Be a Mature Young Adult

Being an adult means more than just reaching a certain age. There are many rewards and challenges in living a responsible, grown-up lifestyle. The key to enjoying those rewards to their fullest potential and making those challenges easy to tackle is breaking down adulthood into several, discreet elements. By managing your health, finances, and career, you can bask in the freedom of young adulthood without becoming overwhelmed.

Steps

Living on Your Own

  1. Choose a living arrangement. When you move away from home, you have a lot of options for how and where you would like to live.
    • Dormitories are a great option for college students and are often required for freshman at many institutions. Dorms let you ease into living away from home without saddling you with tasks like rent and maintenance. They're also excellent places to make friends and learn how to live in a community of your own.
    • Single apartments require the most responsibility right off the bat but they also allow you to have a space that it is entirely your own. Studio apartments, which are small and inexpensive units with one main room and one bathroom, are good first apartments, as are one-bedroom units. To avoid loneliness, you'll have to seek social interactions away from home if you choose to live alone, which can be more challenging.
    • If you don't wish to live alone, sharing an apartment or house with roommates is your best option. This not only reduces your living costs, it also gives you a good balance between community and privacy.
  2. Learn to cook. Cooking for yourself is much more cost-effective and healthy than relying on takeout and store-bought meals. It's also a great social skill and will be essential if you ever choose to have a family of your own. There are a lot of different ways to learn to cook and you can use multiple methods at the same time. Look for:
  3. Keep your space clean. For the sake of health and social presentation, it's very important to have a clean home and an equally clean self.
    • Wash dishes daily. Allowing dirty dishes to pile up just creates more work for yourself down the line and increases the amount of mold and insects in your home.
    • Do laundry every one to two weeks. If you don't have laundry facilities in your home, look for a local coin-operated laundromat.
    • Designate one day a week as cleaning day. This is a day when you should thoroughly clean your home, including washing floors and windows, cleaning your bathroom, dusting your furniture, and any other tasks specific to your home.
    • If you have roommates, divide up cleaning chores and rotate them equally. Set clear rewards and penalties for success and failure to fulfill these responsibilities.

Finding Employment

  1. List your skill set. Make a list of any diplomas, degrees, certifications, credentials, and experiences you have that may be interesting to potential employers.
  2. Write a resume. If you are uncertain how to properly construct a resume, consult a career counselor, friends and family, or trusted online resources.
  3. Use multiple channels to find jobs. Look for jobs in fields that interest you by performing daily searches using some combination of resources like:

    • Online job boards.
    • Employment agencies.
    • Networking events.
    • Friends and family.
    • "Help Wanted" signs at local businesses.
    • Sending letters of inquiry to companies that interest you but haven't posted employment opportunities.

Managing Finances

Being responsible with your money is one of the most important aspects of being a mature young adult. You need to be careful and mindful of your income and cost of living to avoid financial strain.

  1. Make a monthly budget. You can do this by hand, in a simple computer document, or a database program like Excel. Start with your monthly income, then determine the cost of the following:
    • Rent. If possible, make sure your monthly rent is no more than 1/3 of your income.
    • Recurring bills such as utilities, car payments and insurance, regular medication, phone, and Internet service.
    • Food.
    • Entertainment.
    • Taxes. Consult the Internal Revenue Service website for all forms, worksheets, and questions related to your tax obligations.
    • Set aside some money every month for emergencies if possible. You never know when you're going to need to travel or make use of emergency medical, dental, or maintenance service.
  2. Build good credit. Your credit rating is very important. It is a score many companies and organizations use to determine your eligibility for everything from a credit card, to a home or vehicle lease, to a bank or credit union loan. Most people start out adulthood with poor-to-middling credit. You can build good credit in a variety of ways.
    • Get a credit card and pay it off at least once a month. Demonstrating your ability to make regular payments strongly improves your credit reputation.
    • If you are in debt, make good faith payments regularly. Government debt, like for student loans, can be adjusted to make payments easier, though loans from private organizations like banks can be harder to adjust.
    • Consult a financial professional before making large purchases to ensure you can afford the expenditure.
  3. Maintain a checking and savings account. It is unsafe and wasteful to keep all of your money in a checking account. Savings accounts are more secure because they often are not attached to debit cards and checks that can be stolen. Savings accounts also have better interest rates so you will earn money more quickly.
    • Look for good rates. Not all banks and credit unions are the same. Feel free to shop around for the financial institution that meets your needs.
    • Be careful of hidden fees. Many institutions charge monthly fees for services like debit cards and transfers.
    • Know your minimum balances. Many accounts require a minimum amount of money to open and may incur fees if their balance falls below a certain amount.

Staying Healthy

  1. Eat fresh, nutritious food. Whether you cook for yourself or eat out, eat plenty of fruit, vegetables, and lean protein. Avoid excessive sugar, salt, and fat.
  2. Maintain dental health.
    • Brush at least twice a day.
    • Floss daily.
    • Rinse once a day with mouthwash or a hydrogen peroxide solution to fight gum disease.
    • Keep your sugar intake low and keep soda, gum-chewing, and candy to a minimum
  3. Exercise. Make sure to do at least a half-hour of a cardiovascular workout three or more times a week.
    • Develop a daily, at-home routine that includes stretching and cardio.
    • Get a gym membership and learn how to use the machines. Also consider consulting a personal trainer to develop a good gym routine.
    • Walk or bike instead of driving or riding public transit whenever possible.
    • Avoid smoking, excessive caffeine and alcohol, and abuse of other substances.
    • Keep a low level of stress. Finding regular methods to reduce stress and blow off steam can help you avoid heart disease, hypertension, and other conditions.
  4. Visit a physician and a dentist twice a year. Also visit specialists like optometrists and nutritionists depending on your personal needs.

Dressing Properly

  1. Get clothes that fit. Make sure your clothes are not so tight that they are uncomfortable or risk tearing, and that they aren't so long that they drag on the ground or stretch past your fingers.
  2. Dress appropriately for different environments. Learn the dress code and recommended clothing for work, leisure, sports, and other activities.
  3. More expensive clothing is not always better. You can find good, inexpensive clothing at:
    • Outlet stores.
    • Thrift shops.
    • Vintage clothing retailers.
    • Online vendors.
    • Yard sales.
  4. Learn to do laundry properly.
    • Wash white clothing as a separate load with bleach, then wash colored clothing with detergent. Washing white and colored clothing together can cause dye to stain white clothes.
    • Check your detergent for potential allergic reactions.
    • Iron wrinkled clothes and use collar stays to keep collars from curling.
    • Use strong hangers and learn to fold shirts and pants properly. Avoid wire hangers, as they can wear down clothes from the inside.

Social Responsibility

  1. Be respectful. In all of your interactions with friends, coworkers, and strangers, set respect and civility as a baseline.
    • Say "please," "thank you," "pardon me," and other polite phrases.
    • Be patient and considerate. Don't rush people, cut in line, or perform other acts of selfishness.
  2. Show kindness. Take at least one opportunity each day to say or do something nice for someone.
  3. Respect boundaries.
    • Let your friends and romantic partners have private time.
    • Do not invite yourself to someone else's event.
    • Give your coworkers personal space and do not discuss topics that may be uncomfortable for them.
  4. Be willing to compromise. In social situations, whether personal or professional, it is more productive and respectful to discuss rather than demand. If you demonstrate a mature willingness to compromise, others will be more willing to work and spend time with you.

Tips

  • Don't rush into moving in with a significant other. Though you may enjoy spending time together, sharing a home with a romantic partner requires a lot of extra responsibility and compromise.
  • Learn to "go with the flow." Life can throw a lot of curveballs your way. You will have an easier time remaining calm and rational if you can learn to handle unexpected changes with grace.
  • Friends can be great roommates as long as your respective lifestyles and personalities mesh. Be honest about how your habits and expectations may clash with those of your friends before deciding to live with them.

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