Task #9: Universal Class and Life Enrichment

Universal Class looks like a great resource. I didn't actually sign up for any classes or for an account, though. I'm just not ready for any kind of structured learning right now (it's only been a year since I finished school--I need more time).

It looks like there are some great life-enrichment courses that would be fun to take, for instance: "Dog & Cat First Aid, Care & Maintenance," "How to Can, Freeze, Dry and Preserve Food" (although, if I had named the course I would have called it "How to Can, Freeze, Dry and Otherwise Preserve Food"--I think "Otherwise" adds something special, don't you?), "Soap Making 101," "Therapeutic Bathing 101" (I noticed that under "Other Related Classes in Alternative Medicine," it listed "Sewing 101"--Really? I did not realize that sewing was alternative medicine), "Birdwatching 101: Food, Feeders and Behavior," "Braiding Hair 101" ("...for the aspiring hair braiders who would like to start a hair braiding salon"--????), "Animals for Everyone: Penguins," "American Literature Review" (oh wait, I have a degree in lit, maybe a "high school level" course wouldn't be that enriching--hmm...), and "Horseshoeing Basics: An Overview."

I must say I was surprised that there was no basic course specifically geared towards first-time home-buyers under the Real Estate Section. There was a course entitled "Eleven Best Kept Secrets to Buying Real Estate," but it seems to maybe focus more on investing in Real Estate than on the needs of a person who just wants to buy a house and has never done it before.

One thing I noticed that would be especially great for patrons is the section on GED Training--I'll definitely keep it in mind to recommend to people.

As far as staff training goes, I found a course entitled "Basic Research Skills." Unfortunately, I am a little skeptical after finding the following sentence in the course description: "While some people might prefer books to be organized by authors, when you are organizing reference books." I'm sorry, but this sentence is not valid.