30 essential skills to know before you turn 30

Photo by Alyson McPhee on Unsplash

Basics of cooking

While you don’t have to be a master chef, you should be able to feed yourself without always getting takeout. Being able to make a simple meal is not only good for you, but can potentially impress a date too. At the very least, you should know how to make some eggs (scrambled is fine), cook some vegetables, and cook meat properly so you know, you don’t get sick from the food you make.

Balancing your checkbook

Yes, even in this digital age, you should still know how to balance a checkbook. Whether it is an actual checkbook or balancing your finances online, you should know how much you have in the bank. Knowing how much money you have is important for many reasons, like knowing you can pay all your bills.

Manage your finances

Okay, while this might seem like it could go with balancing a checkbook, this actually deserves its own category. The thing about finances is that it’s all-encompassing. You should understand the basics of more than just a checking account. You should know about 401Ks and IRAs. This is the time when you need to learn about saving for retirement. Plus on top of saving for the future, you should understand how credit cards and loans work too. This is a big deal if you want to own a home, a car, and anything else major in the future.

How to get out of a bad relationship

Relationships, good relationships specifically, are a lot of work and the skills to make that happen can be overlooked. But another important skill all people should learn before they are 30 is how to get out of a bad relationship — be it romantic or friendly. If people make you feel bad about yourself, are rude, inconsiderate, and generally treat you wrong, then you need to cut them out of your life! Healthy relationships are important and you can only develop those when you eliminate the bad ones.

Find comfort in being alone

Just as it is important to nurture healthy relationships with others, you also need to be comfortable on your own. You need to be happy on your own, even if you are in a relationship. Nurture your own interests and enjoy being able to spend time alone. Alone does not need to mean lonely, and being able to spend time with yourself allows you to improve your relationship skills.