It is often thought that learning becomes increasingly difficult with age. However, it is not the matter of the difficulty of learning, but more so the decision to stop learning as one ages. When a person’s career is at their peak, learning new skills becomes optional as they believe to have already learnt everything that is to be learnt. When entering retirement, people wish to relax as opposed to initiating learning and continuously developing new skills. Owing to the span of their lives, people grow a perception that there is no longer any need to learn. However, ongoing learning will enable seniors to attain economic, intellectual, social and emotional benefits through the processes of obtaining skills on a continual basis. Here are 7 ways for seniors to learn new skills and maintain a progression of continuous learning. 

1. Apply for a job

Being senior does not mean that you are forced to give up on working. There are many ways to still continue to utilise the skills that you have developed within the workforce and enhance such capabilities. Taking up on a job that can fulfil your own interests and can be completed at your own pace is an effective way to maintain continuous learning. Explore and discover jobs such as writing a book, creating and selling goods online or locally, baking or caretaking of children or pets.

2. Volunteer

You may also wish to support the community without any monetary incentive through volunteering. With every task or problem that you will confront from your volunteering experience, you will be continuously developing new skills and learning opportunities. Such volunteering opportunities include working for charities, gardening, childcare, creating art, food preparation and music entertainment.

3. Take a course

If you are considering to take up a job or volunteering opportunity that requires specific skills and qualifications, taking courses will allow you to develop the capabilities that you need. Taking short courses through Upskilled is an easy way to attain qualifications, and can be delivered online, at your own pace, in the comfort of your own home.

4. Learn from others

Finding a mentor or someone who holds experience in a skill you wish to acquire, is a great way of assisting you to develop new skills. The personal interaction between an experienced individual will allow an easier communication process and also will help you to be more confident in raising any issues or difficulties that you may come across. Your mentor will also possess specific knowledge in the area of skill you wish to acquire and will have experience in teaching previous people to be successful in learning the new skill.

5. Teach

An effective way of retaining information and exercise skills is by teaching what you have learnt. Seek opportunities to teach and explain a skill to friends, youth or people within the local community. This allows you to have a full understanding of the skill as you are required to answer questions that may be asked. Not only does teaching someone else assist your own development of skills, but also aids others as they gain valuable information and insights from your teachings.

6. Travel

A way to enjoy yourself but also learn and develop new skills is through travelling. Not only will this be a guaranteed enjoyable experience but also acts as a learning opportunity in itself. You will be able to develop and enhance practical skills such as navigation, cultural awareness, as well as learning new languages and technologies to simplify your travelling journey. This will also give you the opportunity to learn how to effectively use smartphones, where travelling applications will assist you to find the best hotels, restaurants and events that are suitable for your needs, as well as providing online translators and maps.