We Love to Learn
A pod-to-blog project continues with this article based on Episode 21.
In the season of love during Second Cup, we discussed our mutual love of learning. One of our values is to be lifelong learners. We don’t want to ever stop learning. We want to stay curious! It’s interesting how learning works when you are north of 60. Why in high school did we dread things like chemistry and science fairs, and now we watch nature, and think, as Nancy shared, “I’d like to learn more?” I just love the idea of a senior science fair as Nancy suggested! Let’s figure out more creative ways like this to motivate us all during this interesting season of life.
There are terrific programs for learning for people of all ages, but I got to thinking about this topic in light of my recent journey to my Master’s degree. My goal was to finish by the time I turned 60, and I made it! (just barely!) I actually finished during the global pandemic which makes it especially memorable. I was working at Notre Dame at the time, and it’s a great place to learn. I live nearby so I enrolled in their Executive Master’s of Non-Profit Management. You can take as long or as short as you need to finish it. Because I had a signature birthday goal, I did it in about two years and it was a great experience for me. It was really hard, and I felt good about that. Some subjects came naturally due to work experience but other courses like accounting, statistics, and economics did not. There were many new concepts and I had to really study, and isolate myself from the rest of my life to get the work done. I was with a cohort and that was essential, working and studying together. We aged from mid-20s to mid-60s and all were working in the field of non-profit or education so we had things in common, but were a very diverse group of people.
Nancy shared that one of the bonuses of structured education is being exposed to so much diversity. In her higher education studies as an adult, that was one of the significant advantages. It was great to be exposed in a concentrated amount of time with a shared learning goal with that variety of folks.
Nancy encouraged me to participate in the graduation ceremonies, and I’m so glad I took the time to celebrate that accomplishment, even if it was gray hair poking out from under my mortarboard. And I shared that day with my husband, and with Nancy and her husband, and it was a wonderful celebration. Do it! Sign up! Walk! It will matter and it will matter to those who love you.
Besides formal education, there are so many learning resources available. A few resources:
Craftsy - skill-based craft techniques with free classes.
Master Class - learn from experts in bite-sized lessons.
Colleges in your area. Look for adult audit classes or community outreach, community-based learning, and guest lectures.
Creative Mornings - an international collection of events for people who want to be with other creative people. Look for them in your town, or follow online offerings for virtual field trips.
Get curious! Develop a sense of wonder! Just try stuff! Just make stuff! When we started, we knew nothing about podcasting, and hopefully, our listeners didn’t know that! I’m just so proud of Nancy for figuring out the technical aspects and how we both dove into this medium and made stuff!
POINTS OF GRATITUDE:
Public libraries and all they have to offer
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:
What’s the last new skill or subject matter you jumped in to learn?
What’s easier about learning when you’re north of 60? What’s harder?
What will you learn about in 2024 and what will be your first step?