Defining Continuing Education - A Broad Term

Posted by David R. Wetzel Jul 16, 2009

For most people continuing education has a different meaning. Continuing education is a very broad term that encompasses a whole host of educational opportunities.

For example, someone who has been out of high school for a couple of years may view continuing education as pursuing a professional certificate, an associate degree, or maybe even a bachelor degree.

For others continuing education may mean enrolling in a program for recertification of their professional certificate.

Additional continuing education opportunities for some adults may mean earning a doctorate in their career field because they enjoy the research aspect or want to move up the professional ladder.

Also, there are adults who have decided that dropping out of high school was not in their best interest and have decided to earn a GED.

Then there are adults who are classified as lifelong learners, because they are always wanting to learn something new. So they enroll in courses of interest that lead to no special degree. These courses may be offered by a college or their local community center, regardless learning is their passion.

Regardless of how someone defines continuing education, the goal is always the same - to advance their position in life through knowledge.

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