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

Insight T&Cs apply

I'd like to do a course in aquaponics, growing veg and fish in a symbiotic system.

I would like to do a course in financial advice / debt management to change career and re-train in that field .

I would love to sing well

I just want to learn how to sew properly and adjust clothing - it would make such a difference to my daughter who has lots of clothes inherited/ passed down / bought from charity shops that don't quite fit as she has a very large bust. Depressingly she wants a reduction already (she's only a teenager - 34G and a clothing size 10/12). I'd love to have the skill but still using trial and error to work it out.

Male psychology.

Oh dear there is a long list, how to name just one, or two! Play the clarinet .

My dream is to learn book binding and book making. I have so many digital files that will just die with my hard disc but if I could make beautiful artefacts of them they could be heirlooms.

Sign language.

I have a degree in design and I’d like to learn different disciplines now my youngest has left for university. I’m interested in working with stained glass - I always wanted to make a memorial panel for my late husband, which I would put in an internal window.

I’d love to learn cupcake decorating, I make lovely cakes but have to keep the decorating of them simple!

Photography but to a professional standard.

Maths to degree level especially statistics. When they explained the spread of Covid I could follow it but the day after - it has gone.

A language. I would love to learn Spanish or Greek.

Floristry

I think I would want to learn something like photography, I've always wanted to get behind a camera and learn how to properly take photos!

I wonder if Lincoln College do photography degrees? This could work well alongside my family commitments!

Spanish

I’d love to improve my French to almost native level and to be able to do translation work, with the qualifications to prove it. Currently I have B2 which is enough to work in France but I’d love to get to C2.

Would also love to study the new Natural History GCSE.

I would like to learn woodwork wish it had been taught at school instead of cookery

BSL, I'd love to do one to one with a Deaf tutor for some hours to refresh my skills. If it was just for fun though it would be pottery .

I love dancing and would really love to learn some proper dance styles. An African dance style, jump style shuffle, belly dance, shuffle dance and a classic Indian style. In that order of priority.

I’d learn welsh!

dgd aged 5 attends a Welsh medium school despite none of us speaking Welsh and I’d love to be able to have a conversation with her in Welsh to help her a bit.

I would absolutely love to learn to play the cello. Just need the money, time and space!

I've always wished I could ice skate but there has never been a rink anywhere near me. I've been a few times but either spent most of the time on my backside or woodenly juddering around the edges. Even if they built one down the road now, I'm now of an age where I'd have to be much more cautious than when I was young

I'd love to be able to speak Arabic

I'd love to learn to play the harp. Unfortunately I do not have the £, the space, or an ability to read music. Maybe I should stick with another language, BSL would be my preference too. It looks like a lot of people on Mumsnet would like this - maybe an online tutor we could all access once a week or so? It would be a wonderful skill to have 😊