Last night I had a conversation with Lapster about the best classes we took in school (elementary, high school, or college). In retrospect, the classes you “think” will be most important aren’t always the skills you need to improve your daily life. Seth Goodwin got me thinking about this with his list of 1000 things you should know before you graduate high school (I realize this is really old blog entry). At the time — these lessons felt like a waste, but wisdom is a fickle friend.

Elementary School: Dealing with Large Dogs Class
Yup, I grew up in a small town. On the school route were several “LARGE” dogs. Most were harmless, but it is scary being eye to eye with a German Sheppard. A policeman or someone from animal control (I can’t really remember, but they had a uniform on) talked to all the kids about dealing with dogs.

Lessons learned: In a “dog eats dog” world, many of the lessons still apply. When confronted with a dirty dog don’t look them in the eye. Back off slowly. Remember, they get aggressive when trying to defend their territory. A pack needs an alpha dog — act confident, don’t show fear, and they will all fall in line.

High School: Yearbook
In high school, I was editor of my yearbook. I took the one credit class instead of taking Calculus, and because the teacher would let us run to Dunkin Doughnuts for coffee breaks. I learned about design and layout. I had to manage my time, prioritize tasks, and work as a team. This was the first year that we designed the yearbook almost entirely on computers. So my teacher taught me how to use PageMaker. Years later, when I was trying to get an assistant position I included this on my resume, and got the job because of it.

Lessons Learned: Don’t hope other people put pictures of you in the yearbook — become the editor. Then you put pictures wherever you want. Being management means not actually doing the work, just checking the work of others — which is much more fun. Life is easier with Dunkin Doughnuts.

College: Personal Finance
I had to take two math courses for my general requirements. If I haven’t made it clear before this — I’m not good at math. So I took two classes: What is Math? (A historical study of mathematics) and Personal Finance. The first day of finance the professor said — “This is the most important class you will take at college.” She was right. I learned to balance a checkbook, how to follow the stock market, and retirement planning.

Lessons Learned: If you ignore your finances they actually don’t go away. Making money isn’t luck it’s determination and skill. There is a difference between risk and stupidity. Greed can be lethal.

Here are my additions to 1000 things to know list:

• Balance a Checkbook
• Take a math class
• No skill you learn is ever wasted
• Move toward joy and your passion will become evident
• You can manipulate the system and graduate from college never having taken a real math class.
• Don’t make decisions based on sugar intake