Secrets of Mind and Reality

Adult Learning

Just because you are all grown up does not mean that you should not keep learning. As a matter of fact, whether you do it to advance your career or just for the joy of learning new things, adult education is something that can expand your experiences and really enrich your life. Up until about six months ago, I had never gone in to an adult education course. I would not have given it a try, but I was required to take a small continuing education course for my job. Although I was not the least bit thrilled when I found out I would have to take the class, I’m glad that I did. That adult learning course really took me places I could not have gone without it.

This was the first adult learning class I had taken since my career in business management had first begun and, to be honest, I didn’t see how it was important. It was a course about applying principles in psychology to managing employees, and I did not believe that it really applied to me. I thought that I already knew it all as far as using psychology with my employees went. It did not seem all that important to review the ideas, and I thought that the adult learning class would be a waste of my time.

When the seminar actually began, however, I was really impressed by the way things went. We did review some concepts that I was already familiar with, but we also got in to a lot of stuff that I did not know. The course managed to balance theory with some good how-to knowledge. It gave me the tools to use psychology in management, and told me why they worked. By the time I was done, I felt like I had an better understanding of management and of human nature in general. It was really great to be able to improve as a person and as a manager at the same time.

That feeling of really becoming better as a result of the stuff that I learn has stuck with me with every adult learning class I have taken. Since then, I have taken a few more psychology classes, but also history, music theory, and a few others. Most of them are short, one week courses at the local community center, but I have been thinking about enrolling in a more serious academic program in the coming year. Taking a course at the community college will really take my adult learning to the next level. To be honest, I have not felt this excited about the learning process since I was in college years ago.