Mall of Life
Thank you so much to Citizens State Bank, CareerTEC students in Careers in Business, HOYA 1, Culinary Arts and Computer Information Systems for a successful Mall of Life event this year.
The CareerTEC Mall of Life is a life skill simulation event focusing on financial literacy during which students actively take part in making real-world adult decisions. The event instills skills such as decision-making, financial responsibility, problem solving, goal setting, and communication, which prepares students for making realistic choices and achieving a successful future. The Mall of Life offers a glimpse into the realities of a career, salaries, and the obligations of daily life.
Prior to the event, each student will pick a career from a list provided by CareerTEC. At the event, students will be given the corresponding “salary” for one month minus any student loan amount for the career choice they’ve made. We randomly designate students to be “single,” “married,” “divorced,” and if they have “children,” which makes the event more realistic.
There are 15 “stores” (booths) set up with a poster at each showing the life choices the students have to make and what they must ‘pay for’ while keeping track of their spending. The “stores” include purchasing housing, daycare, groceries, clothes, insurance, vehicles, doctor visits, cell phones, owning a pet and vacations if their salary allows. The Mall of Life is both interesting and fun for students and provides them with insight to see what adults deal with in real life.