‘Adulting,’ anyone? Huntley High School students face realities of being a grownup in ‘Game of Life’

Huntley High School students learned how much childcare, car insurance and keeping the lights on, among other expenses, cost during the school’s “Game of Life” event Thursday.

The game, in which students tackled various elements of “adulting,” made its debut in the spring and featured community members offering their knowledge.

Students received a monthly salary and had to “face decisions on expenses related to taxes, food/clothing, childcare, cellphone plans, utilities, cable/internet, insurance, savings & loans, pets, automobiles, housing, financial advising, and community services,” according to Huntley Area Chamber of Commerce news release.

A ”Spin the Wheel” station added an “element of unpredictability to the financial planning process,” according to the release.

The wheel threw into the mix unexpected life events, such as a pay cut due to an employer downsizing.

Students rotated through stations staffed by the chamber and community members set up around the gym, where the teens received information about how much things cost.

Nick Wedoff, Huntley High School’s Career and Technical Education department chair, said quite a few students who participated were surprised to learn the cost of childcare.

Childcare COVID-19 subsidies for many daycare centers ended at the end of September, and average child care costs in Illinois for toddlers totals almost $12,000 per year, according to Chalkbeat.

Remote work also was widespread during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but is less common now. Likewise, Wedoff said he also didn’t hear as much about students opting for work-from-home jobs during this round of “Game of Life” as he did in the spring.

Organizers hoped to give participants some perspective on the realities of adulthood.

“This hands-on approach aims to give students a realistic understanding of the challenges they may face in managing their finances in the future,” according to the release.

Students who participated said they learned a lot about personal finance and how “adulting” works.

“It’s kind of eye-opening,” student Michael Chan said. “Taxes suck.”

Chan said his job in the game was a sales manager making $10,624 per month.

“I think it’s good to know average prices,” said student Connor Wade, whose role in the game was architect with a salary of $6,681 per month.

Huntley Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Nancy Binger said the event helped students understand some realities that their parents might be experiencing.

“I am so impressed with how engaged the students are,” Binger said.

Wedoff added that businesses are active in the career and technical programming in a lot of different ways, and also said students had some appreciation for what their parents have done.

“There’s lots of good lessons,” Wedoff said.