# Community college type classes become free for all adults, and are set up to work with people's schedules. What do you take **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 30, 2025, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-college-type-classes-become-free-for-all-adults-and-are-set-up-to-work-with-peoples-schedules-what-do-you-take/1020283 "2025-06-30T05:37:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2025, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-college-type-classes-become-free-for-all-adults-and-are-set-up-to-work-with-peoples-schedules-what-do-you-take/1020283/22 "2025-06-30T18:35:35Z")
German. My son-in-law is German, and he is teaching my grandsons it, so it would be nice to talk to them in two languages. Writing. Only somewhat for me, mostly to recruit for the writing club I just took over. We need more people under retirement age. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2025, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-college-type-classes-become-free-for-all-adults-and-are-set-up-to-work-with-peoples-schedules-what-do-you-take/1020283/23 "2025-06-30T18:41:34Z")
[Air conditioning repair.](https://youtu.be/tWo3ZrbJQ3k?si=0CPj-9rGqiFuuLlZ) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2025, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-college-type-classes-become-free-for-all-adults-and-are-set-up-to-work-with-peoples-schedules-what-do-you-take/1020283/24 "2025-06-30T19:07:46Z")
Electronics sounds like it might be fun. I’ve always felt I should have a better grasp of things electricity related especially back when I used to futz around with circuits in my Arduino days (well enough to interface an old Commodore 65 synth chip with it, playable through a MIDI keyboard.) But I had no real idea of what was going on in terms of capacitors and resistors other than I needed certain ones in certain places. Like a vague notion of filter caps and pull-down resistors I had, but not much else, and certain not anything I had to do math and apply Ohm’s Law to or anything.) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2025, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-college-type-classes-become-free-for-all-adults-and-are-set-up-to-work-with-peoples-schedules-what-do-you-take/1020283/25 "2025-06-30T19:10:37Z")
I was paging through the (Oakton) community college catalog at my parents’ and saw an Intro to Upholstery class. I remember pointing it out and laughing at the time. And bringing it up later as _just_ the dumbest thing. But now I wish I’d signed up for it. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2025, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-college-type-classes-become-free-for-all-adults-and-are-set-up-to-work-with-peoples-schedules-what-do-you-take/1020283/26 "2025-06-30T19:50:46Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > I was paging through the (Oakton) community college catalog at my parents’ and saw an Intro to Upholstery class. I remember pointing it out and laughing at the time. And bringing it up later as _just_ the dumbest thing. Upholstery is really an in-demand skill now that people are realizing they are often better off redressing old, well-built furniture rather than buying expensive but curiously poorly constructed new furniture, and also a good way to get into the furniture refurbishing and building business with a low overhead cost, as all you really need is a garage-sized open space, a decent layout table, a second-hand industrial or sailmaker grade sewing machine, and some basic hand tools. If I knew someone graduating high school who is at least somewhat handy, and not inclined or able to afford college I’d recommend it as an option because there is no shortage of work, and its a good living [until your garage band gets discovered](https://youtu.be/1OjTspCqvk8?si=LzcLS6H_Uh1seexS). Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2025, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-college-type-classes-become-free-for-all-adults-and-are-set-up-to-work-with-peoples-schedules-what-do-you-take/1020283/27 "2025-07-01T18:12:18Z")
For me: Economics World history Cooking Physics Astronomy (I promise to pay attention this time) Word & Excel ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2025, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-college-type-classes-become-free-for-all-adults-and-are-set-up-to-work-with-peoples-schedules-what-do-you-take/1020283/28 "2025-07-01T18:22:58Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > I was paging through the (Oakton) community college catalog at my parents’ and saw an Intro to Upholstery class. That makes me think that another good one for me is a chair caning class. We have some old (first half of the 19th century) chairs with caned bottoms. We checked, and it costs a fortune to recane professionally but it would be fun to do in front of the TV. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2025, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-college-type-classes-become-free-for-all-adults-and-are-set-up-to-work-with-peoples-schedules-what-do-you-take/1020283/29 "2025-07-01T18:43:59Z")
Languages (all available) Literature, esp. world literature History other than US Algebra refresher Web design Bookmaking Quilting Lithograph printing Cooking ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2025, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-college-type-classes-become-free-for-all-adults-and-are-set-up-to-work-with-peoples-schedules-what-do-you-take/1020283/30 "2025-07-01T18:50:32Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > So assume in an effort to create [third places](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_place) as well as to help teach the public useful skills, the government decides to offer free community college classes to any adults. In CA and several other states, Community colleges are already virtually free. But there is a class I’d like to see- “economic literacy” How to do a simple tax return, balance a checking account, and spot common scams. In fact i think it should be taught to all HS seniors, even. > [@chela](#): > > Classes/subjects they should teach > > Financial literacy Yep. I’d also add a new law- no one can get a student loan over $1000 to attend the first two years of college. Push students into two year colleges, so they can find out whether college is right for them, without getting stuck with $50000 in student loans, after they drop out. I would take some literature and history classes, and maybe spanish and ASL. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2025, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-college-type-classes-become-free-for-all-adults-and-are-set-up-to-work-with-peoples-schedules-what-do-you-take/1020283/31 "2025-07-01T19:43:49Z")
I’d take: Remedial Poetry for Overly Literal Adults Babby’s First Drawing/Painting/etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/community-college-type-classes-become-free-for-all-adults-and-are-set-up-to-work-with-peoples-schedules-what-do-you-take/1020283.md?page=1)