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Learning New Things? | Pad Patter 3.5.16

scrapsandsass

scrapsandsass

Oh Ricky you're so fine ...
Joined
Feb 11, 2011
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8,909
I'm a lifelong learner. I can't help it. I am fascinated by so many things and want to learn what I can. Unfortunately, time and money won't allow me to be a professional student. BUT... I have found a few different courses online (that I seem to hoard), and when I can't afford classes, I've looked for some freebies and have found some online university courses that are interesting. Today I hit the big jackpot. I found a link to over 1150 online classes (taught at some of the best universities) for free!

What about you? Are there things you've always wanted to learn but didn't have the money and/or ability to take at school? What subjects/topics would you be interested in learning more about if money/time weren't an obstacle? Math? Science? Literature? Law? Language?

I thought I'd share the resource I found. http://www.openculture.com/freeonlinecourses
 
I still regret not choosing physics instead of chemistry. I was a stubborn student who would not memorize if something was written down and in the public domain. Thus I did well in chemistry despited not memorizing that blasted chart. But has it been of use in my life...uh, no. When I think regretting not studying physics, I often think I should just nab a high school textbook and teach myself.

I also have the instant immersion Italian cds that dh wanted and then realized he really has no ear for languages. (quite true) I think about listening to them but that's as far as it goes. Then there's the full version of Photoshop. I tried again this year and realize I'm just too comfortable with my PSE.

Maybe I'm just plain lazy...lazy but happy. ;)
 
cookingmylife said:
I still regret not choosing physics instead of chemistry.
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That's something you don't hear often, but is very refreshing. I was a bio major and CHANGED my major to physics. And I don't regret it one bit, even if I don't use it often anymore.

I wish I was more assertive about learning new things. But I'm just not particularly ambitious. And I get mired in the day to day tasks and responsibilities. I'm not a good self learner. I really need the structure of a formal class. I can't even get myself to sign up for a class, though.
 
Ohhhh I love learning new things!! Thanks for sharing the link with free courses, can't wait to check it out! One of the perks of having to renew my teaching license every 5 years is getting to take college courses, some of which the school division pays for. I loved psychology when I was doing my undergrad work, and if I hadn't gone in to teaching, I probably would have followed that path. I'm also a huge math geek and often think fields where I could put that to use.

Right now I am giving serious thought to a new career. I am eligible for full retirement from teaching with 30 years in 2019 and as much as I love the kids, I am done with public education. I am seriously considering taking the next three years to work on a whole new career path, something totally different, and maybe something I could do on a part time basis. Now I just need to decide what it will be :)
 
I've always loved learning and most of my classes too. I majored in psychology because the way our brains and minds work has always fascinated me, not because I wanted to be a psychologist (I'm so emotional, I'd cry with my patients and be little help). Perhaps my decision to get a teaching credential shows my love of learning too, that I wanted to stay in school.

However, since having kids and deciding to homeschool, I've been more focused on them than on my many interests, so my learning has been kind of limited to what I decided is most important to me to learn right now: photography. I also love biology and history and geography, but mostly just get bits of those here and there from magazines and social media.

My favorite place to learn online is CreativeLive, which has many subjects now, not just photography, and they're free to watch and always have several classes running or re-running every time you visit their site. For more academic subjects including history, biology, and literature check out Crash Course on YouTube. I mostly know John Green's awesome Crash Course history lessons and my kids and I love them. Oh, one more comes to mind! My daughter who doesn't like math loves Vihart's math videos on YouTube.
 
I like to learn new things... if I am interested in them. If not, I get bored. I would love to go back and get a Nursing Degree, and then become a Nurse Educator. (Which for me, is different than my Business/Marketing and Psychology Degrees - currently, by day I work with numbers/accounting mostly).
 
I too love learning stuff. Thanks for the link. I'm kinda a down the rabbit hole type learner though. I'll read something, then start looking stuff up then if it's still interesting I'll pursue further either with articles or courses, but my interest in learning does not necessarily relate to something as structured as a class.
 
I'm still 7 classes away from my BA in Humanities. Stuff has come up & leave school to support my family. I just returned to school this semester. It's hard! I love learning. I love being a student. There are some things I understand so much better now that I'm older. I still get embarrassed that it's taken me 20 years to get this far.
 
@jesskab Later is better than never!

I flunked out of school in my junior yr of college when my bf (later 1st husband) went into the Air Force during the Vietnam war. He had flunked out in his sophomore year. In the following years, I encouraged him to finish his B.A and then his M.A for which I wrote most of his papers after reading most of his texts. Sigh. After my divorce, I went back to school and graduated with MY B. A.in 2002. Age 58.

Current dh & I were married on May 25 2001 and a few months later was 9/11. I only had had one course left to take the spring we were married but I put it off til the following spring to have time to learn how to be married again. It was a wise move considering how all our lives changed that year. Having my dh at my graduation in 2002 was just as it was meant to be ...it was literally on our first wedding anniversary - May 25th.

Never be embarrassed that you're doing something good for yourself!!!
 
Lindzee said:
I too love learning stuff. Thanks for the link. I'm kinda a down the rabbit hole type learner though. I'll read something, then start looking stuff up then if it's still interesting I'll pursue further either with articles or courses, but my interest in learning does not necessarily relate to something as structured as a class.
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I do that too, a lot. That's why I was looking for classes. LOL. I figure it will keep me from going there. :) My hubby doesn't get it, so I think a lot of times he wonders what I've done with my day when I've been researching. :giggle

jesskab said:
I'm still 7 classes away from my BA in Humanities. Stuff has come up & leave school to support my family. I just returned to school this semester. It's hard! I love learning. I love being a student. There are some things I understand so much better now that I'm older. I still get embarrassed that it's taken me 20 years to get this far.
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Don't be embarrassed. Keep going! I was pregnant in high school, but graduated. I struggled to go to community college off and on when I could get a babysitter. I moved in with a boyfriend several years later (I really should have known better) just so I could go back to school and have a live-in babysitter. I worked full time, and after work, I took a bus to get to school because Vince would have to take the car home. I'd have back to back classes and get out at 10pm. I'd have to catch a bus to get home and the only bus took almost two hours and would drop me off about 4 miles from home. So I'd get to the last bus stop at midnight and have to take a taxi the rest of the way. Then I'd get up at 5 am and start over. It was insane. I got quite a few credits in that way, but then boyfriend and I split. I had to quit again. My advisor pushed through my registration for the next quarter without my knowledge. I had to drop, but the school charged me for the tuition. I couldn't afford to pay it, so they held my credits/transcripts hostage... for over ten years. I finally was able to afford to pay a lawyer a small amount to write a nasty letter and get my transcripts free. I went back to community college to get my math credits to finish my AA and six months after that I finished my BA. I jumped into grad school and got my Master in Fine Arts and then started a Master in Education six months after that. So it took me 20 years of crazy to get my AA and BA.

cookingmylife said:
@jesskab Later is better than never!

I flunked out of school in my junior yr of college when my bf (later 1st husband) went into the Air Force during the Vietnam war. He had flunked out in his sophomore year. In the following years, I encouraged him to finish his B.A and then his M.A for which I wrote most of his papers after reading most of his texts. Sigh. After my divorce, I went back to school and graduated with MY B. A.in 2002. Age 58.

Current dh & I were married on May 25 2001 and a few months later was 9/11. I only had had one course left to take the spring we were married but I put it off til the following spring to have time to learn how to be married again. It was a wise move considering how all our lives changed that year. Having my dh at my graduation in 2002 was just as it was meant to be ...it was literally on our first wedding anniversary - May 25th.

Never be embarrassed that you're doing something good for yourself!!!
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Definitely!! That is awesome!!! :)

jesskab said:
@cookingmylife Thanks Maureen. I truly believe things work out as they're meant. One plus is my classmates never believe I'm almost 40. It's almost like getting carded. :giggle
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That is a good part. Plus, you're old enough to see through the BS and know much more. And it is nice to still look young. My daughter and I ended up taking a math class together at the community college, and people thought we were sisters, so that was kind of fun. (Plus, I got a higher grade than she did. :giggle Normally I wouldn't care, but she teased me endlessly about having to take a really low level math class prior to remember math. She's amazing at math, but got cocky. :giggle)
 
Thanks . I have bookmarked it. To much info for one read through.
 
This is so impressive. Seriously. I love reading the things y'all want to learn.

I'm the resident school hater. I never did well in school. It was a huge struggle for me because I'm such a right-brained learner, and when I was in school in the 60s/70s everything was left-brain centric. That said, I have 3 college degrees - AA, BA, MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching). The last degree is almost funny because I have no desire to ever go back. I never did teach after receiving my teaching degree because I hate school so much.

I'm more of a hands on learner. I love working with my hands and can do just about anything that I set out to learn if it's tactile.

What I'd love to learn is how to fiddle. I took classical violin for many years but haven't picked it up in ages. I just received an old violin that belonged to my FiL's grandfather, and it's in the shop now being restored. The bow will be restored next. Once I get them back I'm going to save the $$ for fiddling lessons. I adore Bluegrass music, so that's what I want to learn.

But before then I need to learn how to use my new serger so I can make my DD's skating costume! I've purchased an online class, so I need to watch it!
 
Maybe I'm an anamoly, but I really could care less about learning anything new for the rest of my life. hahaha. I'm not quite sure why that is, but my guess is I'm too busy with my life and kids' lives right now. I'm exhausted by the end of the day and I can't concentrate when I do try to learn something. I've attempted to learn to sew over the last year and I can at least sew a straight line and a patch on a sash or shirt.

This may change once my kids are older and out of the house. Right now I'm happy with what I do know. LOL. BUT the one thing I do need to learn is the rules to my kids' sports. I've been putting it off waiting for them to kind of settle down into a sport, and now that they kind of have stuck to the same ones for years I need to get cracking. I need to learn basketball, golf, swimming, soccer, and cross country. cross country is probably pretty simple. LOL
 
cookingmylife said:
@jesskab Later is better than never!

I flunked out of school in my junior yr of college when my bf (later 1st husband) went into the Air Force during the Vietnam war. He had flunked out in his sophomore year. In the following years, I encouraged him to finish his B.A and then his M.A for which I wrote most of his papers after reading most of his texts. Sigh. After my divorce, I went back to school and graduated with MY B. A.in 2002. Age 58.

Current dh & I were married on May 25 2001 and a few months later was 9/11. I only had had one course left to take the spring we were married but I put it off til the following spring to have time to learn how to be married again. It was a wise move considering how all our lives changed that year. Having my dh at my graduation in 2002 was just as it was meant to be ...it was literally on our first wedding anniversary - May 25th.

Never be embarrassed that you're doing something good for yourself!!!
Click to expand...

Well, that's the BEST story I've read in a while. Life doesn't end at a certain age. We choose what we do with our lives . . . and you're living it and doing what you want at every age. Thanks for being so encouraging!
 
I love learning too! I actually just signed up for a painting class and I can't wait for that to start in a couple weeks! I'm going to have a look at your link too Kimberlee! Thanks! :)
 
Thanks so much for the link! I love learning, though with a full time job and a small business, I don't have as much time for it as I would like. My degree is in computer science and I work as a software developer, but for the last few years I've heard anthropology calling my name. I read as much about it as I can when I have time (which is not often).
 
I'll have to check out that link. Yeah I seem to be a lifelong learner as I am going for my second Masters I hope. I cut a year off of school that I needed for licensure, but I also knew that I was not learning what I needed to. So it was partway intentional. I could get a job with what I have but I can't be a counselor so we shall see how much more learning I'll need.
 
I chuckled when I saw Life Long Learner. We actually have a group here in Alpena called the Life Long Learners. You have to be over 50 to join. Every three months they send out a newsletter just filled with every kind of course you can imagine and about every subject possible. You just choose what you want to attend. Very seldom is there a charge; only if there are supplies involved. It is meant to keep the older generation active and in touch with each other.
I, too, love to learn!!! I actually take books from the children's section of the library because I find them much easier for me to digest and understand. I am reading one now on American history. I began collage at age 52 and graduated at age 56. Most fun I ever had! It was a blast! When I took my Art Appreciation class I was like a kid in a candy shop!!!! Will definitely be checking out those links in this thread!
 
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