I graduated a few weeks ago and by no means have my life figured out in any way, shape or form, but here are some skills that make me feel like I’m not totally lost in the world, and some that I still need to work on.
Time management
Time management skills are essential for being organized and productive. I have to admit this is one thing I struggle with constantly. Trying to balance course work, a job and a social life can be hard enough. Things can get out of hand quickly, which is why it’s important to find time for deadlines and fun times. Writing everything down in a planner has been a life saver for me both in and out of college. It’s so much easier to keep track of everything life’s throwing at you when you can see it all laid out in once place. Check out this helpful list of time management tips on Forbes.
Doing your laundry
Seems like an easy one, right? This ought to be a learned skill before coming to college, but there are some people who still depend on another person to do their laundry. It’s recommended to separate light and dark-colored clothes, but if you have to wash your clothes all at once, make sure to use cold water so the colors don’t bleed. And if you have no idea how much detergent to use, Tide Pods are a good place to start. Check out this short video or read this article by Tide to learn the basics.
Managing a budget and sticking to it
As many students begin to move out of their family’s home, it’s important to know how to handle finances. Living off-campus, there are more bills to keep track of such as rent, utilities, loan payments and groceries. Trying to keep everything organized can quickly become overwhelming. Here is a helpfulvideo about the right way to create a budget and some easy tips for staying on track.
How to cook (something other than mac and cheese)
Many students have probably been used to surviving off of ramen, PB&J and Pizza Rolls. Although they can be cheap and delicious, once college is over, try exploring other options that don’t rely solely on a microwave.Tasty is a company that posts a plethora of fun, easy cooking tutorials on their pages daily. There are also special recipes for vegetarians, vegans and all types of diets.
How to change a tire
Even if you’re lucky enough to never have to change a tire on your own car, you never know who you could help by knowing this information. Here is a step-by-steptutorial, to better prepare yourself.
How to do your taxes
This is a skill schools should be teaching students in home economics class, instead of knowing how to make a pillow or crack an egg correctly. Although both are nice skills to have, you won’t risk going to federal prison if a little bit of eggshell ends up in your food. Luckily for those not-so-savvy tax doers, there are programs likeTurboTax orH&R Block that can either do your taxes for you or help take all the guesswork out of doing them yourself (and they’re free.
Bonus essential skill: empathy
There’s a lot of uncertainty in the world these days. While many people can roll with the punches (or at least making it look that way), people deal with a lot of physical, mental and emotional stress. It’s important to remember that everyone you meet is going through their own personal issues, so try to choose kindness when interacting with others. The New York Times wrote an article on how we can be more empathetic towards one another.
