cheap classes

[thespian.livejournal.com]

nothing against the previous poster; but I'm wondering where all of the area's *cheap* classes are. I've seen writing classes for $400, music for $150 an hour, even 90m over at the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts costs $100.

When I lived in Toronto, I did a full day class in tofu making for $5. The local adult education schools were $50 (canadian, when it was worth 80 US cents), for 6 week classes. I myself taught free classes in computer literacy.

Now, it's not that I don't believe the classes exist. I'm sure they do, and there are places where they can be taken. But I just keep not seeing or hearing about them. So what are your favourite resources for people who can't afford classes that cost more per hourthan they themselves earn?

Comments

[knowthyself.livejournal.com]

It's not the kind of prices you might've found in Canada, but the ones at the Boston Center for Adult Education are pretty good prices: http://www.bcae.org

[larksdream]

Hmm. The last class works out to $15 per hour, which seems reasonable to me. Paying for space in the Boston area is pretty expensive, for one thing.

However, that's not what you asked. :) Have you tried google? "somerville community classes" got me this page, which mentions a 10 week class for kids and teens for $85.

[thespian.livejournal.com]

That's fine; you charge what you want and people pay it, but *I can't* afford 1.6 times what I earn per hour (as I mentioned), and certainly not up front. Many of the classes I took back home were one day things for $10 or $20. That's what I'm trying to find.

I'll look into the Arts Council offerings, but since I'm 36, nothing aimed at children and teens is likely to take me.

[thespian.livejournal.com]

thanks. Most of those still break down to being $30-50 an hour of class time, unfortunately, but I saw a couple one shot sessions that were $10-15 for 1-2 hours on a single night. I may consider that.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

FWIW, I've wondered the same thing. I feel like they must be happening, but I don't know where. I hear about things here and there, but not very often.

[larksdream]

Oh, I was just using that class as an example of the price range; I have no personal investment in whether you investigate it further or not.

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

There's the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. Not as cheap as you would like, but this page (http://www.ccae.org/policies/policies.html) says they have a limited number of scholarships available, so it might be worth calling to ask how they can be obtained.

[aquaflame16.livejournal.com]

you may also be interested in this:
http://www.bostonskillshare.org/
I know nothing about it. Just heard about it somewhere and thought it was a cool idea.
Obviously the main events they talk about on their website happened already this year(including apparently one in Davis ?!?! did this actually happen?) but maybe it'll be useful in the future.

[ruxxell.livejournal.com]

i hear library cards are free.

[thespian.livejournal.com]

and I work at a bookstore, but keep practicing, and you might make it on b0st0n someday.

[thespian.livejournal.com]

that looks nifty. I'll need to keep an eye on that for later. Thanks!

[nomacmac.livejournal.com]

Arlington Community Ed is more affordable than Cambridge and Boston http://arlingtoncommunityed.org/

[curiositykt.livejournal.com]

While I agree the comment was snarkyish, the public libraries, with your free card, do put on any number of free programs, including some classes... and they are nearly always empty.

one also just needs to remember that the cost of living is wicked high here as well... perhaps you could learn interesting things and meet new people volunteering... that's generally free.

[fanw.livejournal.com]

I seem to remember something about Somerville residents being able to audit a Tufts class for $40. That is, $40 for a term. Can anyone back me up on this?

[turil.livejournal.com]

I think it's actually free. I checked it out last year, but there was nothing I wanted to take that wasn't already full. Paying students get first dibs, and the community folks have to hope that there are spots left for them. It's fair, I guess, but not terribly useful if you want to take the good classes!

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

But still, incredibly cool! I'll have to think about that.

[turil.livejournal.com]

Try looking for free public lectures and talks at the colleges and libraries. There are all kinds of really interesting events happening at Harverd, Tufts, MIT, etc. You might need to look deep into a website or wander around the department that you are most interested in learning something about. For example, I love education and epistemology and such, and so I check out the Harvard Grad School for Education's lecture series, and see cool people like Harvard Gardner and Steven Pinker for free.

I'm backing you up

[peregrinehill.livejournal.com]

I did that over the summer. For $40 you can audit one class in each of the two summer sessions. I highly recommend Intro to Philosophy!

Residents of Medford and of Somerville can do community audits. During the regular school year, you can still community audit, but it costs $150 per semester and there are certain classes that aren't available, like lab sciences and foreign languages. Some professors don't mind grading your work, which is awfully nice of them.

[enfa.livejournal.com]

Bikes not Bombs repair classes work out to be 10$ an hour. http://bikesnotbombs.org/bikeshop-classes
Would your employer chip in a few bucks towards your education? Perhaps your boss could use some help with basic bookkeeping.
Also - please consider that courses which seem expensive in the short term should pay off in the long term - e.g. a course in management skills might mean a pay rise and promotion at your job; A course in meal planning might save you 20$/week if you use what you learn when you shop.

[enfa.livejournal.com]

see http://ase.tufts.edu/summer/collegeRegisterOtherInfo.asp?register#noncredit

Somerville Education Coop

[ospatu.livejournal.com]

there's a new group of movers and shakers who have started a community education co-op known as the Somerville Education Coop; here's their myspace page:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=230950016

drawing classes and the like. also check out Springstep in Medford and SCAT and CCTV (cable access stations in Somerville and Cambridge that offer a variety of computer and media classes) and CCAE.org and Arlington Center for the Arts

good luck!

mama G

[thespian.livejournal.com]

Since I'm earning less than $9 an hour after the taxes come off, I'm not exactly working in a field where employers pay for training, I'm afraid.

Unfortunately 'expensive in the short term' works out, for me, right now, to 'completely unaffordable in the short term'. I could *maybe* scrap together $50. But I'd eat ramen a few meals that week. And I certainly can't afford/justify that for a one host class. Hence the request for classes that don't cost too much up front.

Re: Somerville Education Coop

[thespian.livejournal.com]

that's very interesting. Also, I note that (while I don't want to learn to draw), the drawing classes are by the same person who had posted the class that got me thinking about it; but they're done for drop in, $15 a class. It's not what I want right now, but that's a lot more reasonable for my pocketbook and schedule. Thanks very much.

Re: Somerville Education Coop

[wbaltic.livejournal.com]

The Somerville Education Coop is still ramping up. As a board member, I can tell you the following...

1. We have created on the back end one of the most comprehensive class/workshop aggregators for the city (it also includes Porter on the Davis side).

2. We're in talks with some other education providers in the city to see what partnerships can be developed before the official rollout.

3. "official rollout" will most likely be in the spring.

Ok. With that said, there are many low cost, and in fact, no cost options within the city. Here are some of the highlights...

-The next general Dorkbot meeting will be a soldering workshop. Right now this is scheduled for the last Thursday in November, and it is free and drop ins are welcome.

-The Kennedy pool offers swimming for very little (I think it's under $8).

-I know Spark hosts a free stitch and itch (ok, not really called that, except for those of us allergic to wool). Spark's a cool place.

-The YMCA has a low daily rate which gets you into the pool and other equipment.

-A.C. Moore in Assembly Square offers very inexpensive crafting classes such as scrapbooking, etc. for around $15.

-The YesAndPractice acting group (drop in improv) is free, but has been on hiatus this month after the passing of the leader. It is reorganizing and will return to Willoughby and Baltic November 18th. It meets on Sundays at 4:00.

and there are more. Basically, to find a low cost education opportunity, look for a group that is meeting about the topic you are interested in. Usually there will be knowledge sharing and informal workshops as part of the group.

The more expensive classes work out great if you are serious enough about the subject matter to find someone who will be dedicated and commited to teaching you, and who is willing to take on responsibility for the marketing, space rental, and all the other issues that come with teaching a class. If you are a very busy professional, it makes sense to spend the extra money and be able to just show up, instead of joining a group and being expected to volunteer your time, or be an active participant in an organization.

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

Have you tried the Somerville recreation department? They have adult arts and crafts classes, as well as adult athletic programs.

http://www.somervillema.gov/Department.cfm?dept=RecYouth

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

P.S. I forgot to mention that you will either have to call them or drop in to find out what is offered because the web site is always out of date.

Re: Somerville Education Coop

[jodi.livejournal.com]

I will be keeping my eyes open for the somerville education coop. this sounds like a great addition.

my former cities (minneapolis/st.paul) and the surrounding suburbs each had a very comprehensive community education program that covered everything from language classes, kids activities, cooking classes, crafts, bus tours, theatre nights, car repair, computing, accounting, etc, etc, for some insanely affordable prices. $40 for 8 weeks of Swedish or Hmong, or Somali or whatever language you wanted, $15 or $20 for an eight hour car repair primer (some just for women), 8 weeks of belly dancing or tap or modern jazz for $40-$60.
So you can see that the higher cost of community education that goes along with the higher cost of living is not just affecting Thespian. I will make not of the craft classes that you have mentioned, too.

[enfa.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry that my answer was not helpful. I hope that you get your life sorted out.

Plonk.

Bunker hill comm ed

[kalimba21.livejournal.com]

http://www.bhcc.mass.edu/PDFs/Fall07CommedWEBTOTALRED.pdf

They have a lot of classes, some very reasonable.
Still, it is some money up front.
but, for example, a foreign language class, at $129, works out to about $6/hr for instruction.

[janusirsasana.livejournal.com]

Check out the MIT OpenCourseWare website. Lectures from courses offered at MIT are available for viewing online, and it's free.

[nomacmac.livejournal.com]

What kind of classes are you interested in taking? If you could be more specific, people might know of some opportunities.

Mahoney's Garden center in Winchester has free seminars on things like containter gardening and cooking with herbs. http://www.mahoneysgarden.com/FallSeminars.aspx

[thespian.livejournal.com]

definitely; I already have my iPod loaded with OpenCourseWare; if you have iTunes, there's an 'iTunes University' in the store (though they're all free), and it has all the courses from MIT and 2 dozen or so other schools, all nice and browsable. Really handy, and I went nuts in there ;-)

[thespian.livejournal.com]

that looks neat. I actually garden, act, do about 20 craft type things, am very, very interested in cooking skills, love going to public lectures, worked at CCTV (love the video classes), I'm a web designer and graphic artist at times. I didn't really specify anything because, aside from hard science (and I love the softer sciencey stuff, I just don't have the high end math skills to understand a lot of the hard stuff), I'm actually quite interested in anything (and others above also chimed in with 'I've wondered that myself', so I was trying to be very multitasking question about it).

[nomacmac.livejournal.com]

Somerville Garden club has monthly meetings with guest speakers on a variety of topics. The Somerville Museum occasionally has classes and lectures associated with whatever exhibit is there. Last month there were some hands-on mosaic demonstrations. Check the libraries (including Cambridge and Arlington) for guest speakers and classes. AC Moore and Michaels have cheap classes on crafty-type stuff (I think most are one day things, but they also have longer term cake decorating classes)

That's all off the top of my head, but I'm sure there's more. Check the Calendar section of the Thursday Globe, and the Somerville Journal for local stuff.

Malden Sketch Group

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

Here's another low-cost idea:

Malden Sketch Group

One of the longest-running life drawing groups featuring nude models in
the Boston Area, the Malden Sketch Group has met weekly for the last 12
years. Artists of all levels of ability and experience are welcome and
may participate on a regular or drop-in basis. The fee is $6 per week to
cover the model's fee. There is no instruction, but plenty of friendly
advice and feedback if you ask for it.

The sketch group meets every Monday, 7-9:30 p.m., at the Oak Grove
Community Building in the upstairs room, corner of Washington, Winter
and Glenwood streets across from the Oak Grove T Station. There is a
free parking lot available diagonally across the intersection from the
building.

On the first and third Mondays of the month, the model is asked to do a
long pose. That means that the model stays in the same pose for the
entire evening (with breaks, of course). On the second and fourth
Mondays, the model is asked to do short poses. This means that the model
assumes many different poses throughout the evening, starting with
three-minute poses progressing to 15- or 20-minute poses at the end of
the session. If the month contains a fifth Monday, they vote informally
on how to use it.

New as of May, members meet every Thursday evening at the same time,
same place, same cost. At this session a clothed model holds one pose
for the whole evening for a portrait.

There is no art equipment provided, but there are chairs in the room.
Show up with simply a pencil and a pad of paper or with easel and
paints. Many artists come prepared to do quick charcoal sketches on
short-pose weeks, but bring a more elaborate set-up for a long-pose.

SCAT

[pearlythebunny.livejournal.com]

Have you tried Somerville Community Access Television (SCAT)? Their classes are almost free.

http://www.access-scat.org/training/index.htm