I’ve been at my current company for one year, one month, and 11 days. I learned many things this year and I want to take this time to reflect on some of the things I wish college taught me because it would have been great to learn these before joining the workforce.

How to Figure Out My Benefits Package 

When I received my first benefits package, I was so confused.

What’s a vesting period? How do I know which health insurance plan to choose? What the heck is a premium? How is this different from a deductible? Why would I opt for a High Deductible Health Health Plan versus a “normal” plan?

Thinking back, I wish college taught me how to do these “everyday” things that I every working adult needs to know.

Adulting is hard. But it’s even harder when we’re not taught how to do these things at a young age and we’re left clueless about how to tackle these things.

Thank god for the internet and google.

How to Do My Taxes

Ok, this one isn’t that hard to do on your own. But I still wish college taught me how to do my taxes. Tax season gives me so most headache. Ugh!

How to Register for a business and the basics of starting a business

I understand that this information is available online and you can learn whatever you want when you want, but still, it would be nice to have this information beforehand. It almost feels like we’re not taught this stuff because the government deliberately wants to keep us stupid so they can take advantage of us.

How to Prioritize and Make Decisions 

You’d think that after spending four years in college, I’d have become a master of prioritization. 

Nope.

Every business operates differently. As a new employee, I don’t have the same experience and breadth of knowledge as senior leadership to understand how my action and the actions of everybody else affects the greater objective and business goals of the company.

I struggled to prioritize projects when I first started, but now I can save with renewed confidence that I have a better understanding of how my actions ladder up to the company’s objectives and goals.

How to Step Up and Contribute Solutions to Problems

In college, I was so used to there being one answer to everything that when I was put into an environment where there is no professor telling me what to do, I struggled to know what to do.

I wish college gave me more opportunities to problem solve and think creatively because I find that at work, problems arise every day.

I struggle with this on a daily basis. I’m so used to someone telling me what to do that I don’t know when, where, or how to bring myself into a conversation.

How to Resolve Conflicts and Be a Problem Solver

I think this is the biggest one I still struggle with at work. We’re taught that there’s “one” way to do things and this had skewed how we act, think, and behave. 

For example, I’m so used to there being a “one answer” to all things, that I don’t know how to think outside the box.

What does this mean?

As much as I want to make college the scapegoat, I can only blame myself. At the end of the day, if I don’t know something, it is up to me to figure out the answer.

There is no excuse for not knowing something.

What are some things you wish you were taught in college? Comment below because I’d love to know!