What is Lifelong Learning? Four Benefits You Don’t Want to Miss

Lifelong learning is the ongoing process in which you continue to educate yourself and build new skills over time. Whether you’re looking to provide more value at work, pursue new employment, learn a new hobby or enhance your soft skills, there are education options that can help you get there.

Lifelong learners can often be found:

Many commit to lifelong learning goals because they believe it keeps them relevant at work. One Pew Research Center study found that 54% of workers viewed on-going training and skill development as critical to their career success.

Other lifelong learning benefits can include:

One unique advantage of education is the ability to share the journey with people of all backgrounds. Not only do you have your own personal and professional experiences to bring to the table, but you can also learn from the experiences of classmates and professors from around the country or world.

A well-rounded perspective can be valuable in both your business and personal life. In many learning environments, you’ll typically collaborate with peers on team projects, assignments or discussion threads. By sharing your ideas and receiving feedback from classmates and faculty, you have the opportunity to gain a global perspective on complex issues.

It’s no surprise that learning can have a positive impact on your career – but did you know it could improve your health as well? Here are just a few of the potential benefits:

As you build your skills, your self-confidence often builds, too. You may even find yourself better equipped to handle challenges at work and in your personal life.

Oftentimes, when people become comfortable in their routines new tasks can seem daunting. For those in the habit of lifelong learning new experiences become more exciting. So as your confidence increases, your sense of accomplishment, enthusiasm and personal value can grow with it.

Education is also linked closely to productivity as learning can help you develop vital critical thinking and decision-making skills that allow you to be more efficient with your time. Immersing yourself in a new area of interest can help you feel both challenged and more fulfilled, which can naturally increase your drive to succeed.

Often, procrastination comes from not only a lack of motivation, but also from being overwhelmed, striving for perfectionism and having goals that are too abstract. Engaging in lifelong learning helps to motivate you, build out achievable goals on an on-going basis and tackle your tasks with a renewed zeal.

Does your career development plan include lifelong learning? Now that you understand the benefits, you can start to set aside time for continuous knowledge building. Here are a few ideas that can help build your perspective and grow your confidence: