy way out or doing things simpler way was considered lazy and discredited. In reality, it is equally important to work smartly rather than relying on hard work alone. No one told us that it was okay to fail when you tried new creative ways of doing things. Productive failure improves our problem-solving skills. Had schools encouraged us to think out of the box solutions, it would have helped us at achieving goals with better quality. Focusing on solving problems rather than following the right approach would boost up logic and reasoning skills as well. This is why all the corporates keep stressing on increasing productivity – spending less time to achieve maximum output.

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2) Finance and Taxes

As teens, we never had to worry about the simple/compound interest we learned in math class. But the moment we stepped into a corporate world we were bombarded with salary slip, income tax, 80CC, FD, RD, EMI, loans, and what not! I am sure all of us had numerous calls with our parents (especially dad ) for instructions on all the above. Wish we had a curriculum that taught us the basic fundamentals to handle our own finances. This would have not only helped us gain financial stability but also help us understand how to manage money for future investments as well.

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3) Money Management

Pocket money was the source of our income during school and college days. Spend on anything and everything you want and rest was taken care of by my parents. But as soon as we joined work we realized that we couldn’t be carefree anymore. They say with great power comes great responsibility. While salary did credit every month, with accommodation rent, food, travel, bills as well as entertainment, there was barely anything left as savings! Yes, unlike our parents, this generation is all about living the moment (YOLO). Building knowledge about budgeting, loans, assets investments, etc. would have not only helped to attain financial stability at an early stage; the constant habit of saving investing sooner provides a secure future as well.

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4) Home Improvement

In the earlier days, most of the parents, especially in India, would make their kids focus on school and its extracurricular activities. As we completed college and to lead the independent life, our generation started hiring domestic help to keep our homes clean, cook, or even do minor repairs. Sadly we never know when life throws us lemons. When the COVID pandemic struck, I saw many of my friends struggle. With the implementation of lockdown, most of them were finding it hard to carry out basic day to day activities like doing the dish, washing clothes, or even cleaning the rooms. With restaurants closed and home delivery becoming risky, cooking became a herculean task! After all how long can someone survive only on Maggie? Learning basic electrical and plumbing repairs, painting walls, woodwork, home cooking would not only be useful in such unforeseen circumstances but also help you save money too! (Image courtesy : 123rf.com)

5)People Skills

We all have learned about communication and soft skills in schools. Most often they include speech, group discussions, email etiquette, debates, etc. But when it comes to adulthood, it is equally important to have emotional intelligence as well. Being educated doesn’t imply that you are civilized. Empathy plays an essential role in communication. People always want to be heard. Listening to them without being judgmental shows that you are genuinely trying to cater to their needs. Schools should encourage students to open up to one another and others, get your point across effectively. This helps to build up confidence and self-awareness in students which is the most sort after qualities management looks out for.

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While our generation learnt about adulthood the hard way , many children of today's generation are getting better life skills . With schools encouraged to have flexible curriculum , in the aim of promoting mindfulness, self-awareness, critical thinking, perspective building, communication, and self-reflection skills.

“Being a student is easy. Learning requires actual work.”

— William Crawford