The top 10 reasons why adult education is crucial, focuses on the fact that at some point most everyone considers why they need to continue their education. For many people this does not occur until after entering and being a member of the work force for a period of time. These same adults are often motivated for personal reasons or they discover the benefits others have obtained because of their additional educational beyond high school.
So why is adult education crucial beyond high school? Even though most people have their own reasons why continuing education is necessary, the top reasons are provided below as 10 answers to this question.
Employment Opportunities: Remaining Current, Changing Careers, or Advancement Within a Career Field
The following are reasons why adult education is crucial for employment job skills.
Avoiding Occupational Obsolescence
Job skills, occupational developments, techniques, digital technologies, and knowledge evolve to the point that every five to ten years, adults are only half competent to meet their job requirements without additional education. Consequently enrollment in continuing education programs is essential to maintain or regain job skills for occupational competence.
Increased Income
Increased income is another strong motivating factor for completing adult continuing education programs. According to the report Investing Wisely in Adult Learning is Key to State Prosperity (Southern Education Region Board, 2005), adults with only a high school degree or GED equivalent earn 25 percent less than those with an associate’s degree and about 45 percent less than those with bachelor’s degree. These gaps continue to grow every year!
Better Employment Opportunities
Most people who participate in adult education programs leading to degrees, certifications, or licensure benefit from this additional education. They typically have greater opportunities for employment in high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand occupations or professions.
Changing Careers
On average, men and women are changing jobs or careers about 11 times each between the ages of 18 and 42. Although there are many factors causing these changes, many are due to seeking a dream job or career. This is where the benefit of adult education supports their search efforts.
During enrollment in continuing education programs, there are greater opportunities to learn the realities of a potential dream job or career. These experiences are gained through completion of appropriate course work and internships. Adults benefit through opportunities to “test the waters” before jumping into a new job or career, avoiding the unknown.
Job Security
Employers prefer to retain employees who demonstrate their value to the success of their business. Demonstrating value to improved workplace productivity is typically observed through completion of adult continuing education programs. According to the report Household Data Annual Averages (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009), unemployment rates are three times higher when an adult only has a high school degree or GED.
Professional Success
According to the report Labor Force Statistics (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010) most adults who continue their education do so for professional success. Their main reason is to increase their opportunity for advancement within a chosen career field, which often leads to increases in salary.
Personal Development: Changing Interests and Lifelong Learning
The following are reasons why adult education is important to personal development for turning their vision into reality.
Changing Life Styles
Concerns for saving or improving their environment drive people to keep up with the Joneses. They try to live a full and rich life which is maximized by success in obtaining material things. This personal development need typically causes people to seek additional education to make them eligible for promotions or better paying jobs to improvement their changes in life style.
Family Values
According to a study by Elchanan Cohn and Terry Geske (Private Nonmonetary Returns to Investment in Higher Education, 1992), there is a tendency of highly educated women spending more time with their children. These same women are also more prone to better prepare their children for the future.
Better Health and Wellness
As further stated in in the report Investing Wisely in Adult Learning is Key to State Prosperity (Southern Education Region Board, 2005), adults who continue their education by earning a college degree, certification, or licensure are overall healthier and more health conscious than the population as a whole. This healthier life style is primarily due to access to affordable health care programs through employment with better-quality businesses.
Life Experiences
Adult education is not obtained through the traditional method of entering college or advanced training after high school. Because of accumulated knowledge from work and life experiences, adults gain more from continuing education than those who follow traditional paths of education. This is primarily due to greater determination to learn and a better understanding of how to apply their new knowledge to work or life situations.
These 10 reasons why adult continuing education is crucial beyond high school shed light on important factors and life experiences most adults experience during their working years. For an adult with advanced professional and personal goals, continuing their education is critical to their success.
References
U.S. Depart of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Household Data Annual Averages, 2009.
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Labor Force Characteristics, 2010.
Southern Education Region Board, Investing Wisely in Adult Learning is Key to State Prosperity, 2005.
David R. Wetzel - Dr. David Wetzel's experience includes more than 25 years in continuing, adult, and teacher education.
Join the Conversation