<p>So, my dad was criticizing me the other night about not knowing some basic “manly” stuff and needing to learn it beforee I graduate and “enter the real world.” I won’t go into detail about what he said, since I don’t hold to some of his semi-sexist views and the specifics don’t apply to my more general question here anyways (like how to change a tire, etc.), but I kind of agree with him generally that adults, at least, (not necessarily men per se, but also women too) should ideally know some basic stuff by the time they graduate from college and become “actual adults.”</p>
<p>So, my question to you all is what do you think every college grad - male or female - should know by the time they graduate and enter the real working world/become adults? I suppose we could also break it down by gender too, but that’s an area that might open up a can worms we don’t really need. But if you want, feel free to do it that way too! Just be warned that you might encounter some resistance. heh heh. …And, by the way, I’m not talking about academic knowledge here (like how to solve a quadratic equation or balance a chemistry equation, etc.), but just more along the lines of everyday life skills. </p>
<p>Fire away everyone! I’m definitely curious, have extra time on my hands (snowed in at the moment), and here to learn!! What, ideally, would you want your son or daughter to have known/learned by the time they finished college and/or first entered the working world?</p>
<p>Table manners.
Especially at formal table settings, knowing what utensil to use,what side they are being served on, being a good table companion with strangers with interesting and appropriate conversation.
No excuse to not know how to chew with your mouth shut, not talking with your mouth full of food, elbows off the table, cell phone off, how to hold a knife and fork properly.
If you do not practice proper table manners at home then your kid will not present themselves well when they go out on their own to business and social dinners.</p>
<p>How to swim.
It is a safety issue.
How to drive.
Handy to have a drivers license.
How to handle their personal finances.
Credit cards, banking, savings, bills, taxes, the whole works.</p>
<p>Be friendly with the support staff: receptionists, file clerks, custodians, etc. Chat, make jokes, remember their kids’ names. For one thing, your education or job does not make you a better person. For another, there will come a day when you need a really huge favor. You don’t want to ask it from someone who thinks you’re a jerk.</p>
<p>Basic manners, including table etiquette as mentioned upthread by beerme. BTW: when at a formal dinner, start with the fork on the outside and work your way in.</p>
<p>How to change a tire
How to buy good vegetables and produce
How to cook 5 simple meals
How to tip
How to speak on the phone to a business associate
How to write a business letter
How to do your taxes
How to do laundry
How to clean a toilet
How to sew on a button</p>
<p>Agree with all of the above, especially how to handle regular financial matters, living BELOW your means so that you can build savings instead of debt. </p>
<p>Important to figure out what types of insurance you should have and to be sure to keep them current by paying the premiums.</p>
<p>Finding and evaluation information is very important.</p>
<p>Learning to change a tire is in my mind optional (since I can’t do it but do have AAA on my phone and can get them to do it or whatever else I need them to do).</p>
<p>how to think independently
how to discern
how to find solutions (using Hlmom’s …finding and evaluating information) to problems
how to know when he/she is being propagandized</p>
<p>How to proceed up the chain with a complaint if there is a problem that needs to be/should be solved instead of just sucking it up and grousing, as well as knowing when it is WORTH pursuing the complaint/problem.</p>
<p>Sometimes, it can take quite a while to wait for the roadside assistance to change your flat tire. Being able to do it yourself can get you back on your way more quickly.</p>
<p>Of course, these days, many cars do not even have spare tires any more, perhaps under the assumption that most people no longer know how to change the tire, or no longer can physically lift the tire, so the car companies might as well save the cost and weight (fuel economy) by replacing the spare tire with a can of tire sealant (which is less effective in some situations, though easier to use).</p>
<p>Agree with all the above with one addition:</p>
<p>Know how to reach under a toilet or sink to turn off the water supply when an overflow situation threatens.
No matter where you live, know how to turn off the water and also where the electrical supply panel is.</p>
<p>I’m amazed at how many adults over 40 don’t know how to handle these situations and whose homes sustain a lot of damage as a result.</p>
<p>My fiance threw out his expensive work shirts whenever they lost a button for the first 9 years of his career. I think he decided to marry me the minute he realized I could sew buttons. Neither of us can iron, but he has a little steamer and steams all our clothes. Take home lesson-- the most important thing you should know is how to marry someone who knows how to do all the things you don’t know how to do! I kid, I kid. </p>
<p>I’m trying to think of things I didn’t know how to do… most things, including many of the things listed here, are pretty easy to pick up as you go. The things I was really left clueless about when I started out on my own were things I probably would never have learned before I moved out because my parents didn’t know how to do them either-- like how to eat nutritiously. I had no idea how to buy my first car, either. I am completely mystified by my 401k, the default fund or whatever is garbage but I didn’t have any idea how to go about picking better ones and I still don’t really. My fiance doesn’t know how to write checks and doesn’t have any checks… I have needed to write like 50 for him in the last three years so I am not sure how he got by before.</p>
<p>I don’t know how to change a tire, though. I asked my dad to teach me and he said call AAA. My fiance knows and I asked him not to and to just call AAA… the first year I was commuting to my job, there was a HUGE traffic backup one morning and it was clear something horrific happened, and it turned out that someone was struck and killed while trying to change a tire on the shoulder. I’m traumatized, I would rather we all wait for AAA and be late.</p>
Well…let’s be honest, there are good places and not so good places to change you tire. I agree with those who say knowing how to change a tire is helpful and in certain times key. </p>
<p>I think as important as it is to change a tire, it is important to know how to check the oil level and know how to add more, how to add windshield washer fluid and how to check tire pressure and add air. Yes, someone can do that for you but sometimes it is up to you. Around the house, it is good to know how to change the furnace filter and I agree, one should know how to shut off the water. It also helps to know where the fuse box is and how to reset the gfi switches (and where they are). </p>
<p>How to operate a fire extinguisher (and keep one in your home).
Agree with the above, how to turn off water and electricity in emergencies
Know finances, or go online and learn (also above)
Save some money from every paycheck
I vote AAA for the flat tire (also good for a battery jump or fuel if you run out)
How to cook at least three decent meals
Keep a log/notebook of medical records, like shots, ailments, etc (especially if you are prone to move often)
How to write a thank you
Read the contract before you sign it, no matter how long it takes
On loan agreements/contracts/leases double check the numbers with a calculator (found errors on a car loan, mortgage agreement and a lease before)
If you drop some small change, leave it for a youngster to find. You’ll make their day with just a nickel!</p>
<p>-Be informed and vote
-Be willing to do work that is beneath your educational accomplishments–for awhile, until you have experience
-Expect the unexpected–rainy day fund, allowing more time than needed when something must be on time, etc
-Send Thank you notes, Just because notes, and sympathy cards, as well as birthday greetings. Real pen and paper ones. This one may go the way of the dinosaurs, but there is just something special about a handwritten card in the mail.
-Pay yourself first. It helps if you haven’t dug yourself into debt, so live within your means so you can fully fund your Roth, and other retirement accounts.<br>
-Keep your passports/birth certificates/bank acct info/important docs in one specific ( and easily accessible) place in case you need to get them in a hurry in an emergency.
-Call your parents and loved ones more than you think you should. They won’t always be around…tell them now how much you love/miss them</p>
I kid, I kid. </p>