It is a common stereotype that this generation is not prepared for adulthood, but the reason for this issue is never brought up: we are not being taught basic yet valuable skills needed for the real world. In order to combat this issue head-on and prepare students for life after graduation, Mercyhurst is offering weekly sessions titled “Adulting 404: File Not Found.” These sessions are aimed at providing students the chance to learn useful skills in order to help ease the stress of life after graduation. Topics for this program range anywhere from finance to cook-ing, from emotional health to resume skills and from big purchases to healthy eating habits.

Bethany Woods, associate director of Community Engagement, shared the reason this program was started, “We started this initiative because students have been asking for it in varying degrees for the past few years, and when we took to social media to ask what the internet believes college graduates should know, alumni came to the post and said that they wish they had had some sort of adult-ing sessions to learn about the basics mentioned above. Given the response, we thought it was time to try!” It is very telling that students are the ones who requested this program, showing that this generation is very eager to learn these things.

Adding onto this, Michelle Scully, Campus Minister, shared the importance of offering these sessions for students. “I do not think that your generation is more ill-prepared for adulthood than previous generations. Rather, your 20s tend to be a time of trial and error in a variety of life aspects – relation-ships, jobs, finances, living situations, etc. While some of that trial and error is natural and a necessity to growth, we’re hoping that we can help provide in-formation that can help you get away from unnecessary mistakes that can be avoided,” said Scully.

Students of all ages are encouraged to attend Adulting 404 sessions, but it is specifically aimed towards juniors and seniors who are starting to think about life after graduation. It is highly recommended that students take advantage of this to save themselves from future stress. Students can simply attend the ones which sound useful to them, and do not need to attend every session. Life after college is a whole new ballpark, and lessons like these will help to alleviate stress from building up and adding on unnecessary burdens for students approaching graduation. For more information, contact Michelle Scully or Bethany Woods with questions.

The sessions are every Monday and Thursday at 3:30 p.m. in the Student Union. The topic changes each week so students can attend the day that works best for them!