To the increasing number of post-secondary students choosing to live at home: if you’re on the fence about moving out, I suggest you give it a try.
The fact that you’re considering it is probably a sign that you want to take on more responsibility in general. I lived at home for most of my post-secondary experience, and have never felt more satisfied than after leaving the proverbial nest in December, when my parents moved to Alberta.
I should preface this article by saying that I recognize how very privileged I was to be able to live at home for as long as I did. My parents’ support made my post-secondary experience virtually debt-free, and I can’t overlook what a serious hurdle debt is to those wanting to pursue higher education.
For me, though, moving out has given me a measure of responsibility necessary — I feel — for living life after school.
Where else but home is cushiness so well-facilitated?
Perhaps the most prominent of the lessons I learned was the new-found drive to further my career. I realized in a tangible way what it means to need money to eat, to buy books for school, to have soap, etc. — to buy necessities, not superfluities.
Needing money and needing a job became, in the fullest extent of the word, a realization. Pursuing a career that I will enjoy is now a drive, more than a vague notion of what should be done, as it was when I had a nearby family home to fall back on.
With this encouragement to work, I am forced to manage my time better, balancing work and other necessities that arise from single living — who knew sweeping and dishes were a never-ending void?
I can’t blame being messy on anyone but myself, now. Also, as a host, it means more to give friends hospitality that comes straight from my pocket.
This situation also removes lifesavers: irresponsible planning can result in both superficial and serious ramifications. One late Saturday night downtown, I missed the last SkyTrain, and it sucked to wait in the dark, take several night buses, and walk from Port Moody to Coquitlam; it was worse pulling myself out of bed to do work the next morning after three hours of sleep.
The fact that these lessons of responsibility were revelations to me might suggest that I lived a pretty cushy life in the home. No question, I did. But where else is cushiness so well-facilitated? Parents are both easy to blame and natural to rely upon.
Only by moving out was I forced to experience this hands-on adult education, something which school alone can accomplish only to a limited extent.
It warrants repeating that student loans are ridiculous, and I’m not arguing that getting into a silly amount of debt to escape your parents is a good idea. It’s really not.
But if you’re starting to feel like an adult-child, moving out might give you the responsibility you desire. You might be a bit more in debt, you might sleep less, you might discover that you’re not compatible living with certain types of people. But there’s no better way to prepare for life after graduation than jumping straight into responsibility.
