Learning online

[Deleted member 2634]

Being laid off at work due to corona situations I've found that there's a lot of sites where I can learn and get certificated for various skills.
There's the Google Digital Garage Learn online marketing with free courses

There's Saylor academy - Saylor Academy

and there's Alison - Alison | Free Online Courses & Online Learning

I just wanna know if there's more nerds like me...and do you still learn new stuff every now and then?

I made a promise to myself that with the corona situation I'll learn/start learning something new every day...so that's a challenge, who's with me?

Tell me what you're learning, where and why, let's stay motivated!

 

[glenwilson]

As one of the older folk on here I agree that you never really stop learning. I started work in a lab in a brewery testing and tasting beer. Then worked in a lab for Coca-Cola before getting made redundant. Did a summer job baggage handling for TWA (yes quite a while ago) and then got into IT at British Airways. Started just loading the tapes onto the decks but also started learning about computer operating and then became a computer operator. Moved to Scotland after getting an operators job up here, then moved to the printing side of IT becoming Print Manager. That function was outsourced so got retrained as programmer/analysts. Then was redundant again and did car photography for a couple of years.

Probably the best thing I did was become a union rep. Not because we were militant but because of a bully we had in the department. Whilst job related knowledge is important as you need to keep at least up to date and even better if you can know what is coming too. People skills are vitally important too and the union side of things taught me so much that also helps with non-work life too.

For us, when we got locked down, there wasn't a huge change in what we did apart from not going out and travelling. Since retiring though I have had had more time to do things around the house that I would never have the time to do before. There are a lot of people sharing knowledge on YouTube on how to do stuff. Just make sure you look at a few videos so you get a range of ideas as to how to do something.

There are many places like Lynda: Online Courses, Classes, Training, Tutorials (now LinkedIn Learning) that do training courses on all sorts of things and do a free 1 month trial. There are other similar places for more specific skill sets.

In addition to job or skill related learning it is also a time to learn something creative. That could be cooking, sewing, painting or just reading. Binge watching TV is OK but trying something like painting is fun. Kids painting sets can be inexpensive if you just want to try it.

one of my biggest failings is learning another language. I have tried apps but am just useless at it. Did french for about 6 months and still have real trouble learning. Have had to admit that I am just not able to do it. Know enough words to be polite and get by but not enough for a conversation. Annoys the crap out of me that we were never taught a conversational language at school rather than formal exam type stuff.

 

[glenwilson]

As a quick follow up…

Not had a proper holiday for over two years now. This year was for obvious reasons and last year was because my mum was meant to have a hip replacement done then wasn't then was but then didn't. Not looking for sympathy here. Last winter the weather was just awful, not in a snowed in for weeks way but just dark and raining so it wasn't possible to go out then either. So it feels like we have been on lockdown for about a year now even though restrictions have eased recently.

We have been busy doing decorating but there are still days when you just get feel totally fed up. Yes it is easy to just sit and fester. But doing something like building a model kit or trying painting (even if it is so bad it goes in the bin) takes your mind of things. Learning is also a positive distraction. All these things help with your mental well being. It is Ok to feel fed up and it is OK to be selfish and do something you want to do or like doing. If you learn some new skill or knowledge on the way the great.

 

[RIZLOID]

I too have started learning all the AtoZ categories in xHamster, Im up to Y and then start again in case I missed something

 

[Deleted member 2634]

I don't know what xHamster is

 

[glenwilson]

Is it to do with gerbils that have changed species and are now ex-hamsters??

 

[lakaelo]

I too have started learning all the AtoZ categories in xHamster, Im up to Y and then start again in case I missed something

thats not E-learning...its W-learning

 

[Deleted member 2634]

Yesterday I had a talk on the server with someone who was atleast a bit inspired to pick up some online learning so I thought this topic is perhaps useful. Here, I decided to present you a hidden treasure, which is a course called "Buddhism and Modern Psychology", it's taught by a Princeton professor and you can easily take that course at : Coursera | Online Courses & Credentials From Top Educators. Join for Free | Coursera

 

[glenwilson]

The trouble with that title is that it will immediately put some people off. Having thought about it I am definitely atheist but would define myself as humanist. That said there are a lot of good things in religion especially when it comes to empathy and helping others.

Before you started this thread I had been looking at restarting out with the Open University. I had previously done a reasonable amount of technology related courses (usually on the train commute to/from work) as it was more work related. Tempted to change direction and look at arts side of things. Just need to pull my finger out and do it.

 

[Deleted member 2634]

Do it!
It's so worth it and gives you satisfaction.

Actually yeah, the title about buddhism is rather offputing for some, but the lecturer is actually a psychologist and looks at budhism in a different way. Like - some of our emotions are sort of preprogrammed and are therefore "false", just like buddhism teaches.

For example, if I tell you a lot about rattlesnakes, show you pictures and then you go jogging and I'll tell you that the area where you jog is rattlesnake territory, you'll be a bit anxious. And if you see a twig or a rope which will slightly resemble a snake, you'll jump on the nearest tree = >false emotion... right?

But if you look at it from the point of evolutionary psychology, this is good, because 99/100 times, there's no snake, but jumping out of the way 99 times is so worth it for the one time, when it's actually a snake.

Sometimes other emotions work that way, be it self-judgment, predicting the future (I'll fail the test, I'll get sacked from job...), or black and white thinking (I'm the worst, everyone hates me) now you can label these as "false" and get some distance from the thoughts and emotions and gain confidence and life-fullfillment. That's why I recommend the course.

Also, it doesn't talk much about Buddha, or dharma or whatever, it's basically the buddhism principles on which he builts up a nice layer of modern psychology.

It might help us all a lot during these trying times.

 

[parafant]

I've completed two courses.
Baking without flour and fucking without a wife.