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Just because you’re no longer in school doesn’t mean you’ve got it all figured out.

You’ve still got plenty of important skills left to learn — but now you’re on your own.

To help you navigate this confusing time, we reviewed several Quora threads on helpful skills and ways to spend time in your 20s and highlighted the most useful insights.

Here are the life skills every 20-something should master.

SEE ALSO: 15 hard lessons everyone should learn in their 20s

1. How to just be honest

When you’re late to an appointment, it’s tempting to pin the blame on gridlock or train delays.

Instead, says Quora user Michael Hoffman, “just apologize. You don’t have to give details. ‘I planned poorly’ is a hundred times better than risking your integrity by inanely blaming traffic.”

2. How to receive criticism

No one likes to be told they’re wrong or even that they could be doing something more effectively. As Abhinav Gupta writes, it’s easy to resent the person critiquing you or completely ignore them.

Nonetheless, Gupta says, “in order to succeed in life you should always accept criticism and always respond positively to it and never think ill of people who point out your mistakes.”

3. How to start an interesting conversation

“Conversation-making is probably the most underrated skill,” says Deepak Mehta, who admits that he’s a shy person who’s always found it difficult.

But experience has taught him that if you dare to strike up a discussion with the person next to you, you might very well end up with a new friend, a business connection, or some novel insights on an old topic.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

from Business Insider http://ift.tt/1MWnhLo