“Hey Siri, how do I… adult?”
At some point, you are expected to become an adult.
Maybe that begins when you enter post-secondary school, join the workforce or finally take the stuffed animals off your bed.
The difficult thing about adulting is that there is no ceremony, no handbook, no final exam that checks if you know how to do everything.
One day, you are deciding which LEGO set to add to your collection, and the next, you are expected to know how to do your taxes, understand a lease and figure out why your car is suddenly making a concerning noise.
Somehow, everyone but you seems to have “adulting” down pat.
Although I refuse to believe that everyone is not just improvising and hoping for the best.
There are plenty of so-called “simple” adult tasks that we are expected to know how to do, despite never actually learning how to do them.
So honestly, How do you…
Change a tire
You know the general idea. Take the old tire off. Put the new one on. Easy, right?
That is, until you are standing on the curb with a wrench, a car jack and an extensive list of tutorials open on your phone.
But hey, if you don’t know how to change a tire or have never had a flat, consider yourself lucky.
Open a bank account
You might think this one is pretty straightforward. Walk into a bank, ask for an account and leave. Then someone starts talking about interest rates, transaction limits, monthly fees and overdraft protection.
Now you have to open a bank account and sit on your laptop and search up banking definitions all night.
Just smile and nod, and maybe everything will be fine?
Manage your money
We are told to budget, save and “be financially responsible” from a young age.
But nobody hands you a spreadsheet and explains how much you should actually be spending on groceries, entertainment, transportation, savings, and the seven dollar coffee charge that magically keeps appearing on your bank statement.
And don’t even get me started on the stock market.
Do your taxes
Forms. Deadlines. Receipts. Credits. Deductions.
And unfortunately, “I have never done this before” does not appear to be an acceptable reason for not filing.
Fortunately, IGNITE’s Tax Clinic is the perfect starting point. Stay tuned for next semester’s launch date!
Cook for yourself
Making dinner sounds easy until you realize you have to decide what to make, buy the ingredients, figure out how long everything needs to cook, know when your chicken is safe to eat and somehow use all the groceries before they expire.
I guess it’s cereal for dinner again! Lucky for you, we have three easy fall recipes you can make at home that are just as comforting.
Rent
Finding somewhere to live might be one of the biggest “adult” tasks you will eventually have to tackle.
At first, renting can sound simple enough: find a place you like, make sure you can afford it and sign a lease.
But once you actually start looking, you quickly realize there is a lot more to it.
How much can you realistically afford each month? What is included in the rent? Do you need a roommate? What questions should you ask before signing anything? And perhaps most importantly, what are you supposed to do when something goes wrong?
Maybe a maintenance issue is not being addressed. Maybe you are dealing with a disagreement about your responsibilities as a tenant. Maybe you have tried to resolve the situation, but nothing is changing.
That is when knowing your rights and understanding your options becomes important. When something could affect your finances, living situation or rights, guessing your way through it is probably not the best strategy.
That is the idea behind IGNITE x HOUSE Workshops.
Led by HOUSE Canada, the next workshop, Tenancy Disputes – Navigating the Landlord and Tenant Board is on November 10 at the North Campus. This will help you understand what happens when a landlord-tenant issue cannot be resolved. Through real-life scenarios and interactive activities, you can learn how to document issues, prepare evidence and navigate the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB) process. Did we mention there’s free lunch?!
Students can pre-register through the MyIGNITE app or web browser.
Instead of expecting you to already know what to do, this workshop gives you the chance to learn before you are sitting in your apartment wondering, “Okay… now what?”
You are allowed to not know
There is a strange expectation that becoming an adult means suddenly having all the answers.
But the truth is, most people are just learning these things as they go. Someone taught them how to change a tire. Someone helped them open their first bank account. And when they had no idea what to do next, they asked for help.
Learning how to navigate these situations is not a sign that you are behind. It is just part of growing up.
So, if you do not know how to change a tire, sew a hole in your pants or navigate a tenancy dispute yet, congratulations: you are probably just a normal person.
The important thing is knowing where to find reliable information when you need it and being willing to ask for help when you do not have the answers.
And when it comes to renting, you do not have to figure it out alone. We’ll see you on November 10!
Feature image by by Bernd Dittrich on Unsplash
Check out some more of IGNITE’s adulting resources, such as: You’re student insurance plan, explained
