Online courses

From starting a business to cake decorating, there’s an all-you-can-learn buffet with websites like Coursera or other offerings.

Apps for everything

Ready to learn a new language? There’s an app for that. There are apps out there that can help you do anything you wish. All you have to do is seek out what you’re looking for.

Social media groups

Find your tribe on social media. Facebook is still popular with older generations, but if you’re looking to get out and network, there are groups you can find online that meet offline to network and learn.

Get Social and Smart at the Same Time

It’s understandable if you don’t want to learn alone… after all, where’s the fun in that? Time to make new friends or grab the ones you have. Book clubs could be great way to get out there. Book clubs do more than just eat and sip wine (but that may be fun for you too). This is a great way to expand your knowledge base, get into new genres, and more. If you’re already starting something new, get a few study buddies. It’s time to team up with your tribe and learn together. You may learn more and have fun while doing it.

Offline Learning with Old-School Charm

Computers are great, but who wants to be behind a screen all the time? There are times when you need to feel the paper between your fingers or interact with others in person.

Afternoon or evening classes

The local college isn’t just for young folks. Go to some of those seminars on your favorite subjects or take the ceramics or self-defense class.

DIY clubs

Woodworking, knitting, or fixing cars – this is your chance to be hands-on or even get a little dirty. You’re going back to the drawing board like in kindergarten. This time though, you’ll be armed with tools instead of crayons.

Volunteer to Learn

This is a good opportunity to teach what you know and learn something new while you’re at it. Have you thought about becoming a mentor? You can share your life skills with others and pick up some other skills in return. If you’re mentoring younger people, you’ll learn a lot about technology.

Community projects are also good. You can start a garden or assist with building a playground. If you have experience in project management, you can lend your expertise, or learn more about project management and how to operate the tools needed to get the job done.

Embrace the Newness of Tech but Don’t Forget the Classics

While technology is cool, there are some things that can’t be replaced. For instance, you may have an E-reader for your books, but libraries are still popular. They are also free! You can go online and reserve a book you want to read or take a course where the course materials are mailed to you. When you want something tangible to touch, these are great learning options.

Laugh at Your Mistakes

Remember when you learned how to ride a bike? You got back on and kept it moving until it was easy, right? Now apply that to everything else you do on this learning journey. You will probably make tons of mistakes, especially when dealing with tech, and there may be a lot of terms you need to learn because the “lingo” keeps changing, but you’ll get there.

Learning after 50 is all about enjoying the process, on your terms. This is a time when you can broaden your horizons and laugh at yourself when you call your family members because you’re trying to learn how to use something. Keep it light, keep it fun, and keep learning.