What Are Things That Every "Educated" Person Should Know?

[dgz]

Excluding reading, writing, math, geography, science, foreign languages, and all those skills that we espect people to get from high school and college... here are some things that I think everyone should learn by their mid-20s. These may seem like simple things, but I have met people who do not know how to do some of these things. I worked with a guy in his later 20s who had huge credit card payments. I later discovered that he didn't understand how interest accumulated. And I think the housing/mortgage crisis was 'helped' by the fact that there are some people who do not understand how to pick a house at a specific price based on what their salary and expenses are.

money

(how to get a bank account, writing a check, interest rates, credit/debit cards, how mortgages work and how much house you can afford, 401ks, buying shares of a stock, what is FICO, how much is insured by FDIC, who really owns your house while you're still paying the mortgage, how do taxes work, how can you challenge your home's tax appraisal, what is unit pricing and why is it important, what is supply & demand, what is bait & switch, what is life insurance, do you really needed extended warranties)

the car

(how to drive (including parallel parking), when do you need to change the oil and how; how do you inflate a tire, how do you change a tire, how to identify specific types of problems with your car, a general understanding of the different systems on your car)

persuading people

(how to write a letter of complaint, how to call and persuade someone to change something (e.g., a disagreement over a late fee from your utility company), how to request that a contractor compensate for a poor service delivery, how to write a letter to your editor, how to talk to a group of people and keep their attention, how to interview for a job, how to persuade your boss that you should get a raise)

home repair

(how to turn the water off (for the house), how to detect a toilet leak, how to replace the assembly in the toilet (when there is a leak), painting a wall, spackling a wall, saw a piece of wood, use a hammer, use a screw driver, assemble a piece of IKEA furniture, know how insulation works, ow to replace the filter in your furnace, how to add weatherstripping, how to caulk; how heating/cooling work, where does electricity come from and how can you reduce your electricity consumption)

computer

(set up a monitor, with pc, mouse, speakers, etc. - how to use email, the Internet, search on Google, troubleshoot basic email issues, troubleshoot basic cable modem issues, use a spreadsheet, use a word processor (like MS Word) )

garden

(how to grow plants, what compost is, how to collect seeds for another year, how plants are pollinated, the value of different types of soil, the cycle of life between plants, insects, animals/etc. in your backyard)

health
(basic food nutrition, the value of physical exercise, what dangers are associated with specific types of common household materials: paint, bleach, cleaners, etc., what materials should not be mixed together, how to treat a child for poisoning, how to treat for colds, poison ivy, pink eye, cuts, sunburn, sprains)

etiquette and social skills

(how do you introduce one person to another, how to introduce yourself and shake someone's hand firmly, interacting with multiple people to make everyone feel included, address someone who is upsetting a social situation, how to be a good listener, how to read body language, how to communicate with someone who doesn't speak your native language)

FInally, I think that everyone should know:

how to sew a button on a shirt
how to swim
how to ride a bicycle
how to cook some basic meals
how to store specific types of foods and for how long

[Houston3]

Originally Posted by psr13

Not many cows to kill out here. Of course, if we moved to a different area we would learn these things.

You just have to wait until the farmer is asleep. Cows are everywhere.. Probably no more than 30 miles from you. (:>)

[contachster]

WHAT ARE THINGS THAT EVERY EDUCATED PERSON SHOULD KNOW?

When to give up on a thread that has run its course !!!