What colleges have you attended?

I’ve attended universities and colleges in multiple locations, picking up degrees and academic knowledge along the way. But when it comes to life lessons? Let’s just say I’m still in the middle of that course—and there’s no graduation date in sight.

Colleges teach you how to solve equations and write essays. Life, on the other hand, teaches you how to solve the mystery of where all your socks disappear and how to write polite emails to customer service when they mess up your order for the fifth time. And let’s be honest, no academic degree prepares you for the real-world exam called “Monday mornings.”

Life lessons begin at home, where your parents are the professors, and their syllabus is full of things like, “If you don’t clean it, you’re living with it,” and “The light switch won’t flip itself.” It’s a tough curriculum, but it’s free—well, unless you count the emotional trauma of being asked to explain why you left all the lights on.

So yes, I’ve studied at universities and colleges. But life? That’s a whole different kind of classroom, and the lessons keep coming. Some are hilarious, some are hard, but all of them remind me that the learning never really stops.