LIMA, OH (WLIO) -It was a taste of the real world for students at Lima Senior today with hands-on budget management and a look at college and job opportunities as they enter the next chapter of their lives.
The Lima senior class spent the morning attending sessions designed to equip and prepare students for the real world. Life isn't always sunshine and rainbows, and OSU Extension's Financial Literacy Program was on-site to provide students with a real-life spending simulation. Students had to spend their paychecks on bills from rent, food, to utilities. The experience gives students a sense of how much it adds up, and you never know what situations life will throw your way.
"We have a chance booth and not all the time chance is positive. Sometimes it talks about your kids getting ear infections and those are expensive and so it can't be your birthday every month so you're not always going to get a good chance," explained Kelly Coble, OSU Extension director.
Many students are looking to continue their educational journey after graduation. Local colleges were on hand to help seniors broaden their college search and learn what interests they have.
"I want to major in pre-vet, and this helped me broaden my search. My original search was for Findlay University, but now I'm looking at Bluffton and Ohio State to go to," commented Dakota Lewis, Lima Senior.
"For the longest time, I just knew Ohio State and Ohio University. I didn't know about Tiffin, I didn't know about Bluffton, I didn't know about a lot of these schools and I feel like college is subjective to everybody. It takes a lot to know what you want out of your college," said Zach Blythe, Lima Senior.
Students also learned about area jobs as some look to jump right into the workforce after graduation. Ohio Means Jobs Allen County says jobs especially in manufacturing and health care are in huge demand right now.
"We want to keep these students in Allen County, fill these positions, and help them understand, you know, what they can do to serve the community and to find a position that they love," said Trent Wise, Ohio Means Jobs career consultant.
