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Ask HN: Have you picked up any new skill from scratch in your 40s or later?

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Re: Ask HN: Have you picked up any new skill from scratch in your 40s or later?

#81

Post by Grazester »

japhyr wrote: post #3

I've always thought it's important to learn something significant in each decade of life. In my 20s I started teaching and doing long-distance bicycling trips. In my 30s I moved from NYC to Alaska, and started doing mountain rescue work. In my 40s I started writing and learned to drive a boat on the ocean. That was intimidating in a fishing town, where it feels like everyone else has known how to drive a boat since t…

Question. It is normal to say drive a boat? My father was a sea captain for his entire life and never used the word drive. I also grew up around fishermen and being onboard when they were in port,them like my dad used the word steer or captain.

Re: Ask HN: Have you picked up any new skill from scratch in your 40s or later?

#82

Post by akudha »

harryf wrote: post #75
akudha wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

wow, standup comedy. Performing anything in front of people is hard, comedy is even more harder. This is awesome. Did you follow any structure to learn comedy? Or are you a natural?

Honestly I “nerded” it. There’s a bunch of “how to” videos on YouTube plus I was anyway watching a lot of comedy. The pattern I’ve seen when people start standup seems to go like this ... Extroverts who are comfortable in front of people tend to try to “wing it” and don’t prepare material. Introverts (like me) tend to work harder on the material and actually having good jokes. This can be advantageous but you have to…

Thank you for answering. Do you have your standup videos online?

Re: Ask HN: Have you picked up any new skill from scratch in your 40s or later?

#83

Post by harryf »

akudha wrote: post #82
harryf wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly I “nerded” it. There’s a bunch of “how to” videos on YouTube plus I was anyway watching a lot of comedy. The pattern I’ve seen when people start standup seems to go like this ... Extroverts who are comfortable in front of people tend to try to “wing it” and don’t prepare material. Introverts (like me) tend to work harder on the material and actually having good jokes. This can be advantageous but you have to…

Thank you for answering. Do you have your standup videos online?

Only one really... which is where this might all seem a lot less impressive ;) But here you go https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mQOad1cb-A

Re: Ask HN: Have you picked up any new skill from scratch in your 40s or later?

#85

Post by taylodl »

I got a 2nd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and learned how to play the guitar - all after 40. Your 40s and 50s are great because most people have a surplus of 3 vital resources: time, money, and health. You have the time because your kids are older or have moved out of the house. You have money because you've reached peak earning power. You generally are young enough to still have your health so you're still able to do things. It's great. I know people who kept learning new things well into their 70s and 80s.

Re: Ask HN: Have you picked up any new skill from scratch in your 40s or later?

#86

Post by pravenj »

Started learning music (Madal, Nepali drum and Clarinet) at age 43. 4 years now and getting allright at both with no previous skills.

Hope to make a set of Youtube videos for learners like me soon.

Currently putting together a website that showcases unwritten and undocumented music, dances, cultures called http://www.viewpedia.org Heavily focused on Nepal right now as I come from here.

Re: Ask HN: Have you picked up any new skill from scratch in your 40s or later?

#87

Post by japhyr »

Grazester wrote: post #81
japhyr wrote: post #3

I've always thought it's important to learn something significant in each decade of life. In my 20s I started teaching and doing long-distance bicycling trips. In my 30s I moved from NYC to Alaska, and started doing mountain rescue work. In my 40s I started writing and learned to drive a boat on the ocean. That was intimidating in a fishing town, where it feels like everyone else has known how to drive a boat since t…

Question. It is normal to say drive a boat? My father was a sea captain for his entire life and never used the word drive. I also grew up around fishermen and being onboard when they were in port,them like my dad used the word steer or captain.

Here in southeast Alaska, I usually hear people say "drive". For example if people are talking about a somewhat sketchy or tense return from a trip, you might ask them "Who was driving?"

I never hear anyone say "Who was captain?" or "Who was steering?" "Captain" seems to imply a title, and "steering" sounds like you just took the wheel for a moment.

That may be different for people who spend a lot of time on commercial boats. When I've been in formal settings, say on a police boat while doing search and rescue work, we will talk about the person who is filling the role of captain. But we still say that person is "driving" the boat.

Re: Ask HN: Have you picked up any new skill from scratch in your 40s or later?

#89

Post by sangli »

soneca wrote: post #10

Maybe not the example you seek, but I learned programming (web development) from scratch when I was 37yo. I did it online (freeCodeCamp), by myself. 6 to 8 hours a day for about 8 months until I got my first job. Now I am 41, I am still new to the new career and continuously out of my comfort zone. But once I am more used to the pace and life of a programmer, I will probably want to learn something else. No idea what…

Could you tell me what courses you took ?
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