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Hobbies – 3 Great Learning Hobbies For Seniors

Posted by cameron

September 3, 2007 |

As I approach retirement I have been working on some hobbies that will help me “fill the time” with meaningful things to do. They all have a heavy dose of learning attached and are all time consuming in their own ways. They all have a way of peaking interest and eventually hooking you so much that prior to retirement it becomes difficult to fit everything in. This is the perfect situation for making the transition to full retirement. Each one provides opportunities to take learning vacations, each gives a sense of achievement and each will lead in unknown directions. They can all be enjoyed at any age. Perfect! Here is my list:

Photography

Half the fun in photography is the learning. It starts right away with learning about equipment, cameras and lenses. There are tons of books available to learn the basics but classes will be good when it comes to composing pictures. Some things are best learned with an expert. There are many Elderhostel classes in great locations to choose from and many classes are available in colleges and businesses. Going back to school can be fun. Modern digital photography means being involved in the workflow that was once reserved for the film developers and darkrooms. Modern photographers learn how to use products such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe LightRoom or, for starters, Adobe Elements. What was once the domain of professionals is now on that P.C in the den.

The Internet

This is not just the domain of the younger generation but anyone’s these days. The advent of Web 2.0 has made involvement by all of us a possibility. A great way to start is through Blogging. This is the easiest way to get involved and learn that special language that all Bloggers get to know and understand. In doing this you will graduate to other possibilities such as e-business, depending on your hearts desire. You could for instance develop a photography site to complement that Photography hobby above. The possibilities start to become endless. Exciting stuff if you take the time to learn.

Genealogy

This is a hobby that can quickly turn into an obsession and fill your days all on its own. All you need is to install “Family Tree Maker” on your PC and fill in what you know. You will quickly be surprised at how little you know. Get others to contribute what they know and you have a start. A subscription to Ancestry.com will fuel the fire and before long you will be spending time scouring databases, calling far flung relatives and slowly filling in voids of knowledge. You may take trips to meet those relatives and what a good thing that is.

It’s not to say these are the only things to do but each one of these can potentially devour all your spare time and you could just have a great time doing them.


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