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MT. STERLING, ILL. -- Juniors from Brown County High School in Mt. Sterling got a taste of what life is like in the real world.

"Welcome to the Real World" is an event put on by the U of I Extension.

By using real life scenarios, like finding a job and paying bills students get an idea of how much it costs to live and what sorts of sacrifices adults have to make.

Organizer Christine Morey with the U of I Extensions say that with the challenging economic times we face, this is a great program to get the kids thinking about their future.

She says, "It teaches them not only the value of their money, but you know, how to save their money, how to budget it wisely and how they can be better prepared for the future."

We talked to one student who already works a part time job.

Junior Tyler Bowen  says this will be a good learning experience for his classmates.

Bowen says, "A lot of people don't  pay for their stuff yet, people don't buy their own things. They still have their parents that do it for them. This is just a good opportunity to get them to learn how to do it and get the experience in, like, setting up, give them a taste of what it is really like."

Organizers hope that event will encourage the kids to plan now for their education so that they can secure the job they really want in the future.

Community volunteers and business leaders helped out with the event.