The best classes in Chicago for making friends

If you are looking to start a new career or upskill your way into a highly-paid promotion, consider enrolling in one of the many tech training courses offered at Practical Programming. Whether you want to take an introductory programming class (like an intro to Python course) or an immersive, career-focused bootcamp (like a data science certificate program), you can find a course to fit your needs, regardless of your prior experience level. These courses are taught by experienced instructors who can guide students through the process of learning difficult tech skills and all of the courses are aimed at making sure students leave the class career ready.

For example, Practical Programming offers an immersive data science bootcamp aimed at helping students become professionals in the field of data science, analytics and database management. This course focuses on the use of tools like Excel, Tableau and the Python programming language in common professional data science tasks, such as gathering information on consumer traffic or organizing and querying massive databases. The course is career-focused, so all of the lessons aim to prepare students to enter the job as soon as they graduate. In this course, you’ll receive live, professional instruction and one-on-one job training support.

Sewing is a very practical skill to learn, allowing you to save money on clothing repairs and alterations (or even on new clothes if you are feeling particularly adventurous). Sew Anastasia is a Chicago-based sewing school that offers immersive and hands-on courses for students of all skill levels. Whether you are looking to master the art of using a sewing machine, make your own clothing, alter and repair everything from dresses to streetwear, or even make personalized lingerie, there is sure to be a class for you at Sew Anastasia.

Explore your creative side and meet other budding artists in one of the many art classes offered at The Evanston Art Center, Chicago’s largest community art education center. Here, you can enroll in classes covering everything from beginner drawing for new artists to advanced classes in subjects like oil painting, film photography, 3D printing or metalworking. Join other artists to learn new skills, discover new communities and build friendships and professional relationships.

Another way to meet new people and to have a good time is to enroll in an acting or an improv class. These courses are a good way to get out of your comfort zone, learn new skills and find friends with similar interests and hobbies. Learning improv or acting can also help with your public speaking and presentation skills, making these classes more than just fun diversions for students not wanting to pursue acting as a career choice.

Everyone eats, so it pays to learn how to cook. Knowing your way around the kitchen is a good way to live healthier, save money and become a better host (and more attractive partner). The Chopping Block offers a wide range of cooking classes, ranging from basic skills courses, culinary bootcamps, explorations of regional cuisines and even couples cooking classes. Whether you need to learn how to make chicken stock or you are looking to master the art of preparing a full meal in the French style, you should consider enrolling in a class at The Chopping Block.

While art is usually a focused and deliberate creative act, sometimes, it can be fun to embrace some controlled chaos. In this course, you and some friends will get access to a private room, canvas, paint and the tools to shoot the paint at the canvas as it spins. This process will allow you to “create” unbelievable works of art as you have fun with guests and other attendees. This is a perfect event for a low-key birthday party, bachelorette party, shower, or just for the fun of it. And don’t worry, Art Chi provides attendees with industrial grade protection for their clothes.

Pubs and bars are a great place to meet new people, but if you really love beer, you may want to consider brewing some of your own. While home brewing has become trendy in recent years, if you really want to learn how to make your own beer, you should get help from experts. In this beer brewing seminar, you’ll learn about the history of brewing and get hands-on experience preparing your own brew for fermentation. You can personalize the beer to your own tastes, so if you are an IPA person, you can make your own pale ale, while lovers of dark beer can brew up a porter or an imperial stout. In a few weeks, you’ll return to the school and bottle and label your beer (about 48 bottles).

While not the first thing people think of in terms of recreational sports, fencing is a fun way to get a workout, learn some new skills and meet new people. In this recreational fencing course, students of all skill levels can practice, get training and become more comfortable with the rules and equipment associated with fencing. These courses emphasize saber and foil fencing and students can get all of the training and practice they need to pursue recreational fencing. Then, if you find that you enjoy fencing, you can join like-minded athletes and enroll in a competition fencing class.

Escape rooms are a wonderful social experience and in recent years, the design of escape rooms has improved by leaps and bounds (in everything from puzzle design to the aesthetics of the rooms themselves). The Escape Game offers seven of the highest-quality escape rooms available, all of which are designed by experienced professionals and tested to provide some of the most compelling and challenging puzzles in the industry. Whether you want to escape the depths of the ocean, track down a foreign spy or succeed at an art heist, there is an experience available to you at The Escape Game.

If you are learning how to cook, one of the most difficult aspects for early chefs is learning how to use kitchen knives. Not only are they very sharp (which can be intimidating), but there are so many different ways to cut meat and vegetables that you need to know a wide range of techniques. This course will teach you how to slice, dice, mince and chop common kitchen vegetables and how to filet and debone fish and chicken, providing you with a firm ground on which to start your culinary education.

Stone carving is arguably the oldest form of human art and you can help keep this ancient tradition alive by enrolling in a stone carving course. In this course, you’ll get hands-on experience and instruction in the process of using industrial machinery and hand-tools to turn large, unworked stones into pieces of art. You’ll learn the safety techniques you need to work in the shop, then you’ll be free to start experimenting with different stone carving techniques under the guidance of an experienced instructor. If you want to work on a more elaborate project or collaborate with other artists, you can enroll in multiple sessions.

Not all classes that you take are going to be fun and games. Professional development classes are a good way to meet other, like-minded business people and to increase your lifetime earning potential at the same time. This course focuses on how to run and profit from an independent notary public business. This course includes training on the advertising and customer service side of the industry and assistance in ensuring that everything you do is above board and certified. This course is a great way to kickstart a potential future career change (assuming you want to work as a notary public in the state of Illinois).

There is a reason that so much socializing happens during happy hour, but the price of drinks can make this seem like a less than desirable option in the long-run. You can address this by learning to mix your own drinks (for home or for events) and meet some new people in the process. In this essential mixology class, you’ll learn all of the skills you need to start mixing your own cocktails at home, including an understanding of the science and art that is mixology. You’ll learn how to use essential equipment, how to measure, mix and pour drinks and how to create your own signature cocktails. You’ll get hands-on experience making classic and contemporary favorites and you’ll leave the class having had the opportunity to sample your creations.

If you are or are considering becoming a vegetarian, you’ll want to get some practice making a diverse collection of recipes and learning how to really bring out the flavor in vegetarian dishes. In this course, you’ll learn how to work with seasonal produce, flavor and season vegetables and grains and add flavor to your meals without just adding a ton of cheese or cream. In particular, you’ll spend time working with tofu to create a range of flavorful dishes, including Mushroom Bolognese with Parmesan-Polenta Cakes , Curried Chickpea-Sweet Potato Fritters with Raita Sauce and Vietnamese Shaking Tofu with Rice Noodles, Red Cabbage, Lime and Peanut.

At this point, sushi is no longer a trendy, upscale food. You can find it in a grocery store in the suburbs in Indiana. However, sushi can still be somewhat intimidating to make a home, given that it is raw fish. In this sushi making workshop, you’ll learn all of the techniques you need to prepare the rice, filet the fish and roll/cut the sushi into portions. This class will see students preparing Maki Rolls, Inside-Out Rolls, Spicy Tuna Rolls, as well as Salmon and Eel Nigiri and the skills they learn will apply to virtually any roll that piques your fancy.

Chicago is a city famous for its historic connections to organized crime. Stomping ground of the famous Al Capone, the city has a deep history related to the manufacture, production and transportation of spirits during the days of prohibition. In this course, you’ll sample a classic Gin Daisy cocktail and tastings of 2 domestic wines and 1 beer, all while learning about the sorted history of Chicago’s mob underworld during the 1930s. Enjoy fine drinks as an expert regales you with stories of the world of extortion, murder and assassination that defined Chicago during the days of Prohibition.

If you are in the mood for a carefully balanced drink or you want to impress friends and family with a practical party skill, consider enrolling in this mixology course. An expert bartender and professional mixologist will guide you through the science of making cocktails, explaining why some drinks are shaken, why some are stirred, the history of the cocktail and the process that goes into perfectly balancing flavors. Then, you’ll have a chance to try your own hand at making a selection of drinks, including classics from the early days of cocktail making (like the Martini and the Old Fashioned) to modern favorites like the Paper Plane.

In this beginner friendly mosaic art workshops, you’ll learn the principles of pique assiette, or “broken plates,” a style of mosaic focused on blending color, form, and texture into new pieces defined by their collective arrangement. In this course, you’ll get hands-on experience creating stunning mosaic pieces as you create new pieces of art from the remains of broken or unused china, ceramic and glass pieces. You can even bring in your own old china or broken heirlooms to complement the piece, adding a personalized touch to your creation and giving new life to treasured possessions.

Learn oil painting in the presence of the masters in this multi-level program themed around Rembrandt’s The Night Watch, one of the most recognizable paintings of the Baroque Dutch Golden Age. Beginners can enroll in this class to learn the basics of oil painting, the history of the medium and some of the techniques that make it so recognizable and versatile. Intermediate and advanced students will be instructed on the subtle techniques the Dutch masters used to create these timeless works of art. This course is a wonderful blend of art history, appreciation and practice that will be well worth the time of anyone interested in oil painting.

Once you are comfortable with the basics of figure drawing, consider honing your skills by enrolling in this long form pose drawing and painting course. In this class, you’ll practice short pose drawings aimed to get you warmed up before you spend 2-3 hours (repeated over a few weeks) on the same nude figure pose, drawing and painting in a range of styles and perspectives. This gives students the chance to dive deep into the process of the different ways that nude figure drawing can be approached and it offers a chance to get repeated practice learning how to draw and paint the human body.

Chicago is one of the most architecturally interesting cities in the nation and there are no shortage of places to visit to take stunning photographs. In this live photo safari course, you’ll visit St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral and have the chance to photograph both the inside and the outside of this stunning building. With the help of an experienced instructor, you’ll get training on composition, perspective and technique as you take photographs of this architectural marvel. This class is a great way to get practical experience in the field taking photographs of people, places and objects, and it is only one of the many Chicago photo safaris you can enroll in.