Sometimes things just aren't going right. Other times you're stuck in a go nowhere job or you may
be like me - never stop learning. In all these cases and many more, taking a class is a great way to
get yourself away from your situation and back in the learning mode. We often get so bogged down by
our responsibilities it seems like life is going nowhere. It's easy to overlook the fact that
classes can expand our minds. They can help us to rise up the job ladder in some cases, and can
teach us something new.
It's really easy to take a class nowadays. There are many night and even day continuing education
college classes offered at local colleges. Most are relatively low-cost compared to regular classes
needed for a degree. Many of the adult non-credit continuing education college classes do not have
stringent requirements and are designed for personal growth. There are many online classes
available if that's more convenient for you.
Depending on the type of college class and the school offering it, there are even once a week non
credit classes some colleges offer. College classes can be to learn something new or refresh
something you've forgotten. They can offer more details on familiar things you already know. If you
found the class you like but it seems impossible to schedule your time look for another class you
could take so you stay in the mood to take a college class. Maybe your preferred class will be
offered again in a few months so don't forget to inquire at a later date.
Your college class can be in an area you're interested in such as public speaking, digital
photography, breeding tropical fish, trading stocks, or accounting, etc. Both the class itself as
well as meeting other like-minded people will be revitalizing. You never know, you could end up
pursuing what you learn as a hobby, for part-time income, or gain ideas you never thought of
before.
Taking your college class can expose you to other like minded people and you may end up making new
friends. Oftentimes taking classes beat trying to learn things on your own. It forces you to
actually do something instead of just thinking about it. It can sometimes save you from
procrastination. For example, I had put off learning Spanish on my own for years. I finally went
back to night-school in my late thirties to learn Spanish. There were some people I knew that spoke
Spanish and I wanted to learn it. The might-school classes were interesting and I learned a little
Spanish, which was a great help. In Southern California Spanish is a good thing to know.
Other times you might find a subject you never really liked is really fascinating. An example of
such was when I needed an elective class and decided to take a "History of Civilization" class. It
sounded interesting so I thought I'd give it a try. As it turned out, that was one of the most
interesting classes I ever had in college, and I have had a lot of college classes. It changed my
whole outlook on history. It was all due to the excellent teacher who was so enthusiastic about the
subject.
I graduated from a university over thirty years ago and I have gone back to school many times since
then. Sometimes I was able to get free college classes because I could tie them to my job (computer
programmer/analyst). Other times I just wanted to learn more about something I was interested in.
Once a group of thirty-something's including myself, all went to night-school together after work.
We took an astrophysics class at UCLA. I was well out of college then, but still wanted to continue
learning. That class turned out to be extremely interesting. The huge auditorium was overflowing
with students for every class. They were students outside the door in the hallway trying their best
to hear what was going on. Imagine a class on Black Holes and other astrophysical phenomena. It was
so exciting, so spellbinding, that many hundreds of people looked forward to each class. It was
really the excellent and enthusiastic teacher that made the class so interesting.
You may have objections such as you're too busy or you are nervous about going back to school.
However, most occupational classes or non-credit classes are in a relaxed atmosphere surrounded by
others also with busy lives, and not related to the pressures you may have remembered from your
earlier school days. If you think you just can't squeeze in the time, think about when you can. Try
not to make excuses or postpone taking time out for yourself.
Many people even pursue some classes and education at advanced ages. They say it's never too late to
learn and I think that's true. I didn't feel at all out of place when I went back to Riverside
Community College and took some for-credit programming classes. Although I had been programming for
over 23 years and was no youngster at the time, I knew there would probably be other adults in my
night classes. I noticed others too were not youngsters.
If you have a family and you go back to school, you'll be sending a valuable message to your
children that learning is life-long. Education isn't just something that's over once you finish
college, but a life-long learning experience, whether in school or not.
Copyright © 2007 - 2008 Charles Harmon
