One of the silver linings this year is all of the courses you can take from the comfort of your own home.
Did you know that there are over 120 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (OLLI) connected to universities throughout the US? Usually, students meet with university faculty and other specially selected instructors in person, but now that courses are offered virtually, you can take courses from almost any OLLI.
Because I am a Cal alum and live in the Bay Area, I am most familiar with the OLLI at UC Berkeley. Enrollment for fall classes starts on July 8th, but there are still summer courses that you can join.
Music, History, Astrobiology, Film, Literature, Sociology... and more. I want to take them all.
I also love the wide-ranging courses listed at Carnegie Mellon's OLLI. They have many Summer courses that have not started yet.
Check out Biomimicry in Architecture if you are a fellow design fan. And they are offering courses in everything from birding to history to identity theft protection.
Comfort While Studying at Home
Some of our Tips for Working from Home and Tips for Setting up a Home Office may be helpful. You definitely want a supportive chair.
Nowadays, many retailers sell chairs that adjust in four or more places, such as this office chair from Home Depot.
If you are going to spend a good deal of time looking at a computer, be sure to have your monitor high enough that you are not straining your neck by looking down at your computer screen. (The monitor height in this picture is not high enough, even if the chair is nice. A couple of books under the monitor would help!)
It might be time to buy an external monitor if you usually use a laptop computer.
Study with Celebrities
Did you know you can take a course with a celebrity? You can via Masterclass. Helen Mirren, Margaret Atwood, so many talented athletes, writers, musicians, scholars! Consider a cooking class with Gordon Ramsey or learning more about gardening, photography, tennis, presidential history... there are so many topics, all online. Purchase the All-Access Pass for just $15/month or sign up for a single class.
Online classes at Masterclass.com