You Don’t Have to Pay People to Teach You Stuff

A few weeks ago a neighbor who is juggling several entrepreneurial enterprises, a corporate role, and a toddler, told me he was starting classes in computer science. When I asked what classes, he responded that he is going to an online university for a 4-year degree and it would take him more than 4 years to complete. This man is a go-getter – and a little crazy.

Knowing his educational and business background, I blurted out “you don’t have to pay people to teach you stuff”; meaning, he could easily pick up the knowledge he desired without committing to a full degree (another to add to his collection). He suggested that my quote was a great topic for a blog post, so here we are.

I’ve written often about the importance of continuous learning to keep our brains from stagnating, particularly as we age. Thankfully there are myriad ways to do this, and many require little effort. Reading about subjects of interest is a great way to stretch your brain, and with Kindle and other e-book sources, you don’t even have to leave your couch to get new material. Likewise, for those of us who still prefer physical books. The magic of the internet allows us to order books for delivery or even to browse our local library and reserve books for pickup at our leisure. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

The internet itself is a treasure trove of knowledge waiting to be discovered. Google and other search engines will return a long list of websites with information on whatever topic you are interested in – and a lot more you are not. Again, without leaving your couch. Even just reading news articles from various sites – actual news sites, not social media or “news” sites with an agenda – will feed your brain.

There are plenty of free learning tracks and courses available too. It just takes a little searching on topics of interest. Some are sponsored so there may be a bias toward a company’s service or product, but the information there is still valid. Self-study like this is a great way to broaden knowledge across new topics and deepen expertise in areas you want to know more about or gain new skills in. Thanks to YouTube there are educational videos for pretty much everything – a great way to learn through watching others demonstrate processes.

Seeking out and talking to people with different viewpoints or with expertise you want to tap into is another great way to learn new things. As a bonus, you may wind up with a new perspective about an issue or even make a new friend. Just the increased human contact whether in-person or virtual will benefit your brain too. If you are not inclined to reaching out that way, actively observing the world around you – people, animals, nature, etc. – will provide you with opportunities to learn new stuff. That is how I come up with many of my blog posts.

Many colleges and universities allow individuals, particularly senior citizens, to audit classes. You get to attend the class for free, don’t have to do the assignments if you don’t want to, and you provide feedback on the class. A great way to learn and to get out and experience new things and people. All contributing to a stronger brain.

As we age, it becomes more important to keep our brains and bodies busy. If a full-blown degree or certification is your thing by all means make the commitment and go for it. Keep in mind though that there are many other paths to gain the knowledge you seek. Teach yourself how to learn in new ways by embracing technology, as well as all the other opportunities available. Tap into your local community, and don’t forget about mentoring/teaching and volunteering. You will likely learn more than the people you are guiding. Doing things you enjoy and learning at your own pace make it fun and painless, and likely won’t require you to pay someone to teach you stuff.

www.RetiredandInspiredat55.com 12-12-2022