It is simply astonishing the number of people who do not read a non-fiction book after they get out of school. Our society promotes the belief that one gets an education to learn the basic skills necessary to become qualified for employment in a particular field. However, most take this to mean that once the schooling is done, so is the learning. The student goes through the graduation ceremony to represent the passing out of the schooling phase. Most, to their own detriment, take this to heart.

Our society rewards the most learned people. Professions such as attorneys, doctors, engineers, and accountants tend to be some of the highest income earners. This is because each field requires a lot of education. Also, these profession necessitate a fair amount of yearly training to remain abreast of the latest developments in their field. Certainly most people would not be comfortable with a surgeon who failed to read a anything on new surgical techniques in the last two decades. This individual continually needs to study the latest medical developments.

What this means is that the majority of the population is going through life with the education level that they walked out of school with. Unless we further our skills and knowledge, we simply are going to be left behind. The world continues to evolve regardless of what industry or profession one is in. New technologies make entire industries obsolete while birthing new ones. Today, the computer industry including all the related fields that associate with it, employs millions of people. This certainly is a substantial increase from 40 years ago. At the beginning of the last century, elevator operators were fairly common. Today, anyone who is employed in this manner is done so for the sake of nostalgia. Changes in external conditions necessitated changes by individuals for survival.

The learning needs of people changes as they pass through different stages of their lives. At the elementary school level, the basic of math, reading, and writing are necessary to build a foundation for future learning. Then, more advanced concepts are taught as one goes through the secondary years. College teaches a different set of skills based upon a chosen curriculum. Finally, post grad education promotes the specialization the individual is seeking to enter a specific field. All this schooling thus qualifies one to be able to get a job.

However, what is missing from this equation are some of the basic skills required to create a fantastic life. Topics such as personal money management, passive income, stock/real estate investing, or basic interpersonal skills are not taught in our formal educational system. Fortunately, information about any topic one desires is readily available if one is willing to seek it out. Technology has brought all the information that is contained in the Library of Congress into our homes. The internet allows for the access to any knowledge point one desires. However, as was mentioned, most fail to capitalize on the valuable resources available to them. They believe that their schooling ended upon graduation.

The highly successful are constant learners. They use every experience as an opportunity to expand their knowledge in a way that will favor them in the future. If you desire to make a change in your life. begin today to learn all you can. Indulge in the “formal” and “informal” learning approaches that life offers. Obviously, books and audio tapes are excellent mechanisms for growing one's knowledge base. Seminars also provide wonderful forums for learning. These are the more formal modes that people put into use. However, informal means such as people watching provide equally valuable information. For example, ask yourself what are three things that your boss is teaching you? In other words, what would you do differently if you were in charge? Answering these questions will provide you with a learning experience that can be useful to you in the future.

Remember that we can learn from everything that we encounter throughout our day. Be open to what is being shown to change the direction of your life. For the most part, it all has been done before. Therefore, instead of reinventing the wheel, just follow the directions for making the wheel. It is much simpler that way.