School is a wonderful opportunity, full of learning experiences for young minds. Unfortunately, students aren’t always guaranteed to get basic life skills from academia. Here are the most important, foundational skills that young people should ideally learn in a school setting.
Basic Personal Finance
This is one of the most overlooked but one of the most necessary skills. Yes, teenagers are learning how to do basic math–which is undoubtedly important. But they need to learn how to use that math. Or, more specifically, they need to have financial self-sufficiency. This is a basic skill that everybody, no matter who you are or where you live, needs to know. Budgeting can save people from destitution. A basic understanding of taxes and how to file them will save young people a lot of headaches in the future. Understanding housing, investment, savings, retirement, insurance, and interest–even if just at a basic level–can truly work wonders. This is the most practical knowledge a young person can have.
How to Get a Job
Many teens will be on the verge of getting their first job. Thus, it only makes sense to help teach them what they need to know right now. Not only will it benefit them in the near future, but it will also create skills and understanding that will benefit them for their whole lives. After all, the average American adult changes their career seven times throughout their life. You can never be too sure about your current job, so it’s best to plan ahead. Teaching teenagers how to write a resume, how to network, how to apply, and how to interview is essential. A resume is designed to show off various skills that can help you get a job. Learning how to cater a resume to a specific job makes it a much more effective tool.
How to Work With Others
This one is broader, but it’s still true for a public or private school. As good as homeschooling can be, it doesn’t help kids’ social development nearly as much as a traditional school. In high school especially, teenagers are expected to complete group projects. They have to collaborate with other students to progress and interact. The interpersonal skills they learn will help them in life.
While these are the skills that every teenager should learn, that doesn’t mean that they are what every teenager does learn. Make sure that the teenager in question–whether it be your child or you, yourself–works to get the abilities they need for life. Adulthood will be much easier for it.
Learning how to get a job takes work. Click here for tips from ExtraExtraPost on how to boost your chances of securing a job.
