Class

Not all of us had/have parents, teachers, friends with time, interest or the ability to help with the ultra basic shit of becoming a functioning human on the planet.

With this in mind, these are some classes that I would’ve appreciated having had:

Healthy friendships and other relationships—what’s okay and what isn’t
Given my mother’s complete hands off parenting style (with me anyway) and the fact that my father (who tried to be a caring, involved parent), always had to work two full-time jobs to support us, I had a solid dearth of experience with understanding friendships and social interactions in general. There's also the reality of us moving every year or three.

What are boundaries? Why are they important? 

How to set them up, how to recognize when someone is trying to manipulate you and basic diplomacy (how to civilly tell someone to fuck off) should all be covered in this course.

The only childhood socializing advice I remember receiving was “don’t be a doormat.” Good but not exactly encyclopedic.

Household budgets—how to make them
What are your earnings and what are your bills. If, on graduating school, you’re working 40 hour weeks, making minimum wage ($15 an hour here in Massachusetts. (check your state here), how much will you need to put aside each month to pay rent, groceries, utilities and general necessities? How much is left over for socking away in a savings account, for socializing or treats? I, by the by, always listed art supplies under the General Necessities column.

Aunt Mary Ann taught me to set aside a little bit out of each paycheck. As little as ten bucks a week adds up over time—there’s your vacation fund or new computer money, right there.

Simple taxes—the basics
The 1040-EZ form is ridiculously simple and the 1040 isn’t much more challenging. I’m easily overwhelmed by math, forms and keeping track of things that can and can’t be deducted. Even I could do my taxes until TAB and I finally went legal (got officially hitched) bought Valhalla and, immediately afterward, had to do a zillion expensive, unexpected repairs. That and the surgeries which left me deaf—it was all a bit overwhelming.

Taxes aren’t quantum mechanics—you don’t need MIT level smarts to do ‘em. Demystify this shit.

Finding and evaluating your first apartment—a how to
Make an apartment search check list. Include on this:

• Neighborhood (where you would like to live/where you can afford to live)
• Security (is there a functioning intercom/buzzer system, do all windows and doors lock, etc.)
• Building cleanliness (evidence of bugs, vermin?)
• Do all the lights, outlets, appliances work?

For a much more complete list of what to look for check out this rent.com link.

Having workplace skills—why you need them and how to get some
Apart from the basics, do you have experience/abilities that could translate into a job that pays better and is more interesting than working the register at McDonald’s?

• Can you accurately type a zillion words a minute?
• Can you cook?
  
• Are you an Excel pro?
• Are you mechanically adept?
  

You may dream of supporting yourself as an artist (as I did) or writer but, until you can, you need to have a gig that pays you enough to survive, thrive and leaves you with enough energy and time to paint, write, pot, compete in Iron Man competitions, etc. So, with that dough you’ve been saving from your low level clerk gig, start taking time for job growth/advancement. Take some damn classes.

What classes/knowledge do you wish you'd had at a young age?