This article has been syndicated from Generation Tay, an InfluenceHer Collective Member. Read the full post here.
Looking back on my college experience, there is nothing I would change—but I would have added one thing. Surprisingly, my friends from high school who each went off to different schools all agreed on this. While we all felt fully prepared for the job search and actually entering the workforce post-graduation, we all bonded over the fact that there were definitely several extremely necessary topics we weren’t taught.Together, we came up with a list of courses we wished we could have taken in college—some more tongue in cheek than others—to make transitioning into “the wild” a little less challenging.
Below are the classes we wished were offered and resources to help us now.
1. The (Ta)X Files: How to File Your Taxes
This one was a universal favorite among the group of my girlfriends. No matter what your major is in college or what future job you’ll have, everyone has to file taxes (unfortunately), so learning how to do so is extremely important — not to mention the law.
It sounds like a total bore, I know, but having a course or even a single seminar on the topic would definitely have cut down the number of hours it took me to research and actually file them anyway.
Here’s a helpful resource to learn about filing taxes: Filing Your Taxes with the IRS
2. The Science of the Excellent Credit Score
Yikes. The (sometimes) good ol’ credit card.
Credit scores, especially for those who are paying off student loans, are really important! Learning how to keep an excellent CC score andwhat to do if it starts to slip toward not-so-great is vital. “Start building your credit score early” is what I kept hearing, but how do I do that if I’ve never learned? Research, yes, but that doesn’t always help with all the questions.
Here are a few great resources to help you with your credit score(s): Credit Karma Tools and Resources & Credit.com’s “What Is a Good Credit Score?“
3. Negotiating Salaries 1000
Everyone at some point in his or her career has to negotiate a salary and it is something for which we can absolutely prepare. Whether it’s with a mentor, co-worker, close friend, or professor, we can all grow together.
Here’s a useful resource to help you negotiate salary: Career Contessa’s “WEBINAR Salary 101: How to Negotiate for More”
Read the full post here.