Studying software

Photo by Nangialai Stoman on Unsplash

The last few weeks have been hot in the UK — well, hot by UK standards anyway — and I have felt somewhat drained. I haven’t really felt inclined to turn my mind to intellectual pursuits.

However, as I want to better my bank balance, further my finances, perk up my pension, I’ve been seeing a work coach periodically for the last few months. It’s through a free scheme in Wolverhampton. My work coach found a website online that offers courses, some of them free, on all sorts of topics. I’d mentioned wanting to “bone up” on software currently used in offices, as I’ve been “out of the loop” over the last two years: firstly convalescing in a care home after breaking my femur in summer 2024, and more recently, since September 2025, getting used to living in the outside world again and walking with a crutch and a built‑up shoe (for the leg I broke).

I really didn’t feel like studying when it was boiling hot. I’ve managed to do some practice in the evenings. I’m feeling more assured while I work through the coursework.

When I feel sufficiently confident I will contact some of the local job-finding agencies that are “friendly” to older workers (or “wannabe” workers) in hopes it leads somewhere. At my age it may be prudent to look for temporary work. In an ideal world I’d like part-time work because I do like having time to do hobbies in my retirement.

I don’t believe in counting chickens before they are hatched but I am cautiously optimistic that this strategy could have a positive outcome. Only time will tell how the next stage in my recovery pans out. Learning a new skill (or revising an old one) can be a challenge, but not an insurmountable one.