Big Idea Worth sharing- too many men are highly educated but unprepared to handle the tasks it takes to live day to day. That’s why schools should teach more practical classes.
When I was in college I had to take elective courses that were really just ways for the school to extract more tuition and for me to pad my GPA. It never made sense to me the tuition for my Statistics class was the same as Intro to Karate. If colleges are going to require you to take classes that aren’t tied to your major, I think they should help you deal with daily life. That’s why I came up with five classes that should be taught in school.
- Money Management
This class is first on the list because there is a direct correlation between how you handle money and your peace of mine. The earlier you get smart about managing money, the less stressful your life will be.
The main objectives of this course should be:
- Learn the importance of savings accounts
- Develop a spending plan AKA budget that’s based on something other than checking you bank balance once a week.
- Learn why you need to make compound interest your friend instead of your enemy
- Taxes
One of my favorite episodes of “That 70’s Show” is when Jackie gets her first paycheck. She goes to the manager and says “I don’t know who FICA is but that bitch stole like 10% of my money.” As the old saying goes the only sure-things in life are death and taxes, so every man needs to know about them. Also, nothing will influence how you vote more than what you know about taxes.
The main objectives of this course should be:
- Know how the government spends your taxes,
- Learn how to fill out a tax return
- Know the difference between tax avoidance (highly recommended) and tax evasion (a felony and something you should never do).
- How to behave at a business dinner or holiday party
Parties and dinners are great ways for a man to make contacts and get face time with the bosses. The problem is going to a business dinner is way different than a frat party. There are few rules you need to learn and follow so you don’t get fired the day after the Christmas party.
The main objectives of this course:
- Learn the golden rule of alcohol consumption (never have more than one drink every 45 minutes),
- Know how to dress for different social functions
- Understand why you should never challenge your boss to do shots.
- Time Management
Money may be number 1 on this list, but the truth is time is the most valuable asset you have. Every man gets 168 hours per week and no more. You can’t buy bonus hours. But some men get so much done in a week, it’s like they got extra hours. They don’t, they know it’s all in how you manage your168 hours.
The main objectives of this course:
- Develop the skills necessary to stay productive when there’s no one looking over your shoulder (like working from home),
- Learn how often should you step away from the internet, social media and YouTube,
- Know the difference between taking a break (highly recommended) and procrastination (will get your fired.)
- Car Maintenance
As you’ve probably figured out by now, a car is the second largest purchase a man will make. The good news is most cars are so good now, you can easily put 100,000 miles on one and it still be as reliable as when it was new. There are just a few basic maintenance items you need to stay on top of.
The main objectives of this course:
- Learn The ONE thing guaranteed to make your car last longer or wear out way before it’s time, oil changes. Most cars now only require changing the oil every 10,000 miles so there’s no excuse to let this one slide,
- Understand that rotating your tires every 5k miles takes 30 minutes and your tires will last twice as long.
- Learn how to keep you car clean.
Those 5 classes will do more to set up a man for success than these classes I’ve seen people waste their (or their parents) money on :rock climbing, kayaking, or weight lifting and you’ll still get your easy “A”.