Learning doesn’t have to stop even after you’ve graduated from college; there are a wide variety of workshops and classes to attend that will enable you to acquire new skills as well as improve the overall quality of your life in general. Below are a handful of our suggested self-improvement classes.
1. Cookery
Whether it’s learning how to use a knife properly and safely or putting together some of your favourite dishes, cooking classes are a great way to spend some idle free time you might have used up lounging on the couch watching television. You can take a single class for an afternoon or enrol in a course that takes you through the basics and intricacies of your favourite international cuisine. If bread and pastries are more your jam, take a crash course in basic breadmaking or baking. You may come to find that there’s nothing more rewarding at the end of a day than eating the fruits of your own labour.
2. First Aid and Survival
One of the first things you’ll learn in a fast-tracked first aid training course in Sydney is how to keep your cool during an emergency situation. Knowing how to provide CPR for someone injured, whether it’s at home or the workplace, can be the difference between life and death. Likewise, you can prevent your risk of long-term injury if you know how to apply first aid on yourself if you happen to sprain an ankle or experience heat sickness while outside on your own. Accidents can happen anywhere to anyone. Learn how to stay safe and maybe even save a life— it’s a lifelong skill that can always come in handy.
3. Another Language
Ever wanted to know how to say “I love you” in French or properly pronounce tricky menu items? Learning a second or a third language is not only fun and useful while traveling, but it can add value to yourself as more and more workplaces place a premium on multilingual employees who can converse with international clients at a fluent level. As the world increasingly becomes more global, there really is no excuse anymore not to even know basic greetings in some of the world’s most prevalently spoken languages, like Chinese.
4. Handicrafts
If you’re the sort of fidgety person who always needs something to do with your hands, taking up a class in something like knitting or embroidery can go a long way towards managing your stress and anxiety levels. These activities can be soothing to the mind and can be done whilst seated before the television or listening to a podcast. Learning how to make things by hand can also come through in a pinch when the holiday season comes around and it’s gifts-giving time: presents you made by yourself will always be more thoughtful and heartfelt than ones bought out of a store. Try your hand at pottery or jewellery-making, and you may even be able to convert those skills into a small business.
5. Computers and Technology
Sometimes it can be frustrating and difficult to figure computers out – whether it’s trying to make sense of Excel, learning how to install an app, or troubleshooting your network when the internet goes down. Living in a wired world can be confusing for many adults and downright mystifying for those of an advanced age, but it’s never too late to learn how to make technology work for you instead of the other way around. Think of how much stress you’ll be able to save yourself from if you know what those blinking lights in front of your modem or router mean and how to decipher what they’re trying to tell you! Beats having to call the company for an appointment for onsite repair.
6. Fitness and Exercise
Start your new year off with a bang by finally and truly getting around to that resolution of losing those extra few pounds or getting more active. There is a plethora of reasons to get up and onto your feet, chief among them heart health, but exercising regularly can also do wonders for your mood and overall outlook. Sign up for Zumba or dance classes at your local gym or enrol in a crossfit program to really get that body ready for the beach.
Investing in continuing education can have many advantages, not least among them keeping your mind sharp while being productive uses of time. What classes and workshops are on offer in your area? Which ones are you most interested in?
