| Increasingly, older students, even those over 50, are | | | | Even professionals like doctors, dentists, and nurses |
| choosing to acquire more education. For some, learning | | | | are taking courses to stay informed, while teachers, |
| has become a matter of great pleasure in the later | | | | paramedics, and attorneys, are retraining to maintain |
| half of life, while others see it as the time to return to | | | | certification. Many older workers, wanting to begin a |
| school to earn a degree to facilitate a new career. | | | | second career feel that they need proper credentials |
| Baby boomers are known for valuing education and | | | | to qualify for the type of job they want to do. Most |
| are more likely to pursue it, formally or informally, in | | | | workers in their middle age feel that ongoing and |
| post-career years. | | | | continuing education enhances their opportunities and |
| The entire body of adult education studies is being | | | | provides insurance against becoming obsolete. |
| referred to as 'lifelong or continuing education'. There | | | | Retraining and continuing education is seen as a |
| are thousands of learners all over the world, who find | | | | positive way to increase job security and achieve |
| that going back to college to earn a degree, or | | | | promotions, maintain their market value, and prepare |
| continue their business education is an exciting way to | | | | for career changes. |
| spend their time after a career and years of raising | | | | Different baby boomers have different reasons for |
| kids. | | | | returning to school for continuing education, |
| Today, someone retiring at age 65 is likely to live to be | | | | professional and vocational training, or part time |
| 80 or more. Jobs and technology are changing fast, | | | | courses. For some, it is a result of a professional |
| and employees may explore different careers during a | | | | interest, ignited by experience in their field of work, |
| lifetime and the ever-growing job segments require a | | | | which, they feel, will make certain ambitions, like a |
| much higher educational background than the current | | | | career change, attainable. Many older adults are just |
| jobs they hold. As a result, older adults are postponing | | | | setting out to fulfill their life long goal of getting a college |
| retirement and are turning to college courses as a | | | | degree that they may have had to temporarily give up |
| way to gain the knowledge necessary to maintain their | | | | as a result of other commitments. |
| creditability in their currently held positions, or retrain for | | | | Most universities these days consider continuing |
| the new careers they want. | | | | education to be a core educational responsibility. They |
| The job market is changing fast and mature workers | | | | are willing to make their knowledge, expertise and |
| are returning to school to acquire the tools to cope | | | | contacts available to enable interested mature |
| with it. Workers today realize that they must | | | | workers to update, and deepen the knowledge they |
| re-educate or be left behind. Many older workers are | | | | have acquired from professional experience, or to |
| enrolling in vocational courses like management training, | | | | complement it. Individual seminars and continuing |
| and computer applications, technical seminars; sales, | | | | education programs, increasingly meet this responsibility |
| telecommunications upgrade, and engineering upgrade | | | | and universities are also establishing corresponding |
| courses. | | | | courses of study. |