As a top student in university, I have a lot of expectations of my education.
I expect to learn about the world, to gain a better understanding of the topics that interest me, and to be able to apply those lessons to my life. However, I recently discovered that the university has been failing me in one aspect: it does not teach me how to handle my money.
My parents have always taught me the value of money and to spend it wisely, but I never received any formal lessons on how to manage my finances. I was left to figure it out on my own. As a result, I found myself spending recklessly when I first arrived at the university.
I was buying unnecessary items, eating out more than I should, and spending too much on nights out.
It wasn’t until I started to get into serious debt that I realized how much trouble I was in. I had no idea how to pay off my debts and I was scared that I was going to ruin my credit score. I knew that I needed to make a change, so I decided to take matters into my own hands.
I started by researching the basics of personal finance and budgeting. I learned about the importance of setting financial goals and creating a budget that I could stick to. I also read about how to save money, invest wisely, and pay off debt.
I started to make changes to my spending habits, and I was surprised at how quickly my debts started to disappear. I was able to pay off my credit card bills and student loans in a fraction of the time it would have taken me if I had kept my old habits.
I was so pleased with my progress that I decided to share what I had learned with other students. I started a blog to teach people how to manage their money, and I spoke at conferences and seminars about personal finance.
I also contacted my university and asked why they were not teaching their students about personal finance. They told me that it was not part of the curriculum, but I argued that it should be. After all, it is an essential part of life and something that all university students should understand.
Fortunately, the university agreed and they started to offer personal finance classes. Now, I can see the difference it has made to the students. They are more aware of their spending habits and are more financially responsible.