Have any of you done any structured learning recently.

May I ask please, but don't answer if you don't want to, what level of education, if any, that you have already achieved in the past?

I did; I did a BA hons. degree in English Literature and have an MA to finish. I loved it and miss the studying, plus the tutorials, sadly curtailed by covid.

Would you be willing to say what topic or topics your MA is about please?

I did a Cert Ed, Dip Ed, and B.Ed, all in the sixties and seventies, plus numerous in-house Education courses. courses.
Eng. Lit. again, considering Oscar Wilde but not sure what direction it will take yet.

Thank you.

I did an MA in Landscape Archaeology full time when I retired. DH did distance learning dgree in Opera Studies during his final years at work and a full time M Mus in the same subject after he retired.

Most academic years I do at least one extra-mural course at Oxford, my local university. This always includes a non-compulsory essay, which I almost always do, The only two I haven't done were the results of uncongenial tutors and unexciting courses, that would have abandoned had the course not been so expensive. 2 in 25 years.

I am on holiday with the the Oct 2022 list of courses as my holiday reading.

I finished my degree in my forties then two diplomas in jewellery design and gemmology. A business course then followed as I was new to the business when I remarried.
I have done various courses with OP to do with planet change and environmental studies. The Highland clans Irish potato famine and Judaism. Since retirement I have continued with doing courses as it's all very interesting and keeps my brain ticking over.

I did an open university BA (Hons) in my late thirties and a PG diploma in counselling and a masters in counselling in my forties. I’ve also got advanced certificates
and post grad diplomas in clinical supervision so I’m qualified to supervise other counsellors work. I enjoyed all the studying but doing a taught masters and dissertation whilst working full time almost did me in!

I’m teaching my self Portuguese, does this count, I’m doing quite well!

Nannylovesshopping

I’m teaching my self Portuguese, does this count, I’m doing quite well!

That sounds interesting. Can you say how you are doing it please?

I did an on-line TEFL course last year.

I was horrified by how little I knew about grammar! I know I was slower than the average student but was comfortable working through the modules at my own pace.

I really enjoyed the course, learned a lot and am finding it useful in a volunteering role now.

I completed my Open University Honours degree in the Arts in my late 50s. Over the years, whilst still at work and now retired, I have always had a course on the go. I have done loads at OUDCE (Oxford University) and the CATS points I obtained became part of my OU degree. I was particularly pleased that points from a course on Progressive Rock Music of the 1970s went towards that degree! OUDCE do some excellent Day Schools as well. I have also done lots of face to face courses at the V&A. The best ever course I did was a year long course on London, Medieval to Modern. Nowadays. Everything is on line with Microsoft Teams. My current course is on the Edwardians.

Wow. I have to admit I wasn't expecting so many replies. As a great believer in lifelong learning of all sorts, I am full of pride for my fellow GN members.

My DIL challenged me when I told her I "needed a few more lives" to do everything I thought I would like to achieve. Reading about you getting out there and doing it is inspiring. My brain will toss this about while I continue to see what is added by others.

I did my BSc (Hons) with the OU in my 30s MSc in my 40s, OUBS management courses in my 50s . I would done something else if it wasn't so blooming expensive but I have done a few freebies e.g. Setting up a Community Enterprise, Creative writing

Life as a teacher was one long continuing education! Add to that the study of new A level texts, new courses, new mark schemes ( and applying them!), by the time I retired, you would think I had had enough,
But I trained with Citizens Advice, a traditional certificated course over several months, not the short one they seem to do now, and we always need to keep learning on the job.

I did an MA in 2016.
It was not in the same subject as my undergraduate degree from all those years ago.
It was exciting and liberating to do something entirely for me.
Just go for it!

StarDreamer I study Portuguese with Duolingo online, brilliant and free!

I did a PGCE in my mid forties a few years ago.
I’d love to do some more learning - maybe a degree in the visual arts, or another MA.
I definitely need the structure that you mention DaisyAnne, but I resent how much it costs, and I couldn’t really justify it.

Nannylovesshopping

StarDreamer I study Portuguese with Duolingo online, brilliant and free!

Thank you, Nannylovesshopping.

I started an Open University Humanities degree when I retired. I have one more year to go.

I took an exam in Victorian Studies - the teaching was excellent and went on to do a Masters at Birkbeck College, London. It was wide ranging and hard work but enjoyable. I also did GCSE in law at a local college which again used most of my brain cells but was really good. I was in my fifties at the time and was the oldest in the GCSE class but felt very welcome. I'm now learning Welsh on line purely for fun to keep my brain cells going and because there are Welsh connections in my family

I am a great believer in life long learning.

Despite being quite bright, passing my 11 plus and attending a prestigious grammar school I was a hopeless student, hated school and regularly played truant, I left school at 15 (1966) without a qualification to my name.

I was shipped off to secretarial college but was eventually expelled. Again for truancy. I was lucky in that, despite my appalling record, I landed a training post with British Rail as it was then. They paid for day release where I learned secretarial skills, shorthand and typing. For every exam I passed my salary went up by 25p a week (five shillings - a small fortune to me back then).

Then it dawned on me......there was value in this education milarky. ?. I knuckled down, enrolled for night school and gathered a clutch of GCE "0" levels as they were known then.

That was it I was hooked. I married but unfortunately my first husband didn't appreciate my brain so I gave up official studies but did continue to self educate, devouring the library. (This was pre internet).

Then when I was 40, with a much more enlightened and supportive 2nd husband and two young children, I finally went to university as a mature student where I studied art and design.

Since then I have continued to self educate, continually learning and "feeding my brain".

During covid I really got into you tube. You can learn anything on the internet. I am currently trying to learn about the intricacies of the stock market and economics., as well as brushing up my Spanish and Italian. I have also engaged a personal tutor to improve my computer skills.

Onwards and upwards, I think I might take up piano lessons one of these fine days. Now that I'm retired I am not bothered about passing exams nor do I feel the need for formal qualifications, I just do it for enjoyment.

My MA was much cheaper than a BA.
It was also part-time which suited me, and I paid fees monthly so affordable at the time.

I did an OU degree (BA Open) in my 50s, just subjects I was interested in - classical studies inc. Latin and Greek, but level 3 courses were Eng Lit - the 19thC novel and Shakespeare - 10 plays. Enjoyed all those courses - final two were a lot of work though.
Had previously studied only modern languages at degree level.