Hello, my name is Jia. Let me take a second to introduce myself since most of this book is just the information section of my brain in written format. Just to give you an idea of what my background is like, I was raised in a rural town in the Midwest of the United States. My dad worked in the central administration office for my public school district and my mom ran a horse stable. My childhood was often inside empty classrooms after school hours, covered in dirt in a field w

We all need clean clothes, so we need to be able to work a washing machine and dryer. There is some science behind cleaning clothes, people argue over how to kill the germs and properly clean clothing. Some people believe that only hot water can kill germs that live on clothing, other people argue for cold water washing to help maintain the colors and conserve water. While it is true that some germs can only be killed by extreme heat, there are an equal number of germs that

I want to make sure everyone understands the basics of hygiene for your home. Clean can be defined in different ways depending on your culture, it is not for me to tell you which version of cleanliness is correct. I grew up spending lots of time in horse stables, public schools, and libraries so clean became relative to the location. What I mean is to clean a horse stable to the same level as a library is near impossible, the fact there are living horses indoors makes cleanl

This chapter is something I have learned through trial and error. I am chronically ill, so since I was 18, I have explored most fields of medicine. American healthcare is set up as a marketplace; the goal of market health care is to incentivize innovation and education. The more trained and successful doctors are making more, in theory. However, it has led to healthcare being inaccessible, unaffordable, and sometimes outright hostile. Doctors go through specialized training

If I had to choose my least favorite section to write about, it would be a hard pick between cars and loans. I am not a car girl; I don’t naturally understand the complex mechanics of an engine. My only needs are that a car has freezing AC, decent radio quality, and I can drive from A to B with relative ease. Despite my best efforts, I did get my driver’s license at 18 and then a car not long after. (I really didn’t want to.) Since each state in America has slightly differen

I think it is hard to learn how you best operate when we are all trained through education. Don’t get me wrong, I love education and I think public education does a lot of good but it oftentimes operates for the majority which leaves a lot to be desired for the individuals. Let me explain, schools run based on decades of research. If you look into it, everything from a start time, the length of lunch, and the subject matter is based on some research into childhood developmen

When can I talk about my political opinions? What are the safe topics? Are there rules? Let's find out.

We all need to learn how to navigate different relationships, here is a messy guide from a neurodivergent big sister.

At this point you do have to talk to another person; it is really scary I know. I would prefer we do text message interviews, but we can handle a phone call or in person interview. We just must prepare. The purpose of an interview is for the hiring manager to figure you out; this is your chance to show off and make them like you. There are a few constants across the board, but for the most part, each interview is going to be a little different. Every interview you get means a

Now this is for those of you who are looking at getting an apartment. Getting your own space and all those extra fees. Goodness, it feels like a nightmare just writing about it. For the sake of both me and you, the reader, let’s discuss the basics. First, touring potential apartments. When looking at open apartments, it is important to go to that location. I recommend visiting with a friend or family member. Talk to the landlord, have a list of questions ready. Here is a good

We have all heard the horror stories of bad college roommates. I wish I could tell you they are in fact just rumors, but I knew way too many people who had terrible roommates. You, the individual, are just as responsible for being a good roommate as they are. The most important advice I can give is that you should try having a roommate for at least a semester before you throw in the towel. Learning to share space with another person, even one who is rude and discourteous, is

It has come to my attention that not everyone travels as often as I do. My travel mostly consists of my parents’ work trips and family get togethers, while I view it as very sparse, my friends seem to think I am the travel authority. Let’s cover road trips first. If you are driving across any distance longer than 2 hours, make sure to get gas refilled before your tank is low. There are often long stretches where you are far from a gas station. If you refill your tank when it

Getting that email or phone call that you are hired can be a rush of endorphins, and we often have a honeymoon period with new jobs where we just go with the flow and have trouble paying attention. There are some basic things we can do to help be a good employee but also make sure we are being treated fairly. So, before you enter the workplace, we need to discuss some mental things first. There is growing sentiment that anyone from Generation Z is likely to be a lazy worker

Once again, resumes and cover letters are a contradictory topic. As you go into the world, you are going to need to write both things. You can google all the templates you want, but I find it helps to walk through the why of it all. So, we are going to start with the basics. Just a generic resume and cover letter. We start our resume with the header, aka you. I know the templates say to put your full name, your address, your phone number, and your email. Let’s cut

We are all going to deal with this stuff eventually, so let’s talk about it. Wherever you are, currently in high school, graduating, in university, graduating, or even after, getting a job has the same components. We have to start by finding an available job. I find scrolling through Indeed applications to be frustrating, but it is one of the many modern-day evils we all must endure. In hopes of skipping this step, first look up businesses in your area

To graduate high school, you should take a personal finance class. If you were anything like me, you spend the entire time just going through the motions and forgetting everything afterwards. If you have yet to take your personal finance class, please learn from my mistake and pay attention. If you already have, that is okay. This is a quick overview of banking and budgeting. I tried explaining the banking system to a 8 year old once, and he told me it was crazy we all put

Credit is a headache, because it costs us more in the long run but if we have never participated in credit it makes it harder for us in the future. So let's talk about how to use credit without losing money.

Let's talk about the baffling loans we can be offered as university students. This also covers the basics of how loans work.

The miscellaneous advice I have for university students. This is my big sister rant for anyone going to college.

Basic rundown of how university students can get accommodations.