Perhaps Dr. Seuss defines lifelong learning best when he says, “Think and wonder, wonder and think.”

Lifelong learners are people who look at the world around them and wonder:

“Why?”

“How?”

“What if?”

Lifelong learners let their curiosity lead them down endless rabbit trails. They are constantly learning from everything around them. As a result,

• They make more money and climb the corporate ladder faster
• They have a sense of personal satisfaction
• Their minds stay young and agile
• They gain perspective
• They have great imaginations
• Their lives are more interesting

You might think of learning as formal schooling—primary school, high school and college. But, learning doesn’t stop for anyone as soon as the graduation announcements are in the mail—that’s when learning is just starting! For example, we learn how loans work when we buy our first car or house. We learn about health and medical conditions when we face a diagnosis. We learn about current events by watching the news.

Everyone continues learning throughout their life, but what makes lifelong learners different is that they actively and intentionally learn from everything around them. Some learn for personal reasons, others for professional reasons. Very often lifelong learners are just looking to satisfy their own curiosity.

There are many ways lifelong learners continue their quest for knowledge.

Reading—

Reading is literally an endless source of knowledge on virtually any topic from history to parenting to philosophy. Most lifelong learners are avid readers of magazines, books, e-books, online articles and blogs, pamphlets—anything they can get their hands on. For those who find reading difficult or tedious, audio books are a great way to learn as well.

Counseling—

Counseling is a wonderful way to learn about yourself—an important component in being a lifelong learner. Self-discovery can lead to increased happiness, better relationships and a higher quality of life. Good counselors and therapists are equipped to guide lifelong learners through the process of understanding who they are, why they are the way they are, and what they want out of life.

Work—

Instead of mindlessly clocking in day after day, lifelong learners see work as an opportunity to learn and grow. They are often surrounded by talented people with either more or different formal education and experiences. These are great people to learn from. Lifelong learners often seek out mentors in their professional field as a source of knowledge and for inspiration.

Classes—

Lifelong learners also attend a variety of classes. There are classes to satisfy any curiosity—painting, home decorating, gaming, business, computers, foreign languages, yoga, mechanics, writing. Community colleges offer an array of continuing education or adult education courses. Creative lifelong learners take advantage of classes at craft stores on things like arranging flowers and cake decorating. Others are eager to go to the Apple store and attend classes to learn how to use their iPhone or Mac.

Situations—

Lifelong learners broaden their perspectives by volunteering at homeless shelters, nursing homes and foster care agencies. They travel to Europe and the Caribbean to learn about different cultures and people. They go scuba diving and hike on nature trails.

You too can be a lifelong learner simply by allowing your curiosity to lead you. Take advantage of every day opportunities to learn and grow, and seek out classes and reading materials on subjects that interest you. A word of warning though: The more you know, the more you want to know!

E-Campuses The Face of the Future

E-campus education has been on the rise for the last several years and is currently reaching its peak. In the year 2000, about 45,000 students were taking online courses. In 2010, that number drastically increased to around 4 million. Classrooms are being looked at much differently than they did years ago, dropping to nearly half the size that they once were.

E-campus education is the face of the future that is just starting to get off its feet. Here’s an overview to get you started:

Types of E-Campus Education

There are many different e-campus experiences available to students around the world. From medical assistant colleges in Florida to graphic design schools in New Jersey, e-campus learning is available from a wide variety of school providers. Not only are college and technical school courses available to take online, but online learning can start as early as kindergarten. Online learning in K through 12 students is on the rise and only continues to grow each year. This is also considered to be another form of homeschooling.

Each type of e-campus learning program guarantees to provide students with an authentic certificate of completion, diploma and college credits.

Benefits of an E-Campus: Work at Your Own Pace

Many feel that being able to stay at home and do the work that is required of them is a luxury. Through these programs, students have the ability to work and learn at their own pace. In regular school settings, students must keep up with each other and work at the same pace. This does not always work well for those that take more time to pick up the information and for others that are more advanced.

E-campus providers give students exactly what they need in a personalized learning experience. When choosing to take online courses, there’s no more being rushed to complete something that may take you a little longer than others. Some programs may require online seminars on select days.

Benefits of an E-Campus: Flexibility

Another perk in e-campus learning is the flexibility that it offers. Getting to school can sometimes be a hassle and interfere with current work schedules. Perhaps you’d just like to spend more time with the family. Online courses can be taken at your convenience with no set schedule that must be followed. This allows people who may be raising kids or working a job the leeway to complete a degree amidst a hectic schedule.

Because of the amazing benefits that e-campus education offers, we will continue to see schools offer these programs in the future. This is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to get your desired degree in your own time for a fraction of the cost of a normal university.

Kids should be ecstatic to learn that in the future it may not even be necessary for them wake up at the crack of dawn, drag themselves out of bed, throw themselves in the shower, trudge to the bus stop and ride a smelly, overcrowded bus to a dilapidated school building where other kids will make fun of them. In fact, the majority of kids will be able to acquire their educations online through e-learning software and eventually in virtual communities. This trend has already started and it’s not likely to let up.

Already this decade many young adults pursuing degrees in the medical profession and other careers are finding that they can more easily fund their online educations with the help of medical student school loans and other subsidies. When the benefits of online degrees become even more apparent, more young adults will want to eschew the exorbitant costs of traditional schooling, further fueling the exodus.

How is this miraculous transformation going to go down exactly? You ask, puzzled, somewhat tremulous with excitement. Technology for 2,000 please! Yes, our simultaneously old and new best and worst friend Technology could one day pave the way for school-less learning. Here’s how:

Cloud services. We already have the ability to store and share most of our files and applications online, where they can be accessed and collaborated upon. It’s no longer necessary for teachers to disseminate hand-outs and other physical documents. Just do it online! It also eliminates expensive and burdensome hardware requirements.

Distance learning. Thanks to computer terminals with Internet connections, we no longer need to be in a physical location in order to learn. Students can do so remotely through glorious chat rooms and increasingly hi-tech e-platforms. This will also allow students from different regions of the world to share class time together.

Virtualization. As we progress further into the future, it will be possible to inhabit virtual spaces, where we can tap into online classrooms and interact with both teachers and students virtually through….

Avatars! While we may not be tall, blue aliens (although there’s no reason to count anything out) we will be able to represent ourselves digitally in Second Life-like virtual communities with fully sensory avatars that recreate the experience of ‘being’ and ‘interacting.’

What will this do to traditional schooling? Well, it’s a safe bet that drastic change is in order, as demonstrated by the already growing trend of online degrees. Physical locations, documents, tools, and people will no longer be necessary in order for students to learn. Will these changes relegate principals to the role of group admin, moderating comments and issuing emoticons? Only time will tell…

College is all about decisions. You have to decide where to attend school, where to live while at school, what technology to buy for school, and where you are going eat after class is over. Most students enter college with an unassuming innocence and think that things will just fall into place after they graduate. With a dismal looking job market, every bit of technical education gained in college counts.

This most recent economic downturn has been labeled by some as the “Mancession” because of the loss of physical labor, warehouse, and manufacturing jobs commonly associated with men. About 71 percent, or 7.5 million, male related jobs were lost during the recession. A lot of people are turning to lower wage positions in the service industry because they lack the skillset needed to excel in the changing job market.

While these labor intensive jobs are drying up and heading overseas to countries like India and China, new jobs in the IT, Pharmacy Tech, and Hospital industries are expanding. Because a lot of baby boomers are set to retire soon, there will be a higher demand for more skilled workers to fill these roles. It may seem like a daunting task to learn a completely foreign vocabulary of career jargon, but colleges are set up to help you through it as smoothly as possible.

Gaining a solid technical education in college is becoming an important step to finding a career. While a general education is offered by most universities, there are numerous schools, online and offline, that ditch the traditional basics and prepare you for a focused career path. Trade schools are designed to essentially get you in and get you out with the latest technical knowledge available.

If you choose to attend a traditional university, make sure to arm yourself with the latest career information and get to know your academic adviser. When you speak with a college adviser, you need to be prepared and do some research. Most advisers are swamped with students looking to fill out their credit hours for the semester and just offer a couple of set templates for schedule options. If you go through the academic catalog before speaking with an adviser, you can have a conversation about what classes will be best for your career.

Many people choose to go to college out of tradition or because their families insist upon it. If you are one of these people, make the most out of your opportunity and leave your college experience with a high-quality and in-demand knowledge base.