Help me to be well educated...

[sunsetoverwindmills]

When I was a kid, I was clever. Oxbridge aspiration clever, though from a working class family. Unfortunately teenage me decided that having a child at 18 was a better option.

FF a couple of decades, and I realise I feel deep down ashamed about my failure to achieve my potential. I have a good friend with a double first from Oxford and a new job with quite a few Oxbridge grads and Masters grads/PhDs as colleagues. I feel ashamed of my lack of education, and twenty years of child rearing means I've not exactly been living a stimulating life. Watching Only Connect has been about as good as it's got!

I'm realistic enough to know that I don't have the time nor the drive to apply for a high quality masters (not that I'd be offered a place with my useless degree from a crappy uni).

So can anyone please make suggestions as to what I should do to feel more educated? Able to discuss broad ranges of subjects and contribute to debates with my own opinions, not just ones I saw on twitter.

Start reading? The classics, modern quality novels,broadsheets, The Economist, history books such as the Silk Road?
Visit exhibitions

Ted talks?
Audible book on the subjects you want to find out about so you can listen rather than find the time to read.
Join a book group so you can start discussing your ideas.

Audiobooks and podcasts are good. I would start with In Our Time- even if Melvyn Bragg can be an arse.

Ha...In Our Time can be fascinating. I do listen to it quite often, though how much I retain I don't know. (Maybe I'm peri-menopausal...I think I'm learning, but it doesn't stick)

I've ordered the New Silk Roads book, and will give the Economist a shot next time I'm in WH Smith.

TED talks I try, but find there is so many...I get a bit overwhelmed.

Brilliant suggestions though...keep them coming please!

OP, first, please start with having a little more faith in yourself. Many people still aspire to have a degree. There will always be some better educated than you and some less. If you though wish to broaden your horizons - read newspapers (Economist, Times, Telegraph etc.), books, visit galleries, or perhaps consider some online college courses. Courses aimed at gaining better understanding of the particular area not necessary at qualifications.

Watching with interest,
I went part way through uni before I left, I was doing quite well but now I think I couldn’t even begin to write a simple essay well.
I started buying the economist (rather than just reading the daily fail rubbish) but I sometimes find the language a struggle

The done to death Radio4 often has stimulating discussions, but must be approached with caution. Can be terribly sober, proper and tiresome.

So when did you do your degree? You do have that which is a good start but I think being educated is more than having a degree. It’s more about having a broad education and being curious enough to find out more. Being interesting to talk to is always a plus.

I know I’m way more curious than my DH. I also know a few people who are very well educated and I certainly cannot compete regarding literature! However I can in other ways. My DD loves Art so we go to exhibitions. We both go to ballet and occasionally opera. Some local opera performances are cheap. Definitely read more. It doesn’t have to be very difficult literature - The Silk Road isn’t the easiest - but look at The Sunday Times for book reviews. See what you are interested in.

Go to museums. Visit galleries and exhibitions. Be interested in gardens or whatever you fancy. Learn about local history. You will always have something interesting to say.

One of the best things to do at the moment is to understand politics and economics. Not to degree level but enough to discuss a topic with someone else and not sound ill informed.

Travel if you can. That always helps with knowledge.

I like Radio 4!

I did my degree last millennium! And it's in.....squirms....Consumer Studies!!

I think the broadsheets and Radio 4 are a good way to go too.

I have a degree from one of the aforementioned places, but as it is in Maths it is no use at all in sounding educated in every day life. Only really helps for MN discussions on BODMAS.

Why not do OU? It's a really good way of disciplining yourself to do the work. You can get a student loan if you've never had one before too, to cover the costs.

You could then gradually do Masters (and PhD) later on. My ambition is to make sure I'm Dr Torch before I die, so I can have it on my gravestone

What are you interested in? So we can give book/TED talk recommendations.

I like reading non fiction...mainly sociology and anthropology (and civil service policy papers )
But I don't know much about music or film, and I read trashy sci-fi and fantasy rather than modern 'high brow' novels.

Do you have any hobbies? There's a lady at work who sews and I love hearing about her craft projects even though I can only sew buttons and darn holes.

Read, podcasts are great, radio 4 - just random programmes because that's how you build eclectic knowledge. The other way is to bluff, I am fortunate to have mixed in very educated circles so I learned just to wing it (I have a crap degree from a decent uni)

Sunnysomer said exactly what I would. The Economist is absolutely brilliant at giving you a round up both of world events and global trends (eg automation, AI). After a year of reading it (if you’re like me) you’ll have a vague understanding of Middle East complexities, faintly understand what’s happening in Venezuela, have a better grip on us politics... like you I mingle with a lot of very bright and well educated people and the point of this is to be able to have a good understanding of the world and chat about it (with people who want to). Look at the booker prize list and pick a book off that, or the Pulitzer or the women’s prize, read the Atlantic, basically read a lot of different papers (everything from the guardian to the sun, the times the mail, the Irish times, the New York Times). Oh, and def read history books, doesn’t have to be the most academic, but for instance something like The Churchills is fun and very easy reading and puts so much 20th c stuff in perspective. Then you will have interesting and well informed views and can chat to anyone. That’s all it’s about really. Although do remember that most people are bluffing a little bit, and it’s as much about learning how to talk to people as much as anything.

Talking politics podcast is brilliant!

I think consumer studies is really interesting! As long as you can say, ‘oh, I know it sounds a bit leftfield, but at the end of the day the way we spend and acquire drives so much of modern life, and I’ve always been fascinated by our motivations to consume’.

And not eg ‘um, I don’t know it came up in clearing so I just thought, ah well, could be worse.’

Fake it til you make it! That’s the only ted talk you need!

Definitely Radio4 all day long. Just have it on in the background.

Futurelearn courses would also be good. They’re just short so you can dip into something and see what interests you.

Read and read widely: especially the broadsheets and "popular" history/science (still academically rigorous, but something that you don't need to focus as hard to assimilate, as it reads more like a narrative). Also magazines like the Spectator, Economist and Foreign Policy - all have good quality and well-written articles.

Be curious about everything - and ask if you don't know, whether it's the name of a plant or of a particular change in bell-ringing.

Check out Brewers for background to popular stories and myths that people reference but you are not sure about - and a good book of quotations is also an asset (according to either Wilde or Churchill).

Also take a look at Future Learn/Coursera etc: there's MOOCs for almost everything you can think of, as well as much no-one csn- from law to epidemiology to computer programming. You can participate for free, or upgrade to a certificate route if you like - and it's a good way to learn new skills or if you prefer things to be more structured in order to learn. My favourite one so far has been on human trafficking (am not in law enforcement) closely followed by international maritime law (also not a lawyer, sailor or pirate ) There really is something for everyone.

If it’s general conversation then probably history stuff might be useful? Start with overview books eg What on earth happened? by Christopher Lloyd (aimed at older kids, bought it but haven’t had time to read yet).

Zoom in on whatever takes your interest and get more specific books which analyse the material (preferably with at least a couple of different views). I guess you could see if there are any forums/message boards talking about your areas of interest to see what points people rate. Google stuff. Sometimes museums

Some museums/libraries will put on talks or discussions - particularly the big ones in London. Some arts/literary/science festivals have free talks.

How about travelling? I’ve learnt a lot through travelling.

I’m not sure in what context you feel you should be more educated?
I’m one of those people who can talk to anybody about anything. I just like talking to people. I’ll chat to toddlers in buggies, yoofs, professors, I really don’t mind.
The trick is to make yourself relatable, I think. I’m not after impressing anybody with my knowledge.

I love politics, so I read a lot of newspapers, listen to radio.
I also love art, so I go to a lot of art exhibitions. Talking to the artist about his/her work can be daunting, but it’s more daunting for them. Last time I went to one I talked to the artist about ...brain surgery. Don’t ask me how we got to that, but we spent ages on the subject. So...🤷🏻‍♀️ (Ok, I happen to know my onions about the subject, but still...)

Radio 4 and reading. We are so lucky now. When I was young, to find out anything I had to go to the library and look it up. Now I can do that instantly on my laptop. So get off MN and start googling!

I'm amazed at having read a couple of other threads on here tonight, where people are feeling hard done by that various things (specifically pensions and the Boer War) "weren't taught at school". Classic nanny state thinking. School doesn't teach you everything, and your education isn't over because you've left school.

I'd love to do more travelling, but the kids and husband don't necessarily share my thoughts on what makes a good holiday.

Exhibitions and events is a good call.

I've never had a particular area of interest, so it's hard to focus in on one particular thing and go deep!

If you put a gun to my head and asked me to pick something to do as a Masters Degree, I'm not sure I could.

You can do OpenLearn courses on the open university website for free. They're small sections of their degree courses, really good I find.

Im also biased on this, but I think Classics can open up a whole intellectual world to you -philosophy, literature, art, theatre, languages etc. it can seem such a massive subject but I got into it when I was younger through reading I Cladius and Mary Beard then onto simple, modern translations of Homer and stuff.