“Chef Joanne Chang has said before that without the courses she took at the BCAE she would not have had the temerity to commit herself to her passions.”

Calling all young professionals in the Greater Boston area – it’s time for you to take a second look (or maybe a first) at New England’s oldest educational non-profit, the Boston Center for Adult Education. Don’t worry, I’m fully aware that you’re well versed in computers. And can’t blame you for judging the center by its name. But let’s face it, where else in Boston can you take classes like “Burlesque for Beginners,” “Urban Beekeeping,” or even, “Flirting: the Psychology of Instant Sexual Attraction”?

Sound like a class your grandmother would sign up for? Let’s hope not. According to the center’s executive director, Susie Brown, the non-profit organization instead, “offers classes that reflect the current cultural zeitgeist.”

And if you don’t believe her, just check out their current quirky class offerings (around 300 per month), which are taught in the BCAE’s surprisingly modern and sleek space located between Back Bay and the South End. There’s a series now targeted at the “evolving modern man,” and even a class for fall fanatics everywhere titled, “God of the Gourds: An Ode to Pumpkin.” Can’t argue with that much dedication to pumpkin baking.

Andrew Castronovo, program manager at the BCAE, admits that when his friends first heard where he worked, they “imagined an organization that only ran dull lectures,” (shocker) but as they started taking BCAE classes, they began asking him “what’s coming next?”

After all, as Tom Formicola, the BCAE’s director of education, tells me, “lots of folks come to the BCAE in pairs, friends, partners, family members, co-workers. We provide great alternatives for those folks to actually connect … rather than fall into the same old routines of socializing at a bar, talking over dinner, or sitting passively side-by-side in front of a movie.” He explains that “it’s a great place to explore new interests with like-minded people in a contemporary and creative space located in the center of Boston.”

And not only to “connect” but also to learn new professional skills. Take Chef Joanne Chang for example, a name you probably recognize as she happens to be the owner of Flour Bakery and Myers + Chang. But years ago the well-renowned chef worked in the investment world and, according to Susie Brown, started taking an “entrepreneurial class and a baking class. She fell in love with both, especially the baking. And as a result, she quit her investment job and moved to New York City to cut her teeth in the restaurant industry, starting as a dishwasher and precipitously rising to where she is today.”

And, Brown continues, “Chef Joanne Chang has said before that without the courses she took at the BCAE she would not have had the temerity to commit herself to her passions.”

Chef Chang isn’t the only success story coming out of BCAE. Amanda Curtis, fashion designer and co-founder of the newly launched 19th Amendment, started her career path taking sewing classes at the center. She has since gone on to design for celebrities such as Ellen Degeneres.

The successful fashion designer admits that she “… didn’t know how to sew, and decided to sign up for beginner sewing classes at the BCAE.” Following the sewing classes, she got “into Parsons School of Design with some of the pieces” that she created in the BCAE class. The rest is history as she moved to New York City to work with top designers.

After talking with the BCAE staff, I highly recommend checking out their “catalog full of unexpected and quirky courses,” all of which tap into current trends (e.g. pumpkin baking). So, whether it’s learning helpful new life skills or professional skills, the BCAE can’t hurt. Below are just a few of the unconventional recommendations from the staff:

The Art of Letting Go: Embrace Change and Possibility

Urban Beekeeping

Burlesque for Beginners

God of the Gourds: An Ode to Pumpkin

Dare to be Real with Yourself & Others

Japanese Street Food

Righteous Ramen

Boston Men’s Style Clinic

Starting Your Blog

If you go:  Boston Center for Adult Education; 122 Arlington St Boston, MA 02116; M-F, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.