Mature age studies

[DeepBreathing]

I wonder how many here are studying something either for new qualifications or just to learn something new?

I've just submitted this semester's work for my master of science in astronomy. Probably the worst semester I've done to date, the topic was cosmology and the large scale structure of the universe. I've long since forgotten most of the higher maths I knew so this was a real struggle. Next semester is stellar astrophysics and then I'm done!

[AlanE]

I'm not quite at that level but I'm always learning something new. Taking advantage of free technical courses that are available to us. The CompTIA courses and CSSLP, ISSEP, ISSAP prep courses. Should be fun. The courses on penetration and ethical hacking are on that list.

[justMongo]

I'm not taking any formal courses. I have it on my bucket list to take the P.E. exam; probably won't get to that.
I'm doing a little non-fiction writing.

I've really gone downhill the past couple of years. Some days, I get tired just filling my water tub.

[DocWils]

Congratulations to all. I am afraid that in my profession, I cannot crow or boast, because we are required between twice and three times a year to do continuing education in order to maintain our licenses, so I don't think that counts, although the subjects can range far and wide outside our specialities. I wish I had time to take courses in other areas - astronomy is one I would very much like to get a degree in (I am a Patrick Moore-ian at heart) and I always wanted to learn the violin (I already play piano and flute), and of course, the French and Italian cooking refreshers would always be welcome, but alas, time is a precious commodity in my field. I am envious of you all.

[PaytonA]

Doc, with all due respect and I can understand how pressed for time you are but there is an old american saying. "You never have time; you must make time." I am sure that you work on a set of priorities and there are some things that just do not make it far enough up the list to be able to make time for them.

Best Regards,

PaytonA

[AlanE]

Imagine how much time you can spend on learning the violin if you didn't peruse an Apnea forum?

Not trying to get rid of you Doc.

Actually cooking is something I would love to be more involved with. That and nutrition in general. Try to figure out better food to eat than the junk we buy at the grocery store.

[Mosquitobait]

I think it's great that you are using your brain and enjoying the learning. It's a great goal!

I spent 8 years relearning how to read after a brain injury. I can barely keep up with updating myself with all the stuff related to my new health issues. I stick with novels now.

Doc, you can always save the violin as a new hobby when you retire. The fact that you play a couple of instruments already is pretty impressive, but with your time schedule, you would do well simply to keep up your practice. My sister played for 10 or 15 years and just took it up again last year. She STILL isn't back to where she was when she quit, so it isn't quite so easy to jump off and then back on the bicycle. But COOKING, you can always try new things in a free afternoon.

"You never have time; you must make time." <--- the person who said that was never a caregiver or a GP. I'm continually awed by how much time the GPs give to their patients.

[DocWils]

Mosquitobait,

I will retire when they pry my orthopaedic hammer from my cold, lifeless hands . My mentor (who was also the doc who delivered me) was a violin player (and had a Strad) and a deeply civilised man who I admired (and loved) so very much - I felt envious of the evenings he would spend playing with his quartet - it was so beautiful and of course, way more portable than a piano. I think my desire to play a fiddle is a way of getting closer to him now that he is gone these many years. I do miss him. Alas, I doubt it will happen - my finger tips never could harden enough to play guitar, and now they are slowly developing arthritis, so I doubt something as fine as fiddle playing is on the cards. Maybe ukulele.... or if I ever really did retire, I could move to some nice island and surf.... I could totally see myself as an old beach bum. My wife could not, but I can.

For a few years in my younger days I played jazz piano ( I do a mean imitation of Oscar Peterson) in a bar in my spare time, and flute in a jazz quintet (also did the vocals), but I have pretty much lost my chops - too much to do: it is funny how life just takes you over and you never notice it. And the older I am, the more time I am willing to give to the hospital, just to keep sharp, and to help more. It is less about a job any more, and more about this being what I do and who I am, and also a desperation to pass it on to the next generations - they really need it, coming from the technocratic medicine they learn today. But I still love to cook. I come from a long line of restaurateurs, and learned gourmet cooking when I was little, so even now, when I am home for the evening, it is me, not She Who Must Be Obeyed who does the dinner, and me who will hit the open air farmer's market around the corner from our home to get the good stuff early in the morning. She is good with the Italian stuff, being half Italian, and also the Thurgauer(north Swiss) stuff, since that is her other half, me, I do the French and Eastern European stuff, and the good British stuff. Life... it just runs away with you....

[worn_out_in_lebanon]

From Thanksgiving to the end of January I did a sprint to study up and get my PMP certification. (Project Management)

I started a Portuguese course around the same time I started cpap therapy in March. I got through 3 lessons and hit a wall with sleep problems and haven't gotten back to it. The sleep problems are settling down and I've got some mental energy back.

The past few weeks I've been studying up on some modifications to make to my car, and fixing some wiring problems in it (reviewing schematics and pin-outs). Most likely will put a centrifugal supercharger on it, and probably swap the cam.

Oh yeah, let's not leave out learning a bunch about apnea, and treatment, from January until now.