High school students from across the region are all getting ready to set out on their future careers and go off on their own for the very first time. There will be a lot of advice being offered to these kids on their life, career and future, and a lot of it is going to be very useful. I, too, will offer my advice to the graduating classes of the various schools in the region. This won’t be advice for picking a career, or for deciding on any big life goals, but practical advice that every young person should remember as they are independent for the first time in their lives.
First, buy a plunger, and do it immediately. Go to your nearest plumbing department, buy whichever plunger you find, most of those options will work perfectly fine. I give credit for this advice to my brother Gerry, who gives plungers to graduating family members every time, and it’s sound advice. You will need a plunger, and when you need a plunger the hardware store will not be open. That’s an unfortunate reality, so if you own a plunger you’ll never have to worry about whether or not you can actually get one. It’s one of those things that just comes with owning or renting your very own toilet, sink, or shower.
Second, know your neighbors. Lots of people don’t know their neighbors very well, and it’s something that old people tend to lament as they feel it’s leading to an erosion of community spirit and connection. More importantly, however, if you know your neighbors you have people who can help you in a crunch, and you can help people too as they run into problems. Given that this is the first time a lot of people are on their own, often away from family, it’s good to have some nearby people you can rely on, and can rely on you in a crunch. Students also tend to gravitate towards the same housing stock, and will often have the same problems as they are figuring out how to live on their own. For example, I once had to get my much smaller neighbor to climb into my apartment when I locked my keys inside. Plus, if you follow the first piece of advice, at least someone in your building will have a plunger at the ready. This could even lead to romance as a potential partner sees how practically minded you are, owning a plunger like a grown-up and always able to lend a hand.
Third, try to be minimalist with furniture. People in college move a lot, people starting their careers move a bit too, and honestly you don’t need to decorate that well. Big couch? Don’t get one. Giant television? They’re cool but get a smaller model. Great big bed? You can live with a small one. It doesn’t look very cool, sure, but it’s cheaper and, more importantly, easy to move. After high school I moved once a year for eight years, though admittedly once was just down the hall it was still a lot of heavy lifting and hassle. Your parents might not like it if your decorating consists entirely of a futon and a plunger, but you will also be able to quickly go from place to place until you finally are permanently settled in a location. At that point, buy as much furniture as you want, just wait until you either don’t think you’re going to move very often or can afford really classy movers before you fill your place with stuff.
Speaking of parents, that’s my fourth piece of advice, never hesitate to annoy your parents. Not everyone has a great relationship with their parents, I know, or some people don’t have the chance to get in touch with them. But as a general piece of advice for a young person striking out on their own for the first time, don’t hesitate to get back to your parents at any opportunity. Come back home with bags full of laundry instead of taking it to a laundromat and spending your spare change to get clean underwear. Make a call whether you’ve got a serious problem or just want to talk for a bit. Because after an entire life spent in the vicinity of the people who raised you, it’s going to be weird to be out on your own without them. That’s not just true for the graduate, that’s true for the parents as well, and people often forget about that as they’ve made their first steps into the adult world. You still need each other whether or not you want to admit it, so just make up excuses to get back to them. Years later, when they’re no longer around, you’ll never say to yourself you wished you spoke to them less, and there are endless reasons to keep talking to them and coming around to visit now, when you’re young and on your own but haven’t figured everything out yet. I’m not saying don’t move away, instead just adapt by finding different ways to stay close.
For the majority of graduates, this is new. You’re on your own for the first time, away from home and adapting to independence and adulthood. This is fun, but it’s a time period where you’re going to make mistakes and where you don’t necessarily know what you’re doing. So hopefully this advice can help you be independent, and a minimum, capable of handling a plumbing emergency.
