Let’s be honest for a second: college teaches us some irrelevant things. While classes related to your major are certainly beneficial for your education, some classes just aren’t. And while we take classes that are unnecessary to our life, we never seem to take classes that are absolutely essential to our life after college. Now I actually have never taken an organic chemistry class, but I have taken some that are just as useless, and I want to cry thinking about the thousands of dollars of debt I am taking on to sit through these classes (most of the time half asleep) just to get another gen ed out of the way.
So here are 10 things that should be taught at college instead of organic chemistry that will actually help students after graduation.
1. How To Do Our Taxes
Okay so I’m not necessarily clueless when it comes to finances, However, when it comes to taxes there are too many forms and too many documents that I need to submit or the IRS will come after me. Can we please teach this? It’s gotten to the point where I’m scared to admit I don’t know how to do them.
2. How To Form A Budget
My budgeting knowledge is very limited. I consider making a budget and living on it a very necessary thing, particularly in college when expenses seem to never end, but apparently colleges don’t see this as a pressing issue.
3. How To Change The Oil On A Car
This is just something that everyone should know in case of emergencies. I don’t know how to do it, but I wish I did.
4. How To Set Up A LinkedIn
No one ever tells you how important having a professional looking LinkedIn account is, or that you should even sign up for an account, it’s just sort of expected that you have this and have it filled up with amazing experiences.
5. How To Apply For Your Dream Internship
For some reason it is just expected that college students know how to do this. Lucky enough for me, I did have a professor who gave us some advice on this issue, however that is not the case for a good majority of my friends.
6. How The Government Works
Don’t get me wrong I am well aware of where I stand when it comes to political parties, but I feel like the government is a giant black hole that I have only yet begun to understand.
7. How To Fix A Clogged Drain
I hate Googling things, can someone just show me in person?
8. How To Say No, And Mean It
No means no, no matter what. And this goes hand in hand with sticking up for yourself. How to tell someone no and say it with confidence.
9. How Insurance Works
I know why I need it, but how do I sign up for it, and why are there so many types.
10. How To Do Basic CPR
This needs to be required. Period.
College teaches a lot of great things, but they could also teach just a few more. Honestly, an all-purpose class where we learn all of these things wouldn’t hurt. Plus, it could count for credit hours toward a major, and maybe would could even get rid of those no good gen ed courses.