English, science, math, and history; the four basic subjects children’s minds have been filled with from a very young age. For years, children have been informed on what knowledge is needed to thrive in the real world. They teach us the basics, but not how to apply them.

Rocklin High School has recently added business classes to their course list. These courses include Accounting, Intro to Business and Virtual Enterprise. The goal of these courses is to introduce students to the business world; including making resumes, starting an on-campus business, and interview skills.

“I chose to take intro to business as a senior because after high school, you’re pretty much on your own and I think it’s important that you know about the business world, even if you don’t necessarily want to pursue a career in it,” senior Lauren Gerber said.

Many high school students graduate and enter the real world without work experience or  without having a resume, two important things in life. Teenagers prioritize the information they are given in their core classes, but don’t take real world skills into consideration; an integration of both would be most beneficial for high school students.

“Taking this class doesn’t only teach you valuable things you can apply in life after high school, but it may also spark an interest in kids that never would’ve expected to,” Gerber said.

In the accounting course, students will cover fundamental accounting principles and prepare students for future college business majors/minors such as business administration, accounting, marketing, international business management

Intro to Business, as explained in the name, introduces students to the basics of business. This course uses interactive project-based learning and extensive use of technology to study real world topics like entrepreneurship, marketing, finance, economics, accounting and business law.

Whereas with Virtual Enterprise, students go beyond a traditional classroom environment to a classroom that is run by the students as a business simulation with the teacher acting in more of an advisory or consulting roll.

“I’m really glad I took virtual enterprise because it gives students a first-hand opportunity to experience what it’s really like to work for and run a business,” senior Ethan Black said.

All of these courses allow students to learn real life skills before entering the real world. Not everyone enjoys math, science, english, or history, but everyone will have a job at some point in their life and it’s important to get the proper education while you can.