This paper measures star formation rates (SFRs) for approximately 50,000 optically selected galaxies in the local universe (z ≈ 0.1), ranging from gas-rich dwarfs to massive ellipticals. The SFRs are obtained by fitting GALEX (ultraviolet) and SDSS (optical) photometry to a library of population synthesis models that include dust attenuation. The UV-based SFRs are found to compare well with those derived from SDSS-measured emission lines (primarily Hα), with systematic deviations due to differences in dust attenuation estimates. UV-based SFRs are particularly useful for galaxies with weak or no Hα emission, and for those where Hα is contaminated by an AGN. The study calibrates a simple prescription using GALEX far-UV magnitude and the UV slope to produce reliable dust-corrected SFRs for normal star-forming galaxies. The specific SFR (SFR normalized by stellar mass) is analyzed as a function of stellar mass for galaxies without AGN, those hosting an AGN, and those without Hα emission. The results show distinct star formation histories, with AGN lying intermediate between star-forming and quiescent galaxies. Normal star-forming galaxies without AGN lie on a relatively narrow linear sequence, while galaxies hosting strong AGN appear to represent a massive continuation of this sequence. Weak AGN, while also massive, have lower SFRs, sometimes extending to the realm of quiescent galaxies. The study proposes an evolutionary sequence for massive galaxies, connecting normal star-forming galaxies to quiescent (red sequence) galaxies via strong and weak AGN. The paper also confirms that some galaxies without Hα emission show signs of star formation in the UV and derives a UV-based cosmic star formation density at z = 0.1 with significantly smaller total error than previous measurements.This paper measures star formation rates (SFRs) for approximately 50,000 optically selected galaxies in the local universe (z ≈ 0.1), ranging from gas-rich dwarfs to massive ellipticals. The SFRs are obtained by fitting GALEX (ultraviolet) and SDSS (optical) photometry to a library of population synthesis models that include dust attenuation. The UV-based SFRs are found to compare well with those derived from SDSS-measured emission lines (primarily Hα), with systematic deviations due to differences in dust attenuation estimates. UV-based SFRs are particularly useful for galaxies with weak or no Hα emission, and for those where Hα is contaminated by an AGN. The study calibrates a simple prescription using GALEX far-UV magnitude and the UV slope to produce reliable dust-corrected SFRs for normal star-forming galaxies. The specific SFR (SFR normalized by stellar mass) is analyzed as a function of stellar mass for galaxies without AGN, those hosting an AGN, and those without Hα emission. The results show distinct star formation histories, with AGN lying intermediate between star-forming and quiescent galaxies. Normal star-forming galaxies without AGN lie on a relatively narrow linear sequence, while galaxies hosting strong AGN appear to represent a massive continuation of this sequence. Weak AGN, while also massive, have lower SFRs, sometimes extending to the realm of quiescent galaxies. The study proposes an evolutionary sequence for massive galaxies, connecting normal star-forming galaxies to quiescent (red sequence) galaxies via strong and weak AGN. The paper also confirms that some galaxies without Hα emission show signs of star formation in the UV and derives a UV-based cosmic star formation density at z = 0.1 with significantly smaller total error than previous measurements.