Where did you learn about the real world? (1 Viewer)

[LeftrightOut]

It seems to me more and more people are getting out into the big wide world with very little idea how the corporate/financial/real world actually works.

So those of you with a fair idea where did you learn about it?
Your parents? class? fat kid in the playground called dave? an accountant? relatives? friends? somewhere else?

Also do you think school should have a compulsory life skills class? I remember when I went through we used to have a careers class so i'm guessing that still exists but they didn't really do much in way of explaining tax and so on. Would students be into doing something like this or would they just blow it off? Do they still do the interview and resume techniques but no one is paying attention?

Also what would you most like to know or have known (if you're out already) before leaving school with things regarding after school life? I'm guessing employment is a big shock to most people who have just left HS.

 

[Gavvvvvin]

The computer is my world.

 

[doe]

hi id like to do a combined law/accounting/commerce degree so i can work 90 hours a week so some middle manager gets their performance bonus. do you think i should go to usyd or unsw?

 

[LeftrightOut]

hi id like to do a combined law/accounting/commerce degree so i can work 90 hours a week so some middle manager gets their performance bonus. do you think i should go to usyd or unsw?

Umm thanks, I think. I am not asking what degree you'd like to do I am curious how people are finding out about the facts of life these days as in my everyday job it is painfully obvious that many have no idea.

I learnt a fair bit from one of my relatives who had their own business on how to minimise tax effectively. Also my Business Studies teacher used to describe how certain scams worked which was quite interesting and made me want to research these things more and made me appreciate that not everything is as it appears. Only major advice my parents ever gave me was don't ever get into debt and if you can't afford to buy it outright then don't buy it.

 

[doe]

that was just a joke.

i wish someone had explained tax etc to me. you learn it as you need it (i just learnt how to wash towels so they stay fluffy, mmmm).

someone should explain the basics of personal finance and investing to people in school. it would save them making stupid decisions like maxing out a credit card or buying a fully sik mobile on credit straight out of school. i question the life skills of teachers, some of them anyway. you cant teach someone who doesnt want to learn. i dont think a lot of people care at that age.

when i was 16 some dude came to my school, i paid $5 or something to listen to him speak the whole day, he spoke to about 10 of us, sowed the seeds for me by explaining a few things about the world.

 

[SashatheMan]

when i was 16 some dude came to my school, i paid $5 or something to listen to him speak the whole day, he spoke to about 10 of us, sowed the seeds for me by explaining a few things about the world.

yeh and the seeds now, make yuo sell yuor body on the streets to support yuor drug habit

 

[iambored]

Also do you think school should have a compulsory life skills class?

YES
with everyday things that most of us do not know when we leave school, teach us about voting, driving, working, technology like computers, cameras, typing, cooking, buying a house and car, budgeting - these are the important things in life, we don't care if y'=3x^2 (granted, it's still important we learn that but it's also more important we learn life skills)

P.E is a very important subject that teaches some important everyday information but it definitely needs to be expanded

 

[braindrainedAsh]

My dad.... my parents own a business so I always was exposed to business type stuff. In fact I used to count my dad's takings from the age of 5..... you know how you have to bag up coins (like 20 $1 coins in one of those plastic bags) well I used to do that for all of our shop's takings when I was a little kid lol.

So yeah, most of my knowledge came from there. I did commerce in yr 9 and 10 and that was kinda helpful for some stuff. I think a life skills class would be a very good idea, maybe in yr 9/10? Stuff like tax etc is really confusing for some people. We had this stupid subject called Careers where we never really learnt anything, that crap could have been incorporated in to a life skills class (e.g. resume writing etc). A class on how to rort centrelink would probably have been beneficial for a large proportion of graduates from my school... nah just kidding!

 

[hiphophorray123]

BreaKing taught me how to suck cock..that is all i know about this world

 

[Abbeygale]

A combination of commerce class and Oprah. Plus, I have custody of one of my mother's credit cards. I've learned a lot from examining that bill each month.

 

[Korn]

that was just a joke.

i wish someone had explained tax etc to me. you learn it as you need it (i just learnt how to wash towels so they stay fluffy, mmmm).

someone should explain the basics of personal finance and investing to people in school. it would save them making stupid decisions like maxing out a credit card or buying a fully sik mobile on credit straight out of school. i question the life skills of teachers, some of them anyway. you cant teach someone who doesnt want to learn. i dont think a lot of people care at that age.

when i was 16 some dude came to my school, i paid $5 or something to listen to him speak the whole day, he spoke to about 10 of us, sowed the seeds for me by explaining a few things about the world.

No absolutely not then alot of finance ppl would be out of jobs

 

[Josie]

My ex boyfriend. To any of my school friends reading this, who else?

But seriously, something should be taught in schools.... They don't bother going past resumes. It's pretty pathetic.

 

[braindrainedAsh]

I think learning about leases and stuff like that could be helpful too... things about contracts etc, credit cards/loans (so that people don't get themselves in to sticky financial situations).... just stuff that people sometimes have to learn the very very hard way.

 

[Korn]

I think learning about leases and stuff like that could be helpful too... things about contracts etc, credit cards/loans (so that people don't get themselves in to sticky financial situations).... just stuff that people sometimes have to learn the very very hard way.

Thats what lawyers are for remember this is quite detailed stuff to be teaching yr10ers

 

[braindrainedAsh]

Just basic stuff.... like make sure you check the interest rate, if you sign a lease yadda yadda yadda. Just the basics, not contract law or anything!

 

[SashatheMan]

My ex boyfriend. To any of my school friends reading this, who else?

But seriously, something should be taught in schools.... They don't bother going past resumes. It's pretty pathetic.

then they would have to stop teaching other stuff to make room for this.

 

[braindrainedAsh]

They could have made time for it at my school in these stupid careers/guidance lessons... most of the time we did bugger all.... sometimes they would put on a stupid video on how to decide what career you wanted to do.... life skills would have been more useful.

 

[Emily.]

people need to open their eyes

so many people go through this world with blinkers on
like some of my friends from school...weve been exposed to all the same things...but some just dont take notice

i learnt everything i know myself
i look at things
i listen to thing
i take notice

thats all you need to do

 

[klh]

well...ive never learnt any of this stuff until accounting at uni...and i dont have any knowledge about leasing i.e. bonds and stuff. i knwo aobut tax only becasue i went to the ato site and looked it up. HS never really taught us anything like that, we had compulsory life skills but it was like safe sex, resume and i think thats it...we mostly were allowed to go outside and muck around.
lik ejust general terms and concepts that they could explain to us, i mean i didnt know squat until uni and stuff.

 

[HellVeN]

Business studies gives me some useful knowledge. Other than that I really don't know much. I'd say the internet is probably one of the more accessible medias to learn about finance and life skills. It's quite a shame that school's don't have such things. In fact I've barely had any careers thing either. I'd like to know a lot more :/