<p>Academic skills are great to learn, but they are even better if they have a practical use in today&#8217;s world. After all, what&#8217;s the use of learning all that stuff if it doesn&#8217;t help you out in life? What if you can&#8217;t even pay your mortgage on time, or make an egg salad sandwich? These academic skills will enhance your life, better your financial picture, and even get a better job.</p>
<h2>Mathematics: Percentages, Ratios and Proportions</h2>
<p>It may not seem all that important, especially when you are hunched over an algebra book crunching numbers for an upcoming exam, but math is really important in today&#8217;s world. It is perhaps the number one skill you can put to use right away. Using advanced math helps you do everything from cooking to balancing your check book.<br />
You can use math to figure out if it is worthwhile to refinance a car or home, a move that will potentially save thousands of dollars. Mathematic academic skills help you analyze and compare how much interest you&#8217;ll save by getting a lower rate on that loan, taking into account the money you spend to close the new loan. So, learning academic skills like this creates a path to financial freedom.<br />
Use ratios to figure out the proportions for cooking rice, grits, cookies, and more. Take any recipe, multiply the proportions using ratios to create the right amount of food for a dinner party, or just for one person. This not only saves time and energy, but money as well.</p>
<h2>Writing: Mastering the English Language</h2>
<p>Basic writing skills are truly the gateway to a better life. How? Great cover letters pull your résumé to the top of the pile, and put you on a hiring manager&#8217;s to-call list. Sometimes it is the difference between landing a job and living with your mom.<br />
Or, write yourself into a better refund when a service or product does not live up to its promise. Imagine getting a well-written, grammatically correct letter on clean stationary stating how disappointed your product made a customer. Wouldn&#8217;t you as a business owner pay more attention? The same letter with poor grammar, fragmented sentences and obvious misspellings garners less attention.</p>
<h2>Analyzing Data and Information</h2>
<p>The world is all about information, and there&#8217;s lots of it. Learn to effectively digest, analyze and throw out useless information while retaining the important stuff and you will be a more effective communicator, and make better decisions. You&#8217;ll also retain more important information and facts, making you more interesting in social situations.</p>
<h2>Critical Thinking</h2>
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<p style="text-align: center;">Image Via Flickr by Victor1558</p>
<p>Thinking critically is a skill that anyone can master. You can use it for simple things like choosing a better movie on movie night, to selecting the right insurance coverage for your home. Critical thinking allows you critically analyze anything, from documents to marketing literature used to sell products. Use it to become an informed consumer and make clearer life decisions.<br />
These academic skills are extremely important in today&#8217;s world, so add them to your repertoire today. They will help your embrace all of life&#8217;s challenges.</p>

4 Practical Academic Skills You Can Learn and Use Today
