Learning is incredibly fun. After having most of the joy sucked out of it at school, I’m slowly rediscovering my passion for self-directed study. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Add to that that the unlimited online skill development opportunities and there’s literally no excuse not to sign up for interesting courses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Personally, I’m a fan of Udemy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although the courses are more expensive initially as opposed to a monthly subscription, they seem more comprehensive than their Skillshare equivalents, at least in the technology category. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some also seem to be on special offer, providing quite the bargain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In no particular order, here are 12 top polymathic<\/a> picks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps one of the most powerful life skills to learn is public speaking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Analyse any great leader<\/a> and their ability to engage an audience with words is often evident, providing a potent vehicle for persuasion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pre-COVID, I’d been researching the possibility of joining my local Toastmasters group, offering weekly speaking practice with a live audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I’ve since researched online options and discovered UltraSpeaking<\/a>, which looks good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My mum is an excellent touch typer, and spending inordinate lockdown hours with my face glued to the computer, I see immense benefit in writing quickly and accurately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Every morning I try to place my hands in the correct keyboard positions to familiarise myself with the keyboard layout and finger selection. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s slow work initially, but will hopefully pay dividends as my technique improves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m currently doing a coding course<\/a> on Udemy, born partly from personal interest, but also to develop my professional skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s certainly helping, not just in hard coding skills, but also stretching my mind in novel ways with new problem sets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Coding seems, on the one hand, like a system of logic, requiring close analysis of the desired end result and subsequent reverse engineering. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, there are multiple approaches to solve a problem, with creative thinking<\/a> a crucial part of the mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A while ago I considered investing a little money in cypto, but shortly afterwards, the crypto bubble burst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This digital gold volatility is frequently a Twitter hot topic, so a better grounding in the fundamentals might prove useful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m considering follow-up lessons by my coding course instructor to understand the underlying principles of the currency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, this would be useful professional skill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I’m working on a website and tweaking visual elements, I tend to get lost in the process and enter an immersive flow state. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, my skills currently lag far behind my enthusiasm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I don’t know which course is best, but perhaps Photoshop or Figma tutorials might prove useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I love wood as a material and its wonderful variance in appearance and texture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Working with our hands is a natural human inclination, and yet as a society, we seem to be losing practical skills at an alarming rate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, I’d like to offset some of my digital activities with analogue hobbies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Prior to lockdown, I tried to book a basic carpentry course. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If no formal instruction is currently available, the next step might involve YouTube videos and self-experiment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After buying a motorbike last year, I was peeved to immediately discover a series of mechanical problems keeping me off the road. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not knowing where to start, I petitioned the help of a friend and mechanic to solve the issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Although it was annoying not to be able to ride, I did learn much more about bikes and their mysterious riddles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This has encouraged me to develop my mechanical knowledge in case I ever break down in the back of beyond again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perusing Udemy’s online courses, a robotics course<\/a> caught my eye. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It seems incredibly fun to play with electronics and build robots. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe it was my fascination with watching Robot Wars when I was younger! <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the main attractions is that the course is purposely aimed at teenagers, covering all the basics, which the instructor says are essential for adult learners<\/a> alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stimulating such childlike curiosity can only be good thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’ve played the guitar badly for years and currently sit at an annoying level, where I can play most chords and learn solos through memorisation, but lack the real ability to improvise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n My playing feels wooden, with no natural feel for the instrument. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I feel I need a structured course to cover the essential theory and practice I’ve inevitably missed through self-education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It would also be great to accompany the songs with some tuneful singing, but this might be a step too far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s good to have a few party tricks up your sleeve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Although I’m personally uncomfortable being the centre of attention, magic is a fun way to test these social waters, especially as the focus is on the performance rather than the person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The ability to captivate onlookers with nifty sleight of hand and misdirection surely has extended applications beyond the raw skill, in terms of public speaking, psychology and persuasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’ve loved juggling from a young age, primarily due to the feeling of flow it cultivates over the performative aspect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Coordinating the simultaneous movement of balls requires a level of concentration that suspends the thinking mind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Much like driving, however, it’s an activity that when learned, can prove incredibly relaxing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I’ve always found three balls fairly easy, but progressing to four is whole new ballgame (pun intended), and it seems I’m a long way off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This one’s more of a wish than a real want. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Like everyone, I love eating nice food – I just don’t find the culinary process that precedes it very enjoyable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m sure this has something to do with an utter lack of skill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If I were to learn even the rudimentary underpinnings of meal preparation, it would surely kindle an increasing interest in the subject. <\/p>\n\n\n\n1. Public speaking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Touch typing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Coding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Crypto-currency<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. Design<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
6. Carpentry<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
7. Motorbike mechanics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
8. Robotics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
9. Guitar +\/- singing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
10. Magic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
11. Juggling<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
12. Cooking<\/h3>\n\n\n\n