Back to school?

[Ronstar]

I'm sure some here have gone back to school in retirement. What courses did you take? Did you enjoy them? Going for a degree or just for fun?

I'm looking into studying American history. Signed up for a free online course from Hillsdale College. I'm not sure how far I want to go with this. I don't think I want to pay a lot of $ to get a degree, but would like to take some history courses.

 

[pacergal]

I love learning new things. I have taken a couple of community classes, cooking, gardening and exercise ones.
I have looked at some free courses from Harvard and Coursera, and some others, but have yet to try them. Most interested in Humanities.
At this point, no desire to pay for classes, nor pursue a degree--that would require a longer term commitment!

 

[W2R]

Not me, no way, no how...

Before I retired, I was absolutely sure that despite already having earned a B.A., B.S.E.E., M.S., and Ph.D., I still wanted to return to university to get an MBA.

But then, once I retired I thought I'd wait a little bit. After I waited a year or two, I decided I must have lost my mind. Why get an MBA when my career is behind me, not ahead? Obviously I don't NEED an MBA.

But do I WANT one? Well, let's see. Learning is free and I have the entire internet to learn from. Once I run out of things to learn just browsing the net, then I suppose I would have a reason to do such a thing. But TBH I don't see that happening any time soon.

P.S. - - it's kind of hilarious that what I seem to gravitate to on the internet recently, is learning about history, not business....

 

[aaronc879]

I would only consider doing this if I was certain I wasn't taking a spot away from someone who actually needed a degree. I would take some free online classes but not sure I would actually go to a college and take up a spot from a traditional student who needs it much more.

 

[RunningBum]

Check out https://www.coursera.org/ . As of a few years ago it seemed to be the best for free online courses, but I don't know if that's still true.

 

[Ronstar]

Thanks for your thoughts everyone! I have thought about it and have decided to stick to free online courses - no attempt to get a degree.

I never thought about what Aaron alluded to - that I could be taking a spot away if I went for a degree. I don't want to do that. A degree means nothing to me - it would to someone just starting out.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

With current college enrollment trends as they are, I really doubt that anyone will be "taking a spot away" from a deserving young person. Colleges are hurting. Enroll away!

I enrolled for a semester in a Culinary Arts program (at a local technical college), and really enjoyed it. I did not opt to continue to pursue the AA degree that this was leading to, however. I enjoyed meeting both many young people and experienced hands in the restaurant industry.

 

[street]

Nothing to add but I think if something interests you, I have always gone after it. It would be something new and learning is always a good thing.

 

[FlaGator]

Learning new things for the sake of knowledge and becoming a more informed person, is worthwhile. A degree at your stage of life, and mine, is something to put on the wall for your own satisfaction. The Beautiful Princess's Masters from an accredited institution at 60 was a life-long goal, and there is a lot of value in that.

Hitting the ground the final time and knowing that, not only you *could*, but you *did* is an accomplishment. Only you can determine that value.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

I'm content with what is available at our library system. At w@^k I had an alphabet behind my name, but I never went to college. I always thought I'd want to get a degree just to prove to the world that I could. That ended a long time ago. I still love to study and learn, just not in a formal setting or where you keep score.

 

[Mark1]

I have thought about taking some course work at our local university, since as a senior citizen over 60 years old, you can just audit the course. However, I have ruled it out for a variety of reasons with the main issue being I don't want to be tied down to a weekly schedule. Also, I'm more interested in learning at an "awareness level" and not a "knowledge level" as memorizing a bunch of facts doesn't really interest me at this point in my life (although it is annoying to watch Jeopardy with only an "awareness" level as I just can't quite pull out the answers sometimes ).

One thing I have done to fill this learning need is to purchase textbooks on Amazon. and just read them for awareness. If you buy the prior editions that are ~3-5 years out of date, you can usually get a reasonable price. If I'm 5 years behind the latest knowledge I can live with that.

I usually purchase scientific/technical textbooks, although an American History textbook would also interest me.

 

[Ronstar]

I've made it through chapter 1. Just an introduction, but I can see that I'm going to enjoy this. The online format works well for me. First - It's a video, not a book. I sometimes get bored reading books, and videos keep my attention. Second I can do it from anywhere, anytime - no classroom or schedule involved. Third - no tests. Fourth - it's free.

As I came to the realization that I have a hard time staying focused enough to read books, I think I'm going to try some audio books.

 

[athena53]

With current college enrollment trends as they are, I really doubt that anyone will be "taking a spot away" from a deserving young person. Colleges are hurting. Enroll away!

I agree- I wouldn't worry about taking a spot from someone else unless it was a program with a limited number of spaces and a large number of applicants, like maybe Medical School.

As soon as I retired I signed up for a Geology class at the local community college. I loved it, enjoyed my fellow students, and got an A. They discounted costs for seniors but it was on a "space available" basis. Unfortunately, when we downsized we moved out of the area. Many local community colleges focus on IT, accounting, etc. Been there, done that. I want to study the fun stuff with minimal market value.

A few years ago I ventured into the local seminary- well, I'm in KC and it was in Topeka but it was all independent study except for a classroom weekend. I took the classes required for a Lay Preaching License in the Episcopal Church and am still taking others for enrichment. (This qualifies me to preach the occasional sermon when the priest wants a Sunday off.) Average age was pretty high- many second-career people studying to be priests and deacons.

It's a joy to study on my own schedule without regard to whether or not I can get a job in the field. And I know half the priests and deacons in the diocese!

 

[Dreamer]

I took a Rock and Roll history course through Coursera after I retired and enjoyed it. I have not taken any more.

I never liked audio books and preferred reading books. I always tried listening to the audio books in the car when I was driving. I found that I could not concentrate on the books well enough. I am in a book club and one of the books that I needed to read was only available as an audio book. I put my headset on and listened to it while I walked in the house. I love listening to audiobooks now.

 

[street]

I've made it through chapter 1. Just an introduction, but I can see that I'm going to enjoy this. The online format works well for me. First - It's a video, not a book. I sometimes get bored reading books, and videos keep my attention. Second I can do it from anywhere, anytime - no classroom or schedule involved. Third - no tests. Fourth - it's free.

As I came to the realization that I have a hard time staying focused enough to read books, I think I'm going to try some audio books.

Sounds interesting and when we can do things on our time seems to work better for me also.

I like to read some books through the year but my priority sitting and reading isn't at the top of my list. I get where you are coming from.

 

[MarieIG]

Well, I would not go for another degree, but I would be interested in auditing; however it would have to have a remote option due to family obligations.

I briefly looked into local classes last year; but did at that time, due to timing issues (semesters had already started - and less programs available for auditing) I did not choose anything. I think that a benefit of auditing a class would be that I might "stick" to one field - instead of bouncing all over the place. I am interested in basic biology/anatomy, healthcare, and finances.

I listen to videos daily. I'm addicted. Some "fun" stuff (brain candy); some financial; some medical; some functional medicine; a little bit of real estate; and duolingo. I found an estate attorney online (from LA) whom I like. I fell asleep to John Campbell last night (phone was on) and woke up to Andrew Huberman. I may have a problem . . .

 

[bigreader]

I attended our local community college and got a "certificate of accomplishment" in Italian. I also took a few math courses so I could see how much I had forgotten since college (virtually everything). No fear that I was locking another student out. Low enrollment is a real issue in majors like foreign languages since everyone thinks that they are a waste of time. Oddly, the returning students were propping up the department! I bet the same would be true in history.

I loved going to community college and loved being with younger students. It worked for me since at the time I had a kid at home and couldn't travel, so the academic schedule wasn't an issue. But all of these classes were for credit, so I had to do homework, show up for class, take exams and follow the academic calendar. I also audited a couple of courses at the local state university, so no exams or grades. Ultimately, I ran out of Italian courses to take without going to graduate school and my youngest moved off to college.

If all you want is information and unlike me, you are self-disciplined, places like EdX are great. But I learn a lot more in class with other people. I really enjoyed my return to school and you may as well.
BR

 

[yakers]

Not exactly back to school but continuing education; DW & I spend a week or two each summer at Chautauqua Institute https://www.chq.org

 

[eytonxav]

I think in terms of American History, Hillsdale College would be an excellent source for a factual account.

 

[athena53]

I listen to videos daily. I'm addicted. Some "fun" stuff (brain candy); some financial; some medical; some functional medicine; a little bit of real estate; and duolingo. I found an estate attorney online (from LA) whom I like. I fell asleep to John Campbell last night (phone was on) and woke up to Andrew Huberman. I may have a problem . . .

I LOVE podcasts! I listen to them while driving, working out and cleaning the house. I listen to the news in French and German, have learned a lot from "In Our Time" on BBC4 (he interviews academics on a wide range of subjects- I can always skip the ones on topics that make my eyes glaze over, such as philosophers) and my reading list keeps growing as I listen to "Fresh Air" on PBS, where they frequently interview authors.

 

[Toast]

Before I retired, I was absolutely sure that despite already having earned a B.A., B.S.E.E., M.S., and Ph.D., I still wanted to return to university to get an MBA.

Not yet retired, but this sounds like me: B.A., B.S, M.S., M.S., Ph.D. Yes, two bachelor’s and two masters degrees. I always regretted that my masters were not in my primary area of interest. Instead, I followed the path of obtaining degrees that were in high need areas with high likelihood of career growth and job security. Thus, I have thought about taking classes during retirement for pleasure. The odds of this happening are slim because there are so many courses available for free online. No pressure, self-paced learning is more appealing.

 

[38Chevy454]

I agree that continued learning is a good thing. But for me not in any formal class setting. I had enough of that. Now it is for things I want to learn more or research. That can vary by the day or project. I believe it is good for you to continue learning and educating yourself.

So OP Ronstar have fun, take it at your desired pace.

 

[Lewis Clark]

I'm the Treasurer for two Homeowners Associations and spend a lot of time using Excel. To improve my Excel skills, and to save a lot of time by automating tedious tasks, I recently completed a short course in the Visual Basic programming language. A second course begins next week.

The macros I've developed so far save me about seven hours every month and help me do a much better job monitoring our finances.

I've thought about learning Visual Basic for many years and now have the time to do so.

 

[aja8888]

Right now, I am researching the best way to smoke a USDA Prime brisket on my pellet grill.

Done with school and grad school (BSME, MBA (finance) years ago). And plenty of follow up courses/seminars.

I wish I knew more Spanish though.

 

[MarieIG]

I LOVE podcasts! I listen to them while driving, working out and cleaning the house. I listen to the news in French and German, have learned a lot from "In Our Time" on BBC4 (he interviews academics on a wide range of subjects- I can always skip the ones on topics that make my eyes glaze over, such as philosophers) and my reading list keeps growing as I listen to "Fresh Air" on PBS, where they frequently interview authors.

For some reason, I had to take philosophy in college. One of the professors, who was infamous for giving low grades, was excruciatingly boring. I thought of it as cruel and unusual punishment.

I like the idea of listening to the news in another language. I'll have to look into that.