MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) - Hundreds of Siegel High School seniors were recently thrust into a financial planning game that forced them to try to budget and make ends meet.
Last Tuesday's morning event was one of several "On My Own" simulations conducted across the state by University of Tennessee/Tennessee State University Extension agents. The simulation was part of a broader Reality Check event held by the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce to encourage students to learn about financial planning and getting a post-secondary education.
"Our goal is to have these students start thinking about money and what things can cost," said Amy Willis, a Rutherford County extension agent with the UT/TSU Extension who helped organize the simulation.
As part of the game, students were given ready-made scenarios with jobs, salaries, marital status and children and required to go to separate booths staffed by adult volunteers to pay for a mortgage and buy items like insurance, child care, utilities and groceries.
They quickly learned exactly how far their take-home income could stretch.
Many students said they were forced to apply for a second job just to afford the required items. For senior Chris Byrd, even a curve ball like buying shoes for a fictional child was tough with the salary he was assigned as a dispatcher.
"I already knew that money doesn't last that long," Byrd said. "I just didn't really realize it would be this bad."
The "On My Own" was the third Reality Check event held in Rutherford County, Willis said. Another is scheduled for Holloway High School in December, and community officials hope to eventually bring the simulation to every high school in the county.
Officials also hope the simulation can show students the value of a post-secondary education, said Beth Duffield, vice president of workforce development for the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce.
While thousands of jobs have come to Rutherford County in the past two years, Duffield said people need something more than high school degrees to attain them.
"All of the jobs require some type of post-secondary training," Duffield said.
By receiving professional credentials after high school, whether through technical school, a community college or university, students are more likely to find the higher-paying work they desired during the Tuesday simulation, Willis said.
"Typically, the more education you have, the higher salary you can make," Willis said.
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Information from: The Daily News Journal, http://www.dnj.com