Newspaper – FT Magazine – Universities are on a learning curve

I’ve never been a great reader, books or otherwise, but in recent weeks one of my weekend pleasures has been to head out to my local newsagents on Saturday morning to pick up the papers and spend part of the day reading the FT in bed. Simon Kuper, who has become of my favourites, writes a general column for the magazine on all manner of topics and on May 16 / 17 he covered universities being on a learning curve which he summarised in this quote:

‘A blend of online and in-person education could expand the university market to all ages, classes and countries.’

The following struck me the most:

[…] if you ask someone about their current health, the answer, “I ran a marathon 20 years ago” would make no sense. Yet ask people about their education and they tell you where they studied about 20 years ago. As lifespans expand, and technology changes, we should top up our education over the decades, while keeping our jobs and families. University is wasted on the young.

It is now easier than ever to ‘top-up’ your education thanks to the myriad of courses available online and it can be on anything you like, not necessarily in your line of work. My wife has recently done courses she’s passionate about and she also signed me up to a class on self-direction and how to lead the life you want. I’m looking forward to doing more.