Gen Z is taking 'Adulting 101' classes — is it as dumb as it sounds?

Universities are capitalizing on Gen Z's apparent lack of knowledge of budgeting, personal health, and general happiness, offering classes to fill in the gaps.

Generation Z, typically referred to as those who were born between 1997 and 2012, apparently need help with "adulting."

According to the University of California, Riverside, "adulting" encompasses learning how to succeed with basic needs, being ready for a career, and learning "financial wellness."

'Navigate the complexities of everyday life as an independent adult.'

Not only is UC Riverside teaching the youth how to adult but so are at least four other institutions.

Newsweek reported Michigan State University and nonprofit JCI Santa Clarita have similar classes, while CBC News reported on two Canadian universities that are doing the same.

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Photo by Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images

Michigan State held monthly seminars in 2024 to "conquer real life skills" like resume writing, building credit, and building healthy relationships. Even cooking basics and making jellies and jams made the cut for the "Adulting 101" course.

In a comment to Newsweek, a spokesperson for Michigan State said the main goal of the program is to provide resources that help teens and young adults "navigate the complexities of everyday life as an independent adult."

"We have found some of the most popular classes relate to financial literacy: credit, investing, banking, and budgeting," the spokesperson added, noting that attendance ranges from 50 to 1,000 people per session.

UC Riverside had a more charitable spirit for their "Adulting 101: IRL Program."

Some participants were given a $500 grant after attending the program, which was even made available to veterans, student parents, and homeless people.

In March, JCI Santa Clarita offered high school seniors and juniors the opportunity to take on a fictional identity with a career and salary.

"Students decide if they want to max out their budget or be frugal while facing surprise situations like coming into extra cash or having to cover an unexpected expense," the listing read.

That program was called "Get Real: Adulting 101."

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At the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, the "Adulting Guide" lists prioritizing one's "mental and physical self" as the No. 1 skill an adult needs. This is followed by healthy eating and maintaining a tidy living space.

At Toronto Metropolitan University — which changed its name in 2022 over vague notions of colonialism and diversity — a freshman student explained how his adulting course has helped him.

"I don't know how to change a tire. I don't have a car at all. I don't know how to sew. I don't know how to do a lot of things, other than cooking," student Aldhen Garcia told CBC.

Garcia said he thought it was important to teach financial literacy to children because "a lot of stuff involves money."

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