I once had a coworker who was always in school. He earned a master’s degree (night classes) during the time we worked together, but once he finished that, it was pottery classes, automotive classes, and wine classes at the community college near his house.
Learning doesn’t stop when you grow up.
It was inspiring to know someone so committed to lifelong learning. After all, who says you should stop learning once you’re an adult?
If you’ve ever thought about trying out a new hobby, exploring an interest, learning a foreign language, or gaining new and valuable skills, you should check out continuing education.
Continuing education could be just what you need.
Who would enjoy (and benefit from) continuing ed classes?
- People who need computer skills, such as Excel, PowerPoint, Word, or QuickBooks.
- People who could use help in the job search – résumé writing, career assessment, or standing out in a tough economy.
- Designer types interested in learning new software, such as Photoshop, InDesign, or Dreamweaver.
- World travelers (or aspiring world travelers) who want to learn French or Spanish or German (or all of them).
- People who like to draw, paint, make jewelry, (or want to learn to do those things).
- Parents who want to fine-tune their skills as moms and dads.
- New real estate investors who want to learn the ropes.
- Photographers.
- Curious people.
…and lots of others!
Just to give you an idea of the wide range of interests covered, here are five cool continuing education classes that were offered last summer or this fall at Front Range. And this is just the beginning—search here for classes at the campus near you (or for online classes).
- Fly Fishing for Beginners∙ $79 ∙ Includes three classes to learn fly fishing basics and a Saturday fishing expedition.
- Islam in America ∙ $60 ∙ A three-day course dedicated to understanding the politics and citizenry of the second largest religion in the world.
- Hapkido: Gaining Awareness and Relaxation through Martial Arts ∙ $105 ∙ Hapkido is a Korean martial art that combines kicks, punches, throws, take-downs, join locks, and grab-and-knife defense. 10-week class.
- What the Guys Never Tell Us Part I: Basic Power Tools ∙ $79 ∙ Teaches ladies how to use the cordless power drill and cordless circular saw.
- Hottest Travel Careers ∙ $25 ∙ Teaches students to make money as a part-time or full-time home-based travel agent—and travel for free arranging group tours.
Other places for continuing education.
Your local community college has a lot of great continuing education courses, but don’t stop there. You can find classes in a lot of places in your community. Be sure to check out:
- Your local library – Find basic computer classes, book clubs, writing classes, and English conversation classes at your local library – not to mention reading programs for kids of all ages, a plethora of tween programs, family-oriented programs and events, and more.
- Hospitals – Sure, you can take baby and parenting classes at hospitals, but did you know that many also offer a variety of health care, fitness, and wellness and nutrition classes?
- Recreation centers – I’m a huge fan of rec centers. They offer so many affordable classes for people with many different interests – and not just fitness classes.
- Senior centers – Senior centers offer a lot of fun and educational classes, from dance to writing to computers to foreign languages.
What just-for-fun classes have you taken before? What did you love about them?
