Teaching Money Skills Classified by Grade Level:
College Level

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By this point in a person's life, they have graduated high school and passed the proficiency tests to be admitted to college.  Finances and money at the college level is usually studied by students who are looking to make this subject their future career.  Some jobs they may be considering are a stockbroker, mortgage broker, loan officer, banker, CPA, lawyer, and small business owner, to name a few.  The classes range from basic to graduate level and if a student has chosen to learn more about our economic society, then they need to learn everything including ethics.

Many college students who are taking financial courses are looking to use their learned skills in the business world.  They will begin with economics (see Basic Economics Lessons), which will be a review of what they learned in the two courses they took in high school for their pre-requisite.  This is usually taken within the first year of college because it is considered a review and most college students think it will be an easy "A."  Unfortunately, adjusting to college life brings unplanned road blocks and students who received a high grade in their prior experiences with economics find the true meaning of what college professors expect.

If the professors were going to teach every concept over again, then the course wouldn't recommend taking a basic economics class during their high school career.  For students living on campus or even ones who are commuting, the scheduling, buying of books, and finding professors barely knowing your name unless you make it a point to introduce yourself, is a very scary reality.  Similar to when students first entered middle school, the new environment and taking responsibility for their actions enter into their academics and can cause many to fail out their first year.

Being aware of this reality can ease the transition to college level courses.  Time management skills are essential when taking five courses, 15 college credits per semester.  Managerial financials is a course which can help students learn how to manage their time between school, work, and play.  For any person pursuing a degree in economics, the main factor to making money is knowing when to focus on work and when it is time to relax and entertain a client.

The professors usually are people from the business world either adjuncting or continue to have contacts within the world of financials.  Many of the professors are highly intelligent in the field of world economics due to their experience as a financial planner, stockbroker, or banker.

College students need to realize the importance of these courses when signing up to take them.  Since it is the student's choice of what classes to take, they should take all their financial courses seriously, as this will make an impact on the future careers concerning their employers.

Learning about economics, financials, and how to run a business (see Business and Careers) can all be taught in a college classroom through a text book and the professor's experiences.  The only real way to understand this world is by stepping in with both feet while students attend their college courses.  The best thing to do is get an internship or a part time position with a company where there are possibilities of wanting to work there after graduation.  Getting experience in today's business world can only occur when a student is actually in the environment.  The only way to learn is by being engrossed in it.

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