Will you win the ‘Game of Life?’

Your head shakes in disbelief as your fingers roam through the stack of cash that you’ve worked so hard to earn, knowing that by the end of the day the cash will be non-existent until your next paycheck. After graduating college, you didn’t think your expenses would be so tight.

 What if you knew how to manage your money and could improve your financial literacy, so you could enjoy some of that hard-earned cash? On March 23, Career Services will hold an event called the “Game of Life”. Students get to pick a career with an average starting salary, and fill out budget sheets with likely monthly expenses. After filling out the sheets students will see whether they lost money or not during this period, and hopefully gain a better understanding of the financials they will face post college.

This will be the second year that this event will take place, and students should take the initiative to face the potential financial hardships that will arise in their future.

Kathleen Haseltine, from the Academic Support Center,  gave insight on the event and the importance of it.

“It’s a financial literacy fair. It’s called the game of life because it resembles the “Game of Life”. Students get their own budget based on their major or future career. Then they meet with a financial counselor and if it comes up negative they have to do it again,” Haseltine said.

She continued to talk about how the event came to Castleton, and why students should attend.

“This event is sponsored by Heritage Credit Union, and it’s been across the state for a while. It will be our second time doing it but we hope to make it annual at Castleton. Last year was the first year, but this year we made some changes. There will be three different time slots that students can arrive. There will also be pizza and drinks at the end. This event heightens the awareness that students will have after college. It will make them more realistic after college and smarter with their money so they can afford living on their own,” Haseltine said.

This event had an overwhelming impact on the students and many hope it will continue annually.

Senior Matt Levins described what the Game of Life event taught him.

“The event taught me the importance of budgeting, as well as the idea that often times as a culture we tend to overspend on things,” he said.

He continued to mention how the event is helpful toward the student body as a whole.

“I had a pretty good idea on the reality of the ‘real’ world prior to going in as I currently pay most of my bills, but the event also threw curveballs at attendees such as car troubles, tickets, etc…thus forcing attendees to re-budget,” Levins said.

Other students had similar views on the concept of the event, and think it is a valuable asset for college students before entering the outside world.

“This event taught me how I need to actually plan for the future and budget my spending. I think this was a valuable event that really opened my eyes and I would definitely like to see it continued as it is beneficial to students,” said sophomore Micaela Gailmor.

Sophomore Kiley Baran also thought the event was worthwhile.

“It taught me to look into things rather than making purchases right away. It makes you think beyond your college years. It helps you realize what financial situations will arise in your future,” Baran said.
 

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