by Joseph Casciani
Re-defining Ourselves and Our Purpose in Life
Years ago, a young gerontologist / psychologist by the name of Ken Dychtwald, PhD, shared his vision for the aging society based on the changing demographics occurring in the United States. He saw how changes in longevity, interests, and lifestyle would create a shift in our thinking about “growing old” and how the traditional, linear, and predictable retirement process would become a process that was more cyclic, with opportunities for second and third careers, new social networks, and deep changes in our thinking about what we are capable of with advancing age. Dr. Dychtwald has since become the foremost thinker and visionary regarding the marketing, health care, and workforce implications of the burgeoning older adult population. His company, Age Wave, guides companies and government groups in product and service development for the boomer generation.
Today, retirees and pre-retirees are seeking new vocations, volunteer opportunities, and paid positions that are either in line with their careers or completely 180-degrees opposite their life-long work history. This article offers some of the leading sites for adult online learning, covering virtually any topic, where you can work at your own pace from your own home or office, and learn new skills needed to pursue your own goals. Many sites offer free courses, some sites have partnered with leading universities, some offer credit toward undergraduate and graduate degrees, and some just provide “lessons worth sharing” for the curious adult learner.
Here are some of the best websites for adult online learning:
Udemy – choose from a library of over 45,000 courses, with details about the courses, hours it will take, lectures and videos, required skill level, and other information;
Coursera – university-based online courses that match the same classes that are taught at various accredited universities around the world;
OpenEdu – based in the United Kingdom, this site is touted as an open university: open to people, places, ideas, and methods;
TechBoomers – oriented toward general internet and technology knowledge, learn how to use popular websites and apps, and “improve your life with technology”;
GCF Learn Free – tutorials on using the digital world, and for beginners who are new to using computers, including smart phones and tablets, social media, and computer basics;
LearnMyWay – onsite learning opportunities for those who want to learn to use the internet, with topics on emails, online shopping, safety and privacy, and public services online;
Lynda – now named LinkedIn Learning, this is an educational website with over 4,500 courses on business, creativity, and technology-related topics, and is a subscription-based website;
Open Yale Courses – operated by Yale University, an extensive catalog of online courses that can be searched and filtered by discipline and field;
Carnegie Mellon University Open Learning Initiative – course materials available at no charge, focusing on high-quality, scientifically-based lessons;
edX – an extensive list of global educational partners with MOOC (massive open online courses), many offering certificates and credits that can be applied toward college degrees;
TED Ed – a site that supports learning in general, with access to text lessons, videos, and interactive lessons on over 200,000 topics.
Ease the Journey
Clearly, there is no shortage of learning opportunities to expand our horizon, build new skills, and pursue new paid and unpaid work opportunities. To re-create that identity as a “student” again, here are some useful products you may be interested in: