Whether learning how to make a budget or how to sign up for life insurance, Personal Finance is an essential class. The required course combines a couple of students from every grade into the same room for a semester. The lack of restrictions on when students should take the class has caused some debate over when the best time is.
There are two business teachers who split the Personal Finance class load for the year, along with other business classes: Rachel Barry and Ben Meyer. Personal Finance is the only business class that is required for students to take, but it is also the prerequisite for further business courses. There are about twelve business classes available after passing the single semester of Personal Finance.
Some students who are leaning towards a career in business think it is more beneficial to take the class as a freshman or sophomore. This allows them to explore more with business classes for their next two or three years of high school.
“Getting introduced to it (personal finance) as a freshman helps you get a little more prepared before you take harder classes in the financial area,” freshman Gavin Vazquez said.
Others think that it’s better to take it as an upperclassman because it helps them apply it more to the real world.
“It’s better to take it as an upperclassman if you actually want to retain the information and apply it to your life,” senior Mara Love said.
As an underclassman, students usually don’t have as much responsibility as a job, car, paycheck, and taxes. The class dives into a lot of those topics, along with others like bills, the different kinds of insurance, wills, and buying a home.
“I would prefer that students take it their junior or senior year, just because some of the stuff we teach is better suited for students who are older and getting closer to moving on and being on their own,” Barry said.
The class is also pretty easy for most students so it is a good filler class for those taking difficult classes as a junior or senior. The class is mainly catered to students who have jobs and at least some experience managing money.
“I wish it was an upperclassman course because it’s obviously not a super difficult class so I don’t think most kids have to worry about having to take it more than once,” Barry said. “It would just be more beneficial as some of the information we learn or teach is more useful later.”
Although the class is better for upperclassmen to take, everyone is welcome in the course. Personal Finance is just the beginning of a lifelong task.
