80% Of Young Adults Feel Unprepared For Life Skills
I remember a friend of mine telling me a long time ago that he wasn’t prepared for adulthood because he lacked the proper training of life skills. He suggested that…
Multiethnic college students sitting in a classroom studying on laptop during class. Group of guys and girls using laptop during computer lesson. Young man and concentrated women sitting in a row doing homework on pc.
I remember a friend of mine telling me a long time ago that he wasn't prepared for adulthood because he lacked the proper training of life skills. He suggested that high schools and maybe college should have courses in the essential life skills that so many students lack in.
The idea was to teach kids everything from how to write checks and balance it, how to do a proper job interview and even how to change a tire.
Back in the day high schools had "Home Economics" for the girls and "Shop Class" for the boys. The idea was girls would learn how to run a household by learning basic stuff like cooking and sewing and knitting. There were other life lessons being taught that girls could take into adulthood which presumably included being a proper housewife.
For the boys shop class taught them how to use various power tools and carpentry to be able to repair things around their house when they were adults. They could also learn basic automotive skills such as changing tires, oil and even making engine repairs.
These were all great for their time, but still lacked a lot of the basic life skills needed to exist in the adult world. They would still graduate without knowing basic life skills like banking and how to change a toilet fixture or for some, replace a lightbulb.
Lacking in life skills
A nationwide PapersOwl survey of 2,000 Americans aged 18-30 reveals widespread anxiety about essential adult responsibilities. Over 80% of respondents reported feeling anxious due to lacking practical life skills, while only 20% expressed confidence in everyday abilities.
Financial literacy scored lowest with just 31% answering correctly on basic money questions. Young adults struggled most with budgeting, understanding leases, house maintenance, insurance, and legal knowledge. Food and nutrition was the only strong area, with 82% correctly identifying dairy products.
More than half felt stressed during the simple quiz. “This isn’t about shaming Gen Z; it’s about revealing a real problem backed by numbers,” said Ms. Shestakova, Head of Communications at PapersOwl. Google remains the top resource for life skills advice. (Story URL)
My friend's idea of teaching these basic life skills in school still sounds like a good one, even after all of these years.
