Commentary by Eric Ellis
As a fairly recent college graduate, I find myself constantly searching for and craving further structured education. The process of learning and improving on a day-to-day basis was enough to propel me through university despite the ever-increasing tuition price tag. And for those interested in pursuing higher education, many high school graduates and other adults have to forego collegiate-level learning because of the expense. There are, however, numerous options to pursue higher learning outside of academia and within your wallet’s comfort zone.
Trade School Indianapolis, which offers classes in virtually anything you could imagine, is one such example of a local, affordable opportunity. Since the Indianapolis branch’s inception in 2012, members of our communities have gathered around the downtown area to teach a wide array of classes – from the basics of knitting and cooking to more advanced and specialized topics like small business branding and marketing. Since the classes are taught by people within our communities, the subjects are (quite literally) up to you! And the cost isn’t what you might expect.
Instead of paying with an arm and a leg (or, you know, money), those who sign up for classes are asked by the instructor to bring in something for barter. Items for barter are entirely up to the instructor of the class, so it often varies.
Trade School Indianapolis actually gets two birds with one stone – engaged citizens have a forum to share their knowledge or skillset while those searching for extracurricular learning opportunities have a unique array of classes from which to choose.
Opportunities such as these are rare and underappreciated in our busy schedules. Most days it can seem like we’re rushing from errand to errand and multitasking in between – none of which does the body or mind any long-term good.
If you’ve been wanting to learn something new for a while, I challenge you to attend a class or two. Or, on the other hand, if you’re a skilled expert at one of your passions, volunteer your time and share it with others who may also be interested!
You never know just what will come from the simple yet ancient art of passing wisdom on from one generation to the next.
For more information, visit tradeschool.coop/indianapolis or e-mail [email protected].
