A few months back I had a completely unexpected cardiac adventure that resulted in my having an angioplasty. I spent a few days at home recovering and found myself suddenly in the posession of some free time to use as guilt-free hobby time. The problem was, I just wasn’t interested in getting out my toolbox and working on any outstanding projects. This, combined with the sort of self-examination that seems to come after a potentially life-threatening situation made me think about how I might spend some of my time improving myself in some way. I decided I wanted to learn how to do something I had never done before and I began thinking about skills I wish I had.
My only encounter with playing a musical instrument came when I was in elementary school about the time of the Apollo missions when my parents set me up with lessons to learn how to play the piano. I never became very interested in the piano and gave it up as soon as I could wear down my parents, but the experience did teach me to read music amd I’ve always wished that I had taken up some other instrument.
Well, here I was then with a new year starting, still alive and looking for something new to learn so… I bought a violin. I had my first lesson yesterday. Only two days in but it’s fun so far. I’m also learning a bit about humility. I don’t know how many other adult students my instructor has, but I did have the interesting experience of having my lesson time bracketed by small children. Nothing like being a 44 year old 6’5" 300 lb guy (down 15lbs since my surgery!) in a place where the average age seems to be about nine and the average height about four feet.
So, anybody else out there take up something new as an adult? Anyone planning to?
When I turned 20, I decided I would be a horse trader, and studied that for several years, eventually buying and selling horses at auction.
When I turned 25, I took up watercolor painting.
When I turned 30, I decided I wanted to be a pilot and I earned my license.
I got my bachelor’s at 35 and began a new career as a newspaper editor.
I bought a violin and took lessons at 38.
I am trying to get into law school at 42.
So yeah, I’ve tried to learn a few new things as an adult. I like learning new things. I fear I’ll be one of those people who becomes so set in their routine that they’re afraid of change.
I was 22 or 23 when I took up downhill skiing. I’ve managed to become pretty good in the years since, some long time ski buddies who I used to think had god-like abilities on the slopes now seem only a little bit better than me.
Becoming good at skiing was a big deal for me because I am not particularly coordinated or athletic. I really enjoyed the sport though and was determined to get better at it pretty much from the first time I tried it.
Congratulations on your weight loss. I hope you’re feeling better.
I was 34 when I took up higher math as a hobby. I’ve gotten through basic algebra, trig, and geometry, and after getting through analytic geometry, I plan to learn calculus.
I’m 35 now, and I want to learn how to bind books, sew, and work with electronics. As long as you’re breathing, it’s never too late.
Last year, just after I turned 51, I decided to take up ceramics - specifically throwing pots. It was truly humbling. Up until then, I was quick to master most things I tried - flying, knitting and crocheting, gardening, guitar, home improvements, sailing - but something about working with clay evaded me. Still, I was determined I was going to finish the class, and the last piece I made was quite good.
So I signed up for the class again. I still struggled a bit, but I made more stuff, and about halfway through the session, the teacher said something that clicked, and my last few pieces were better still. I’ll be taking my third class starting next month, and I’m seriously thinking about buying a wheel and kiln of my very own.
I’m also trying to learn woodworking, but I don’t think I like that as much. Then again, I may be in the frustration phase.
I’m 53 and planning to take early retirement this coming September (assuming that it’s available, which it has been every year for the last four or five). In addition to having a massive stockpile of unread books & unread DVDs, I have a long list of things I’m considering learning, all of which I’ve always wanted to do but never got around to (or had the time for). Among the things on the list: learning to play a musical instrument (not sure which one, but I’m considering several), woodworking (I was chatting with someone at a craft fair & got info on a “craft camp” where you can sign up for all sorts of classes), and learning a foreign language (I remember a smattering of German from a class I took in college, but I’ve always wanted to learn Gaelic and Japanese). I’m also thinking up signing up for some classes at a local university - not necessarily to get a degree, just for the chance to learn something new.
I taught myself to knit as an adult. I went from doing a straight knitted blanket to mosaic knitting and cable knits, and I think I’m finally ready to knit myself a tanktop…after I finish my son’s blanket, of course.
I teach horsebackriding to adult beginners as well as chldren. I enjoy teaching my adult beginners very much, but it is not the same as teaching children. Some thoughts (and I think most of these items can apply to any adult learning a new and difficult skill):
Advantages adult beginners have over children:
Can understand theory much more easily. More intellectual capacity.
Have more body/muscular control. More coordinated.
Usually really want to learn (not being forced into it by parents, for example).
Less likely to get over-emotional about frustration or setbacks. (Less exploding into tears, screaming fits, storming off as seen in 12 year old girls). More rational problem-solving focus.
More likely to have a specific and reasonable goal to work towards.
More tenacious. More gritty determination to reach goal.
Disadvantages adult beginners have over children:
Are usually unreasonably hard on themselves for progressing at a normal rate (insane expectations of progress).
Confidence is more easily shot by mistakes.
Overthink things a lot of the time, constantly questioning themselves. (Similar but not identical to #1).
Joints/muscles are stiffer which makes some things harder.
Difficulties seeing teacher as authority figure, esp if teacher is younger than selves. Challenging instructor pointlessly or for ego reasons.
Work conflicts, family needs cause more missed lessons.
To all you people starting on big new skills, like languages, arts or a new and challenging sport, I salute you! If I could say one thing to all adult learners out there it would be this: Forgive yourselves for being beginners. It’s okay – it’s even great.
I’m 36 and took up photography about 2 years ago. I’ve become seriously addicted and, while I’m still very much a dedicated hobbyist, I’ve managed to sell a few prints here and there and shot a friend’s wedding.
Well, I’m not in **Large Marge’s ** class when it comes to learning new skills, but I think of myself as a serial hobbyist - I plunge in for awhile, then after I master something, I usually move on to something else. I was doing pottery for awhile, before that I was knitting (I had a goal of knitting a whole sweater - I knitted a couple, then mostly lost interest), at some points in my life I have drawn a lot, I did reverse collages for a bit, I took some web design course, and now I’m currently in school to learn Landscape Design.
I think some of us are just strongly drawn towards learning things, regardless of age. I still have a laundry list of things I want to learn - how to sing, how to play the piano, learn Spanish, and I’m sure I’ll add more things to the list as I go.
I have never chosen to take up a new skill, but I have had a few skills thrust on me.
29 - Failure at (and tedium as well as poverty in) retail management forced me to find a new career, so I took some courses and became a computer programmer.
37 - Foolish accession to my wife to permit her to acquire goats led to me learning how to feed, milk, disbud, castrate, and bury goats as well as delivering stillborn kids. (Some skills are less desirable than others.)
42 - Insanity prompted me to attempt to develop skills as a parent, although I doubt that I have actually mastered that practice.
53 - Crashing job market forced me to learn how to provide inspection services for a civil engineer supervising the installation of water mains and the paving of streets with its attendant paperwork.
Throughout adulthood: various home emergencies have required me to (quickly) learn how to replace a home water well pump and pressure tank, install ceiling fans, re-wire outlets, build large reptile cages, decks, and shelving, rebuild computers, and other tasks in the electrical, capentry, and plumbing trades for which I have no training.
At 26 I got into auto racing, at 29 I started to rebuild a Corvette, at 35/36 now I’m looking at karts and am also looking around the edges of metalworking…whether that turns into smelting and pouring aluminum, or just getting into machinework, I dunno. I’d researched working with Carbon Fiber (took theory classes in college), but the fumes make it impractical to do in a garage attached to the house.
In my professional life i’ve gone from writing engineering software, to being a webmaster in a fairly large organisation to being an expert in network security…I’m always always always learning.
At the age of 30 I started learning to fly (after a private pilot’s license, many hundreds of hours in the cockpit, and over 10 years of adventures I have still not finished learning.)
At the age of 40 I took up scrapbooking. Because I needed something to do on day’s when either the weather is too bad to fly or I don’t have enough money left to fill the fuel tank, I guess.
Is that a fancy term for “deflower?” Are you in some sort of competition with Hal?
At 38, I’ve taken up learning guitar. I kinda sorta played one when I got out of college, produced enough material for 3 tapes, and played bass, keyboards, etc. as well, but this time I’m going by the books: learning chords, fingering techniques, and so on. I think I’m a little long in the tooth to be a Rock God, but in the aftermath of the last Hurricane, a bunch of my neighbors spent their evenings parked around a barbeque grill with guitars in their hands and smiles on their faces. I want to be able to do that, too.
I just started taking oil painting classes. I was one of those kids who couldn’t doodle worth a damn. Everything I tried to draw looked like it was done by a toddler, so I gave up, and never tried to draw another thing until this year, at age 42. And surprisingly, my stuff so far isn’t that bad. Not great, but I can draw people that are recognizable and landscapes that vaguely look like what they are supposed to be.
As an adult I taught myself to play guitar and the pennywhistle and I’m learning piano. I took a few months of piano lessons to get me started on the right foot, and now I just teach myself.
As an adult I also learned to fly, learned to play pool at a fairly high level, learned to play poker at a high level, and self-taught web design, and ccomputer graphic design. I work as a software developer, which is mostly self-taught since my college education was mostly physics and electronics.
I don’t plan to ever stop learning new things. It’s what keeps you young and keeps life interesting.
I hope you’re feeling better.
