Gen Z Turns to "Adulting" Classes: A Sign of the Times?

Gen Z's "Adulting" Crisis: Why Life Skills Classes Are Booming In a surprising trend, an online "adulting" course offered by the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, is experiencing a surge in enrollment among Gen Z students. The course covers essential life skills often overlooked in traditional education, such as doing laundry, creating a budget, and basic cooking. Experts suggest that this phenomenon reflects a growing concern over a perceived lack of practical life skills among some young adults. "Gen Z is taking classes to make up for their lack of life skills," explains a news anchor from CBS Mornings. "The University of Waterloo course covers everything from doing laundry and budgeting for rent to navigating a grocery store and cooking something besides ramen noodles." This highlights the gap between the skills taught in schools and the realities of independent living. Several factors contribute to this situation. Helicopter parenting, where parents heavily intervene in their children's lives, is often cited as a contributing factor. Another factor is the increasing trend of young adults living at home longer, delaying the need to develop these essential skills. The lack of Home Economics and similar practical classes in modern curricula is also highlighted as a contributing factor. The popularity of the "adulting" course underscores a need for a more holistic approach to education, equipping young adults with the practical skills necessary for successful independent living. The course's success suggests a demand for such programs, and it may inspire other educational institutions to incorporate similar initiatives into their curricula.