The Class I Wish I Had Sooner: Financial Literacy by Tyler

The Class I Wish I Had Sooner: Financial Literacy by Tyler - June 2025 Scholarship Essay

One elective I believe should be a required class is financial literacy. In high school, I got my first job and was so excited to receive a paycheck that I spent most of it in a weekend. I didn’t know how to budget, how taxes worked, or why a savings account even mattered. No one had ever taught me. I remember feeling embarrassed when I realized how little I understood about managing money, and that moment stuck with me.

Eventually, I started teaching myself the basics by watching videos and reading articles. Over time, I learned how to build a credit score, track spending, and start saving—but it took years of trial and error. Looking back, I often wonder how different things might have been if I had taken a financial literacy class in school.

Financial literacy should be taught to all students because money management affects everyone, regardless of background or career goals. It goes beyond just balancing a checkbook. Students should learn about budgeting, credit, loans, interest, taxes, and long-term planning. These are life skills that set the foundation for independence and stability.

For students like me, especially those from working-class or first-generation families, this knowledge is not always passed down—it has to be learned. Making financial literacy a required class would give more students the confidence to take control of their futures.