If you could learn anything new, what would it be?

[EllieSmumsnet]

Juggling work, family, and everything in between can make studying feel challenging but if you had the chance, what would you love to learn? Maybe it’s a career change, a new skill, or just something you’ve always been curious about.

We know how hard it can be to find time for yourself, so as a little incentive, everyone who joins this thread by 21/04/2025 will have the chance to win £250 to put towards your studies to help make it a little easier. Whether you need study gadgets, coffee credit, textbooks, or even a bit of childcare support.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

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I would love to study nutrition, but because I left school after my GCSEs, I would need to do an access course. There isn’t a part time access course available locally, and I can’t afford to give up my job to study.

I would love to learn to play an instrument, as I think it would be a beautiful thing to share with my toddler.

More languages

Piano!

I think I would learn a skill that I know AI can't steal. Hairdressing or floristry I would love to learn!

I truly believe you can learn anything and it will be easier than you imagine. I’m learning to paint and definitely getting there.

I'm a PPE grad, I would love to do an MA in political economy, economic anthropology or study psychoanalysis. But I'm always a bit envious of people who easily pick up languages and would like to learn Italian so I can read Negri and Tronti in Italian.

Professionally I would love to improve my Excel skills as I think it’s such a useful tool and would enable me to get so much more done.

On a personal note it would be garden design as ours is a bit dull

I would love to do a course on child psychology, maybe open university. I would also love a singing lesson but not brave enough as I'm not very good, I was turfed out of the school choir as I couldn't sing the scale. There were too many of us in it and that is how they decided.

Counselling. I’ve become a lot more aware of people’s issues in the last few years and would like to be able to actually help more than just be offering sympathy and cake!

I would love to learn to play the guitar.

I would love to learn Italian so I could speak with extended family, and maybe visit Italy and actually be able to order in Italian and greet people.

I’d love to learn to play a new musical instrument. I already play one, but it’d be great to play another.

I would love to learn Italian. I have some very happy memories of holidays there when I was younger. I'm currently studying another course (unrelated subject) but would love to dedicate myself to learning Italian next year.

Dancing. Whenever there’s dancing at a wedding or anything I have to sit at the side because I just can’t do it. I’ve tried learning with YouTube and with friends but everyone just says listen to beat and don’t get it when I say I don’t understand what they mean.

Otherwise, I’d love to retrain for a scientific job where you take samples and do observe biodiversity and things like that.

Also, football. I nearly joined a team last year but it’s not the right time in my life to take up such a time consuming hobby, so that never happened. Haven’t completely given up hope but I’ll probably be too old by the time it becomes possible.

My dream would be to take a German translation course and to get into academic translation. I did translation as part of my language modules yeeaars ago, did a couple of bits of paid translation work whilst I was studying for my PhD, and it would be amazing to get accredited. Although I do know that it would be a shaky career move, particularly with the advent of AI. But I can dream....

My degree and career were science-based, so I'd like to study humanities: MFL, music, history, politics, all of it really.

Inwoiodnlive to study coffee. Sounds strange but coffee can taste so different dependent on whatt you drink.

To be happy in myself without the need to be perfect all the time.

I'd love to learn how to use Excel really well - well enough to use creatively. I bekkienevit would help me to order my finances and much else in my life.

To play the saxophone. 😊

Piano. All day. Every day. Though I also like the idea of becoming an excel master.

I would learn North Welsh, because I was offered a job in North Wales (and a lot of the language courses are aimed at teaching South Welsh, which is different again). I always thought that, if you move to another country, you should always make the point of learning the local language.

After that, it would be how to successfully grow my own fruits and vegetables (I'm currently experimenting in How Not To Kill Things), to play my favourite instruments (piano, cello and harp), and how to do more advanced DIY skills (like plumbing and electrics), because it would be very useful!

I'd like to do a Law degree.

I would like to do GCSE in music