SkillsFuture + anything related to upskilling/learning something new!
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@thebottomsupblog When SF first started, there seemed to be more “hobby” courses. But somewhere along the way it became more narrow and focused on “work” skills. That may have been an intentional decision? I guess it’s how the govt feels that taxpayer funds should be spent.
Perhaps there could be another category of SF courses which are not so work-related, which are subsidised but to a lesser extent? I’d love to be able to do some craft-type courses, or even repair/mending courses, not necessarily to start a business, but just for myself and others? I recently tried to sign up for a clothes-mending/upcycling course, but found that although it’s listed under SF, it can only be taken as part of a much longer and expensive course intended for those who want to start a business!
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@sharonkhoo I think this idea of learning for fun can be quite difficult in SG!
However, I feel that there are still enough short-term courses that can be taken for fun, like street photography (my husband did that over two weekends) and sketching at places like NAFA.
During my early motherhood phase, I did start this little initiative with my moms’ network, where we paid one another $20 to learn a skill, and this included sewing! Maybe among ourselves, we should start our own community initiatives.
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@thebottomsupblog I would like to learn a bit more sewing! I already know some, but new ideas and projects would be fun. A community group might be a good idea!
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T thebottomsupblog pinned this topic on
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@sharonkhoo I have a friend who gave us sewing lessons a long time ago! At the time, our project was a kid’s hat!
What have you tried to make?
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Just to update on my specialist diploma learning journey — I’m in the final month of my course, which began late last year!
Mine is a counselling-related course, and I felt that it was “easier” to grasp concepts, compared to a STEM course. When I did a STEM-related course, a lot of time was spent watching other videos on YouTube by other lecturers, in order to really understand what was being taught. (For example, when I did a stats module, I watched a lot of the full-length lectures on this channel: https://www.youtube.com/professorleonard)
This being said, we still had to put in a lot of effort for this counselling course, to do our essays and q&a interviews to walk through our work, as well as mock counselling sessions.
For anything at degree or post-grad level, it would probably require even more energy and commitment!
Would love to hear from other parents who are doing diploma/degree courses currently, especially while working full-time or part-time! What made you choose your course, and what do you hope to do with what you’ve gained, once you graduate?
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@thebottomsupblog I’m lazy, so I just keep things simple. I’ve done skirts (rectangles, elasticated waists, with a side pocket), slip on dresses and blouses (squares/rectangles with appropriate holes!). I guess what I need might be tuition in the finer things like zips, cutting accurately, and how to make use of different needles and feet of my sewing machine (too lazy to read and experiment). Quite a lot of my earlier things were done by hand as I didn’t have a machine when I was overseas.
Learning to upcycle old clothes into new items might be fun!
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@sharonkhoo I did a quick search as I was curious, and this fashion upcycling course also bundles in photography and e-commerce
https://www.sirs.edu.sg/courses/sustainability/sustainability-ecommerce-business-for-companies
Other places that are dedicated to DIY fashion (and possible upcycling) seem pricey!
https://www.fashionmakerspace.com/collections/wsq-skillsfuture-sewing-classes
Will update if I spot any friends going for such workshops!
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@thebottomsupblog I’ve looked at these courses - they tend to assume that you’ll be wanting to start a business (probably true for many), but not really for hobbyists. I’ve seen various online courses and videos, some better than others. Currently, my method is to first decide what I want to do, then look for a video! But it’s not the same as being guided in-person.
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@sharonkhoo I think that really says something about our learning culture, that “just for fun” is not quite the expectation!
But in our fam, and with my networks, we do a lot of “just for fun” stuff
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