Imagine it’s Feb. 28. Rent is due again, the electric bill was due last week and you need to file taxes for the first time. You have an exam and two papers coming up. You work all weekend. You feel a little bit like you’re drowning in responsibilities, and you wonder to yourself why no one ever taught you how to file taxes or pay bills in high school.
Does this sound familiar? You’re not alone. According to a poll conducted on behalf of the credit bureau Experian, 81% of college graduates wish they’d been taught more life skills before graduating college.
Beyond that, the poll found that nearly one in five (17%) of college graduates don’t know how to cook or do their own laundry. Twenty-six percent are also feeling lost when it comes to basic apartment maintenance too – like unclogging a toilet or resetting a Wi-Fi router. For many students, their first foray into living outside of their home comes in college.
The stress of meeting deadlines, studying for tests and writing essays are enough for even the toughest and most expertly time managed students to keep them busy.
Taking the time to teach incoming students not only essential life skills, like apartment maintenance and how to plan and prepare healthy meals, but also how to manage time and money to effectively keep the bills paid is important.
Additionally, knowing how to find the resources available to them when they need a little extra help paying bills, accessing health care or receiving mental health support can create better outcomes for students before and after graduation.
Kirkwood offers many resources right on campus, from the food pantry to Handshake, the job seeking app, to Kirkwood’s counselors who see students for mental health support both in office and over Zoom. Offering resources is crucial, but making sure students are aware that they’re accessible is indispensable.
Aside from everything Kirkwood has to offer its students, there are many resources in the community to help students who may be struggling to make ends meet, like The Helping Hands Action group, which assists eligible Iowa residents. Not only does it offer information regarding over 100 different resources but it also include one-on-one texting and phone calls with a care representative to help get you on exactly the right path to meet your needs.
Kirkwood could alleviate a lot of stress for students by doing what it does best — teaching. One option may be offering free educational events with speakers offering guidance on topics such as how to unclog a drain, establish a bank account, file a free tax return document or make simple, affordable and delicious meals for those who may be new to cooking as a life skill.
With the diverse range of programs available to Kirkwood as areas of study, partnering with departments such as health and human services, culinary and business could facilitate a conversation between student educators and their peers, learning from those who have also recently had to learn these skills and empowering people to take better care of themselves, their spaces and their wallets.
Categories: Opinion
