Lifelong Learning for Fulfillment and Personal Development
Posted on 10. Feb, 2010 by Apollo in Arts, Mind & Body
Many members of Generation-X have come to view education predominantly as a stepping stone to career advancement. Most attended college as a matter of course, a rite of passage to the expected successful career. They grew up in a time where increasingly, having a college degree was the only way to get ahead, as blue collar manufacturing jobs in the United States virtually disappeared. Attending college frequently came to be seen as a means to an end: get a degree and get a decent career. And Gen-Xers graduated from college at rates higher than any previous generation in US history.
"Education" by L.C. Tiffany
However, as Gen-Xers have approached their middle years, many who spent their college years studying commercial and career-oriented subjects have now begun to think about what great ideas and interesting academic topics they may have missed.
Learning for Personal Fulfillment
With so much time and energy spent on career-building classes, training and certificate programs – many Gen-Xers are now yearning to expand their minds in some of the more classical areas of learning. They may have covered them in a survey class in college, but never really in any depth.
Many also have found that as they have gotten older, they have developed a deeper appreciation of learning and thought, and have developed more patience to sit down and really think about and investigate an academic topic.
While most Gen-Xers are still busy working and struggling to get ahead in the workplace, many are now also taking the time to study and learn academic topics solely for the fun and intellectual challenge that they present.
A Leader in Teaching for the Joy of Learning
One of the leading companies that has grown to meet this new demand is the Teaching Company which offers its Great Courses series on DVD, CD and audio downloads. Students can learn from some of the best professors in the United States teaching courses on Art, History, Literature, Philosophy, Mathematics, Science and more.
Students watch or listen to lectures at their own pace, in their spare time, without exams or papers. Just the pleasure of the intellectual pursuit of knowledge.
Teachers from the Ivy League, Stanford, Georgetown and other leading colleges and universities offer over 250 academic courses to choose from. And the Teaching Company always has many courses on sale at 70% off.
Some Bestselling Courses that are available now:
- Chaos By Steven Strogatz, Cornell University
- Mathematics from the Visual World By Michael Starbird, The University of Texas at Austin
- How the Earth Works By Michael E. Wysession, Washington University in St. Louis
- Books that Have Made History By J. Rufus Fears, University of Oklahoma
- Great Ideas of Philosophy By Daniel N. Robinson, Philosophy Faculty, Oxford University
- And many more….
As many Gen-Xers have discovered, learning can be something much more than simply a career advancement strategy. By studying the great thoughts, ideas and thinkers of the ages, they are re-discovering their own joy of learning and in the process, re-discovering themselves. Gen-Xers who pursue lifelong learning can develop and enhance themselves both intellectually and spiritually.
The Great Courses on DVD, CD, and Audio Download. Save 70%!
