Imagine graduating from high school with straight A’s, but having no clue how to function in the real world. Students in school are educated on how to pass tests, but never on how to handle life after graduation. The current educational system doesn’t require kids to learn tasks that would be used in the trades, interview expertise, or even life skills to function in society.

To successfully have a good future, everyone needs to achieve a good job and have good relationships with peers. The education system doesn’t set students up for success in this criteria and cares more about getting them a college education. While teaching skills for college is great, there needs to be more mandatory requirements in the skills that will be needed in the trades, everyday life skills, and interview experiences.

Even though things like maintaining cars and industrial skills are taught in elective classes, many students choose not to take advantage of these courses. Instead, they are recommended to advance their education and take college level classes (or AP classes) to prepare for college. Therefore, many times these skills offered in the elective classes are lost.

Unfortunately when they are only offered electively, students miss out on the skills (like cooking, agriculture, and family sciences) that would help in their everyday life. One easy solution would be to offer a required class that would cover these things.

Additionally, so many students aren’t completely sure what they want to do in life, so they feel inclined to take more academic courses that would be beneficial to them in college. However, if they were to take a required class in the trades, career interview skills, and family and consumer sciences, they would be more prepared for the world that lies ahead of them. Really, the only class that is required for graduation that hits upon these skills is personal finance. However, we need more classes like this to be required.