This weekend my car battery died. Did I know how to jump-start it? No.
Did I have someone to help assist in a few attempts? Yes.
After a few trials, we realized we weren’t quite sure what we were doing. That’s when my best friend and I decided to call Vandal Security for help. Without Vandal Security, I would have felt helpless. As a 20-year-old college student, that’s pretty sad.
Lindsay Trombly | Argonaut
Every college student should know basic life skills such as how to jump-start their vehicle, change a tire and even how to file their own taxes — the mundane but important things.
I am not saying I am not grateful for all the help my dad provides for me, but I think student education is lacking in teaching these most important life skills.
Sure we learn basic math and science skills, but are those really as important as basic life skills such as car trouble and how to deal with finances? I do not think so.
According to an article on Fox News, only 47 percent of Americans are extremely confident they could jump-start a car.
If a college student becomes stuck in the middle of nowhere, they won’t know what to do and will most likely be stranded. Not only that, but just 39 percent of American’s are confident they could change a flat tire.
That is a very low percentage. This is another basic life skill all college students should know, especially now that we are living on our own and gaining independence.
Where do students learn these life skills? The answer is they don’t unless their parents force them into learning. In drivers education, students might not learn how to jump-start a car and or learn what to do in an emergency situation on the side of the road.
Safety should be a key priority in learning this life skill.
Learning how to jump-start a vehicle is not the only skill most students do not know how to do, some are also clueless as to how to file their own taxes. In addition to vehicle safety, this proves there is a lack of financial education.
At a young age, we were all taught, in some form, about the importance of money — how to save and how to spend. But, that is about it. It was not until we are older that we learn that money can become convoluted and tricky.
But, it is not just taxes, it is finances in general that students have problems with and do not fully understand their use. This is a mandatory life skill all humans should know by the time they are on their own.
A study conducted by The Ohio State University in 2015 indicates 70 percent of college students feel stressed about finances.
This would be avoided if students knew more about where their money goes, where it comes from and how to get the most out of their earnings.
Parents are expected to teach their children these kinds of basic life skills — but think about this.
Parents who work crazy hours do not have that much time to dedicate to their children, let alone teach them important life skills that everyone should know.
Learning how to jump-start a vehicle, change a tire and manage finances should not just be parental responsibility.
We should be required in high school and college to take a class that teaches us life skills all humans need to learn.
Most schools’ aim to have students learn but they fully need to teach basic skills. Otherwise, we go into the real world knowing how to do geometry but not how to obtain a credit card to pay for a house.
I hope the new president of this institution and others who run the university read this column, realize how much they could improve Vandals education by just adding in a life skills class —required on the general education section of everyone’s degree.
Lindsay Trombly can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @lindsay_trombly