You're right...It would have been nice to have a solid foundation of financial literacy leaving high school, unfortunately that was not the case.
Looking back it's hard to believe this type of education was missing. Everyone is exposed to credit cards, purchasing their first home, buying a car, interest rates etc. Planning of ones retirement is in there too.....but was I ever exposed to all this in high school - no.
At the college level, one can miss out on this information too...unless you are a finance major or add a couple of courses to your own curriculum.
I will always remember a dentist sharing this story with me. He was about to take over his father-in-laws dental practice and was stressed about running the business. Even though the he had been practicing dentistry for 2 years....he commented....dental school teaches you how to be a dentist....not how to run a business. An ophthalmologist told me the same thing. The business side needed to be figured out in the real world.
Looking back on college....everything was geared towards obtaining the highest grade and earning a degree. We were never taught anything about how to market ourselves after we graduated....and that is the most important thing young people need to know.
Well, it looks like with any form of education there will always be gaps. It's important that we seek out mentors, books, seminars and forums such as this to help each other succeed.
Wish you the best!
Robert Avila