*By Kate Gill* Rather than flee to Neverland, Peter Pan might have enrolled in "adulting" school. And so too can stunted millennials ー daunted by bill-paying, cooking, cleaning, and the like ー if they take a class in adult skills at a new institution in Portland, Maine. As a concept, "adulting" classes may seem far-fetched, but according to the founder of the school, millennials are so distracted by debt, they're shirking their other responsibilities ー namely, growing up for real. "Millennials start out, on average, $10,000 in the hole right out of college," Rachel Flehinger told Cheddar Big News. "It's really hard when you're so broke and trying to make ends meet and save money," she added. But what, exactly, constitutes adulting? According to the Oxford English Dictionary ー which officially recognized the term around 2016 ー adulting is: "The practice of behaving in a way characteristic of a responsible adult, especially the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks." Flehinger's definition is similar. "\[It means\] the tasks you have to do and complete to be a working part of society," she said. In her view, it's a generational issue that begins both in school and at home. "It used to be that they taught a lot of this in home \[economics\] , in shop; parents lived at home, they weren't divorced, they didn't both work. So now, the education just has to come from somewhere else," she said. It's also a matter of timing. "Millennials are doing things later in life ー they used to get married at 22, now they're getting married at 27 and 28. So things are becoming a bit delayed." [The Adulting School](https://adultingschool.com/) offers classes (both online and in-person) in finance, relationships, lifestyle, and work.

Share:
More In Business
Supergoop! CEO Discusses Sunscreen Brand That's 100% Dedicated to Suncare
Supergoop! is a skincare brand whose products are what the company says is 100% dedicated to sun care. Amanda Baldwin, CEO of Supergoop!, joined Cheddar News to discuss why sunscreen is important to add to daily routines. "What I love about this company is ... it really is based on scientific fact," Baldwin said. "90% of the signs of aging comes from the sun ... one in five of us will be diagnosed with skin cancer in our lifetime so making sunscreen a daily habit is probably one of the most simple things you can do for your health."
More U.S. High School Grads Opt for Trade School
College enrollment rates for high school graduates in the U.S. has been on the decline since 2009. Sean Behr, CEO of Fountain a high-volume hiring platform, joined Cheddar News to discuss why high school graduates are benefitting from the value of attending a trade school, especially in today's economy.
How A.I. Unlocks Creativity in Film
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing how people work, including in creative industries. The famous Tribeca Film Festival featured some projects recently that used A.I. that some filmmakers say make it more creative. Cheddar News took a peek at some of those films.
Load More