When you’re a kid, all you want to do is grow up so you can enjoy expanded freedom to make choices and live on your own. But when the time comes, you may find yourself floundering instead. Adulting isn’t as easy as it seems, especially when you don’t have the tools to succeed. Unfortunately, school may teach you many things, but “Skills Necessary to Excel in Adulthood” is not part of the curriculum anymore. Learn what five skills you need to learn to take on adult life with power.

1. Emotional Health

Emotional health is the most important quality for successful independence. Other skills can be mastered after first building your ability to endure challenges, being aware of your needs, and responding appropriately to trials. You can improve your emotional well-being through professional counseling supplemented with relevant reading material. Practicing meditation daily and maintaining a strong support system are also beneficial.

2. Communication

Smartphones and other electronic devices have likely been your primary form of communication. This causes you to have fewer face-to-face interactions resulting in an inability for you to have meaningful conversation. You may find social settings awkward, scary, or boring, but try not to avoid them. Instead, seek out opportunities to communicate with people in person, without distractions.

Effective communication is vital to ensuring success in all areas of your adult life, and it takes practice. You can start by becoming a better listener with people close to you. Put away your phone and take opportunities to talk to people you do and don’t know. Then try more challenging actions, such as learning to recognize and articulate your thoughts and feelings.

3. Financial Savvy

Being self-reliant entails being financially responsible and stable through the following means:

• Landing the right job and keeping it
• Getting out and staying out of debt
• Creating and sticking to a budget
• Paying bills in full and on time
• Saving for and investing in your future
• Avoiding scams and other forms of fraud
• Understanding basic financial terms and procedures
• Filing taxes and insurance claims

You can take courses in personal finance at local colleges. Free or low-cost options may be available in your community, such as the library.

4. Job Choice

Knowing what you wanted to be when you grew up was easier when you were five. Part of that is due to limited awareness of all the career options out there. You can choose from more than a firefighter, teacher, rock star, lawyer, or athlete. In fact, you can find a job for almost any skill or passion you have.

Do research on industries that interest you. This will help you discover positions you didn’t know existed. Talk to people in the field for advice on how to get in and information on what the work is really like. Attend workshops on creating resumes, passing job interviews, and networking.

5. Homemaking

Regardless of your gender or living arrangements, you need to know how to run a household. Cooking your own meals improves your physical health and saves you money on eating out. Cleaning and organizing reduces the chances of getting sick, having a pest infestation, or losing something important. With access to instructional videos for just about anything you can think of, you are also able to learn how to complete simple repairs and tasks, from sewing on a button to changing a tire. This will not only save you money, but it will also raise your self-esteem.