“What’s in it for me?”

B P
Dec 3, 2023
2 min read

Many adult learners often wonder if going back to school is worth the time and effort. Not only is time and money a major factor for an adult’s decision to continue their education but they are also apprehensive toward their abilities after being out of school for so long.

Adult learning is defined as the act of pursuing education as an adult, whether that is through a formal setting such as higher education or independently learning about a topic. Adult learners learn best in environments where they feel safe and respected . Additionally, they need flexibility, a deep understanding of how content material is relevant to their own lives, and the capacity to make creative and real world connections (Merriam & Bierema, 2013).

For instance, as a working mother, I first needed to understand how flexible a master’s degree could be before I could consider adding it to my schedule. As a working mom, I needed reassurance that the program would provide me the ability to do my work in my own time. Without the asynchronous format or caring professors that are willing to be supportive, I I could not fulfill all my commitments the way I can today.

The strengths of adult learning can be perceived as its ability to allow self-directed work and add value to the student’s experience as an independent learner. Additionally, transfer of information is mutual, moving from learner to instructor, and instructor to learner. As described in adragogy, content is sequenced by readiness and learners take part in assessing their own learning needs (Netter, 2013).

On the other hand, the weakness of adult learning involves the need for time management, financial resource and the motivation to update one’s prior knowledge. Without the intrinsic motivation to advance one’s education, adults often convince themselves that it’s unnecessary.

As adult learners, it’s important we ask ourselves how investing our time and effort can be rewarding in the long run. To learn more about this topic, please visit the link below!