Do you remember the first time when you went swimming, went for your music or dance class, or the first time you picked up the paintbrush, or when someone let go of holding your bicycle and you rode on your own? Such things we learned have stayed in our memories, as if they got imprinted and engraved by a permanent marker and they continue to stay with us for our entire lifetime.
We have often associated ‘Learning’ with education and have understood that our education will begin from nursery classes till we graduate, but as time advanced and we leaped from one level to the other, we realized that learning is a never-ending process. We can acknowledge that we are a synthesis of our lifetime learning. As such, ‘We Are What We Learn” is also a part of the answer to the question ‘who we are,’ encompassing what we have learned from others, how and where we have learned. Thus, simply put, our learning ‘defines’ us.
As we break free from the traditional notions of learning, we discover a new world of learning — lifelong learning. However, this concept has been existent for time immemorial. Hence, it is not something new, and I definitely did not mean to scare you! This concept has resurfaced in recent years, more work and research has been conducted which are conclusive about the importance of lifelong learning, especially in the current age.
So what exactly is lifelong learning? In the most fundamental sense, lifelong learning is a broad term that comprises education that is beyond classrooms. It can be characterized as voluntary rather than compulsory. Hence, it is your self-determination and self-motivation that are driving you relentlessly to improve personal or even professional development.
During our childhood, if we might have learned how to ride a bicycle, learned how to play an instrument or to play a sport; in our adulthood we have learned how to use the smartphone, cook a few dishes, learned leadership skills, learned to drive a bike or car, learned to use R or Python. The list is quite endless as we keep learning more and more as required and as the times change. As such learning and change go hand in hand, while we might have not realized that when we learnt a new skill, developed and acquired a piece of new knowledge, learnt how to use technology and software, and so on we were/are subconsciously practicing lifelong learning. As these learnings become a way to channel our inner creativity, teach us essential life skills, build professional skills that help us ace our professional world, and so on.
Lifelong learning then entails a process through which we constantly take in and gain knowledge and learn new skills throughout our life. You must be plagued with the question- why is lifelong learning important and why now more than ever? Lifelong learning can stimulate cognitive activity which in turn has a positive effect on our brain cells and this can result in increased mental sharpness. It is like a treadmill for the brain!
Moreover, lifelong learning can completely transform our understanding of the world that surrounds us and it equips us to achieve better, and can increase our quality of life. Sometimes, being well-educated is not the key to achieving good employment, since employers also actively search for well-balanced candidates who have transferable skills, which include the ability to showcase that the candidate is eager to learn, adapt, and develop. Therefore, in this technologically ever-evolving world, where learning is becoming more complex day by day it is important and vital that we make the shift towards lifelong learning and be ready to be mesmerized by the world of fun and creative learning!
Are you looking to smart switch to lifelong learning but don’t know how? Well look no more! Zuperly got you covered and is ready to take you to your destination of lifelong learning! Come aboard, quickly, join now!
-Rajnandini Barman
