i have NOTHING to do in my life. is it too late to learn something?

[LongCoolMother]

im almost 15 and i desperately need something to do. everyday im cooped up in my house, doing nothing but going online. sure, i do go for runs, and i play basketball sometimes, but its not anything serious. the only other thing i can think of that i do seriously is violin, but ive stopped lessons for a whole for a "break" now. seems like everyone else is out busy doing something always and their schedules are always real tight, while im at home and have nothing to do. im going to go back to violin, but thats not really enough.

im thinking of learning kung fu, do you guys know if its too late to start learning kung fu? all my friends who know it started real young.

btw, i WOULD do sports (did basketball in middle school), but i dont really feel like doing it in high school because then id get little play time. for now, i only do x-country, and track/field. i know how to swim but im not real pro at it or anything (i only know how to swim, i cant dive or fo any of that fancy turns n stuff). so id think its too late to take up swimming too. this blows.

majorly -_-.

EDIT: dont think im like some depressed little reject or anything. my life is far from over, its just that i feel very unproductive like this. im not complaining. i simply want something to fill up all the wasted time. so i dont want your pity, and im not trying to sound like an ungrateful brat or anything.

 

[Azraele]

It's never too late to learn.

Just find something that sounds interesting and go for it.

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: Azraele
It's never too late to learn.

Just find something that sounds interesting and go for it.

esp at freaking 15!!

btw 15 is not too late for wu shu (kung fu is subset of this). i know a guy that started when he was 15, got really into it, and was winning international championships by 18.

and there's always bowling.... that's pretty fun

 

[chrisjor]

Yes, I think you are "all full up" in the knowledge department. How about trying to "devolve" a little?

 

[SlowSS]

From the thread I thought you were over 30 or something.

No, it is never too late to learn anthing.

Take up reading a novel, instead of just browing online, start website development'
Look through colleges and University sites, and learn about college registration process,
or whatever interest you.

You are only 15, I'm sure there are many, many things you could learn. So soak it up like a sponge,
that way you will be real world smart, certainly will be ahead of your peers.

 

[HappyPuppy]

Your first step needs to be turning off the computer. Walk away from it. Go outside and stare at the clouds in the sky. Imagine all the things you would like to do. Narrow the list down to a couple that are plausible and then start doing it/them.

 

[thirtythree]

When I was 14 or 15 (about 2 years ago), I went out and bought a nice electric guitar and amp, a $100 skateboard, a bunch of paintballing gear, etc. Now I don't paintball, my guitar is on consignment, and I very rarely skate. I worked for 3 summers in a row and have nothing to show for it. Moral of the story: make sure you don't waste a bunch of money if you aren't really committed to something.

.. then again, you only live once.

.. and you haven't turned the computer off yet!

 

[Yossarian]

At 15 it isn't too late to start anything. What you don't want is to be 25 and say "I wish I had started (whatever) back when I was 15."

Just try stuff and see if you like it and/or are any good at it. I'll bet you find something that you enjoy and have a natural knack for.

My philosophy is to keep learning always. Last year I learned sign language and got my private pilot license, this year I'm thinking about learning to shoot and ride a motorcycle (not at the same time )

 

[LongCoolMother]

thanks for the replies.
heres what im planning.

go back to my instrument. join kung fu.

i already go bowling almost every sunday. continue running. i was looking to get back into RC cars, but i really cant afford the hobby. hows paintballing? thats something you hear little about here, although its really common in stores and everything.

im thinking of going slow, one thing at a time, i dont want to be overwhelmed and then have to start all over again.

thanks for the suggestions. the computer has really got to go.

 

[thirtythree]

No the computer doesn't have to go, you just have to limit yourself. Last summer I played D2 a lot because I only had a part time job. I finally quit after passing out in school due to the fact that I stayed up all night playing D2 (I think). Computers can be good though. I've been doing some web and graphic design recently and really like my Oracle class (database stuff .. ). I use the computer for LAN parties, listening to music, e-mail, or whatever else also. There's even a thread worth reading on ATOT every once in a while ..

BTW, does anyone still play D2? I have about 100 sojs on my chars if you want a few.

EDIT: A lot of people do like paintballing but I would borrow some peoples guns first to see if you like it. And if there aren't many people around who play, I wouldn't waste your money. If you want to try it out I will sell you my gear for cheap.

 

[5489]

i second the kung fu.

never too late to learn

it's better that you start kung fu, then no kung fu at all

 

[bentwookie]

time to hit the porn circuit ala traci lords..theyz alwayz looking fo youngmenz...

15...too late????your life is just beginning!

 

[Maverick2002]

Go read a book.

Or start a hardware site like me. Oh wait I was 16 and a half, sorry bud. Hey, you could be the next Anand lol.

Oh yea I'm 19 btw. Then next few years you're gonna change 100 times over. You'll discover quite a bit of things to do

 

[Nocturnal]

You're almost 15 and you've done everything? You are still young, and you should ENJOY your youth while you can. Trust me, when you get to the age where you have to work and do daily things to keep up with LIFE in general you're going to wish you were still a 15 year old kid with nothing to do. Enjoy doing nothing, NOW. Don't plague yourself with depressing thoughts of you not doing anything.

Go watch a movie, or if you are really bored, get a job. Do the yard, etc. You're 15 for crying out loud!

 

[SWirth86]

I run track and XC and for me thats a major part of my life.... as in occupies most of my time (After school on weekdays, half or full days on saturday). Do you run in HS or for some other organization?

Paintballing is fun, but unless you know a lot of people who regularly play, dont buy the stuff. I did, I played a little, but when there's only one or two other people you know that play it's really dumb and it ends up being a total waste of money.

Read some books. Learn to play another instrument. Work out. Get a job. Actually learn computer stuff instead of surfing the internet all day.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Something else to try: books. Not books based on TV shows, but "real" fiction of all kinds, history, biographies. You can try a variety of old and new titles, all free from your library. A little googling will turn up all the recommended / best of lists you can stand, in every genre.

Reading books that you enjoy instead of for a class assignment are a good way to become a more well-rounded person, as long as reading isn't all that you ever do.

And 15 is not to old to learn or do most things. True, most of the world's top violin and piano players started before age 10, but there are exceptions even there. And in martial arts, Chuck Norris first learned martial arts while serving in the Air Force. From 1968 through 1974, he held the world's middleweight karate championship title ( yahoo movies ) .

 

[Kadarin]

You could start studying women... That's something that will take you the rest of your life to master..

 

[ProviaFan]

You sound quite a bit like me. Always being couped up in the house, spending all of your spare time on the computer, etc. I also recently came to the realization that spending all of my time on the AnandTech forums is not the most productive way to spend the 16th year of my life, even if most of the time is in ATDC, not ATOT.

Picking up your instrument again would be a good idea, as would be starting the Kung fu (or whatever it is you decide to start). It's not too late to do something like that. You don't need to give up your computer, just start spending your time doing productive stuff that you can learn from. Get into web design (learn XHTML and CSS), or do some programming (if you're interested in web design, consider learning PHP or Perl, and perhaps pick up some regular expressions on the side - what I'm planning to do, incidentally). If you're feeling artistic, start with 3dsmax and make some models, or dive into Photoshop (especially fun if you have a digital camera). Make all sorts of photochops, posters, et. al. These are just a few ideas out of the many that you could implement. Have fun!

 

[vi edit]

Get a job.

 

[Kevin]

Take up handball. If you get really good, you can play for money...

 

[BeauJangles]

Working part time mght be a good idea, what about hanging out with friends or a girlfriend? Those two things take up a lot of my free time.

 

[FoBoT]

wow fifteen and you haven't learned anything

i think you are screwed, fifteen is sooooooooo olddddddddddd

you are almost as old as dirt!!


give up now! you have no chance!!!

 

[crab]

Take flying lessons. Please. If I had the money, I'd pay for everyone that's considering doing it.

 

[Descartes]

Originally posted by: LongCoolMother
im almost 15 and i desperately need something to do. everyday im cooped up in my house, doing nothing but going online. sure, i do go for runs, and i play basketball sometimes, but its not anything serious. the only other thing i can think of that i do seriously is violin, but ive stopped lessons for a whole for a "break" now. seems like everyone else is out busy doing something always and their schedules are always real tight, while im at home and have nothing to do. im going to go back to violin, but thats not really enough.

im thinking of learning kung fu, do you guys know if its too late to start learning kung fu? all my friends who know it started real young.

btw, i WOULD do sports (did basketball in middle school), but i dont really feel like doing it in high school because then id get little play time. for now, i only do x-country, and track/field. i know how to swim but im not real pro at it or anything (i only know how to swim, i cant dive or fo any of that fancy turns n stuff). so id think its too late to take up swimming too. this blows.

majorly -_-.

IMHO, it can't possibly get any better than that. I can understand that you might like some more physical outdoor activity, but why not make violin your primary focus?

It seems to me that there are few things that can derive such both acoustic and intellectual profundity. I play the violin and piano, and I often wish I had the opportunity to put my entire focus into music.

My $.02. Good luck with whatever you choose

 

[rubix]

you can become an altar boy. you'll learn lots of things.