FIU and Tax Season: Using College to Learn Life Skills

Sergey Podlesnykh/Staff Writer

In case you didn’t know, tax season is already here. Dealing with the IRS could be intimidating, but it really doesn’t have to be. Even if you are still not doing your taxes, the earlier you get introduced to the process, the better. You will be surprised, but you could find tax help closer than you think. Try FIU.

I’ve heard it so many times: “If only college gave me some real-life knowledge, like how to budget, do taxes or shop for car insurance”. Unfortunately, some students don’t do their taxes yet, so the tax questions are not on their primary agenda. Still, many others have little to no idea on how and where to file their taxes, what their tax bracket is and what tax breaks they could qualify for. 

College is what you make of it, so put it to good use. Indeed, FIU doesn’t offer “Life Skills-101” or “Best Tax Return-3000”, and some tax courses are major-specific. But, don’t get discouraged. Try using college for learning in all venues of life, don’t limit yourself to the curriculum of your major. Remember, even if you are already standing next to the water, you still need to make an effort to drink it.

Use library resources, there’s so much more than textbooks in there.  Network with your peers who major in business, accounting or law. They all could share some of their tax-related knowledge. Reach out to your professors, they don’t bite and could give you valuable insight. Even if your professor is not an expert on taxes, it’s an adult who has some years of experience doing taxes. 

Don’t underestimate the value of mentorship you could receive from the faculty. In my experience, professors turn out to be normal humans that don’t mind helping with a little piece of advice. For example, when I was at the crossroads in Russia some years ago, one such piece of advice became the tipping point in my decision to permanently move to the USA.  

Additionally, every now and then, FIU offers various workshops, roundtables with invited experts and seminars. I’m sure we have all overlooked those notification emails before. I am guilty of it too and I often stumble upon a curious workshop announcement only days later, when sorting through my old emails.

Those seminars could be related to your studies, your potential future career, or those life skills you “can’t learn in college”. It doesn’t have to be about taxes either.  Try to pay more attention to those events. Especially now, when you could receive some help and valuable information through Zoom without leaving the comfort of your home. Check out some of these community events on FIU website – there’s plenty of recurring and specialty events that could greatly benefit you. 

It’s OK to not have all the answers or to have little experience in something. Part of college education is learning where to find those answers and adjusting to the unknown environment. FIU’s resources and helpful staff can fill some of the gaps not only in education, but also in “real life” skills. Getting comfortable with your taxes sounds like a great start. The answers are all out there. Go get them, Panthers!  

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

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