For most youngsters, it feels as though the race is on to acquire valuable qualifications while they are at school and college. For a variety of reasons, however, some find it more difficult than do others to apply themselves to the task of learning at this stage in their lives.
Education, though, does not have to take place solely between the ages of four and sixteen. Nowadays, there are endless adult education courses that can be taken on a full or part-time basis, and many of these reward students with formal qualifications. Evening courses, for example, are provided at what is usually a minimal cost to the student, and these, of course, allow adults to improve their education and qualifications without their studies interfering with their normal working lives. In addition, where the course relates directly to employees’ work, employers will often be happy to contribute toward the cost and/or allow the necessary time off work. Online study courses are widely available too, and these typically allow individuals to work through their courses at their own speed and so are ideal for mature students who need to fit their studies around other responsibilities.
Adults generally have different and stronger motivations for learning than youngsters, and in many ways their life experiences greatly enhance their learning capacity. Even if you weren’t the world’s best student in your teens, it is never too late to learn and you can still achieve great things now.
[Article first appeared in Family Times, October 2010 issue.]