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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?

#91
post #65
post #11

I learned Korean, re-learned French. Learned to build cigars and since I'm a later bloomer, learned about parenting (had my first child at 40).

Any resources for learning French? Did you learn it casually (mostly for speaking, I mean) or more seriously - like for reading French literature?

I started with Duolingo, then reading children’s books and slowly progressed up. Also I started reading French news sites with lots of help from google translate

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

#92
I started reading a lot during corona. And I still am. I read all sorts of books, self help, philosophy, technical, sci-fi.

I’m so happy I finally started enjoying reading, and I will never stop now. It’s not only made me more calm, but also I tend to listen more to others, rather than needing to say my opinion on some subject. It’s like the more I read the more I know I have a lot to learn from others.

Even though I started late, it’s nothing I regret :-)

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

#93
post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 commerci…

I specifically remember seeing this distinction in, of all things, a 40's war-era Superman comic, where an everyman G.I. character tasked with truck driving was told, "anyone can steer - we need drivers!" Which makes me believe "drive" probably is nautical in origin and then corrupted through casual usage in automotive transit, where steering and driving are more often equated.

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

#94
In my 40's I built a cyclekart[1][2], which involved learning how to weld (not very well, but still), and how to do some fiberglass work.

[1] https://www.cyclekarts.com/ (cyclekarts in general) [2] https://www.cyclekartclub.com/registry/2012-CycleKart-Custom... (my cyclekart in particular).

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

#95
Machining. It started with YouTube. I picked up a lot of concepts and that set my brain to recognize these tools. Then I randomly bought a milling supply company basically for almost nothing while shopping for interesting deals.

Well, now I have multiple tons of milling tooling and so obviously I need a 3-ton milling machine. Looking at an older CNC mill.

So that’s one skill. Another is automotive repair. My skill level is high enough to do engine replacement. Just bought a car lift today to make everything easier. This does intersect with other skills - I use oscilloscope for automotive troubleshooting, which is not far from software engineering and electronics. This led me to almost opening a mobile A/C repair business. I acquired most of the equipment I needed and got certified for federal licenses. This got delayed because of the machine shop company that fell into my lap. That’s just a much bigger opportunity.

I can credit YouTube for introducing me to many interesting skills and hobbies.

Competitive dancing. I have been a good dancer since 16 years of age, but then I studied with world championship teams. At that point, the dance is a tightly choreographed athletic activity. I was going to start competing this year, but that will have to wait a little. There are various age categories, so I can compete on equal terms with other similar couples.

Relearning math. I am not terrible at it, but I am attempting to create a curriculum that does not focus on rote memorization.

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

#96
Learnt to code and went back to school to do a dual MS in math and statistics in my 40's. I think I was interested in each of those things for their own sakes, so working on them was a hobby which meant I didn't mind putting in a lot of time learning them

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

#97
post #95

Machining. It started with YouTube. I picked up a lot of concepts and that set my brain to recognize these tools. Then I randomly bought a milling supply company basically for almost nothing while shopping for interesting deals. Well, now I have multiple tons of milling tooling and so obviously I need a 3-ton milling machine. Looking at an older CNC mill. So that’s one skill. Another is automotive repair. My skill le…

Same, with a similar trajectory but not similar investments for the future. This Old Tony, Applied Science, and Abomb were all strong motivators.

Great luck with the business venture.

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

#99
I am almost 40. Recently learned wave boarding, a new language (indian) and a few cooking things during pandemic.

Just when pandemic started I realized I am happiest when I am learning something. There is something to look forward to every day.

Most of my new skills come because of my son. We do it together. He is faster at learning physical stuff, i am good at finding small improvements

It's been fun

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

#100

I will be 40 soon. I picked up the rudiments of Sanskrit enough to be able to understand lectures in the language and read straightforward prose. I also gained a basic understanding of Indic philosophy, but I suppose that is not a skill. Now my aim is to deepen these skills to more advanced levels. Currently I am also trying to learn Physics and Mathematics at the undergraduate and post-graduate level. It's taking fo…

>I also gained a basic understanding of Indic philosophy, but I suppose that is not a skill

It is a Skill, just not a physical one. Study of Indian Philosophy is a lifelong endeavour where you have to continually challenge yourself with different concepts, interpretations and models of the world.

PS: You might want to get the multi-volume A History of Indian Philosophy by Surendranath Dasgupta for reference.

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