Twenty-somethings are facing more challenges than ever. Job, house, family: it can feel like a checklist of requirements for an amped-up version of graduation. Can a person really have it all, and is age thirty still the deadline for getting it all done? Balancing budgets with an entry level salary is a challenge, but also simultaneously balancing relationships can seem like an uphill battle. Accustomed to perpetual praise, today's twenty-somethings now face a job market that doesn't bode well for them. If I actually was a standout, shouldn't I have snatched up my dream job by now? Or any job for that matter? Then there's the relentless talk of decreased affordability of education as compared to previous generations. They worked hard, got the degree, and landed the job-but it's just not that conventional anymore. Psychologists are rethinking the accepted stages of development, revising them include this new phase of "emerging adulthood." Is emerging adulthood an extension of self-exploration? Are millenials actually choosing to take longer growing up or are they facing indomitable challenges? By virtue of dynamic change in America's economy, those in their twenties are covertly shifting lifestyles, which could mean a whole lot of difference for the future. And it certainly isn't one step at a time nor is the career path linear: With endless opportunities, recent college grads are avidly seeking to find the fitting career puzzle piece, a missing significant other, and sustainable, meaningful friendships. The burning question is: Why did no one prepare them for this? In a creative, humorous, and engaging manner, We Never Learned This in Class! divulges the well-kept secrets for success and addresses the countless dilemmas confronting growing-up youth. By tackling key topics such as finances, relationships, career development, and heartbreak recovery this guide provides constructive advice for following an internal compass towards an independent and fulfilling life. In a time characterized by doubt and fear, this is an essential roadmap for twenty-somethings, complete with inspiring knowledge, reassurance about the normal emotions of this phase, and coaching on how to create meaningful relationships and career moves. We Never Learned This in Class! is not only the perfect graduation gift but a powerful, life-changing tool that should be handed out with each diploma!
About the Author: Stefana M. Albu had an eye-opening epiphany during her experience as a graduate student. Among the scene of bustling chaos, she realized that the face of societal expectations, education, and employment for those in their twenties is rapidly changing right before our eyes. She graduated magna cum laude from Wheaton College (MA) in 2010 with a double-major in Psychobiology and German. Ms. Albu combined knowledge from both subject areas to pursue a Fulbright research scholarship at the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, Germany. Ms. Albu went on to earn her M.A. in Neuroscience from Brown University and it was during her graduate studies that she recognized a disjuncture between college education and career development for the recent graduate. One could draw much insight from seminars, workshops, and labs, but where were the tools for dealing with the changing parameters of the twenty-first century? Albu set out to write a contemporary handbook disclosing the essential approaches for financial independence, building strong relationships, and establishing a profession-all milestones on a revised timeline for today's twenty-somethings. Her fresh perspective on the challenges millennials face offers an insider look into navigating life after college in an ever-changing economy. In this book, Albu draws on abundant experience from her roles at several institutes of higher education around the world. She guided college student ambassadors and collaborated with top professors in her position as German Academic Exchange Service assistant at the German Mission to the United Nations. As adjunct teaching faculty at Rhode Island College and ESL summer program leader at both Lasell and Merrimack College, she mentored students to help them explore both college and post-graduate paths. After working face-to-face with many students, Albu felt so passionate about helping young adults through this difficult period of emerging adulthood that she crafted this "millenial manifesto." As part of the International Fulbright Association and an alum of the Phi Beta Kappa Society, Albu is well-connected to institutions of higher education around the world.