Education matters at every point in a human’s development. Early childhood research has shown that reading to young children helps them with language development. It unlocks their imagination and helps them find new ways of expressing themselves. As we get older and go to school, some of us will be good at things like math and science, while others will excel in areas like English and music. There are benefits to all of those subjects, especially if we find one topic in particular that we really care about. Learning is about work, but it’s also about having fun while training your brain to think in new ways. That’s true regardless of if you’re five or fifty-five.

Childhood

When a new parent looks for child care, they aren’t just looking for someone who will feed their kid and change their diaper. They’re looking for a care facility that can help nurture the mind of a child. An early learning center that teaches children through conversations and hands-on experiences is ideal for toddlers. It can teach them social skills as well as academic skills that they’ll need once they start preschool or kindergarten. Believe it or not, but there are big cities where parents have to start thinking about school applications a few months after their child is born. It’s especially common in upper class families, but it can happen in almost any place where a private school education is seen as the best way to get your kid into the college of their choice down the line.

As children get older, it will be tempting to push them in a certain direction. But children are their own people, not just an extension of their parents. You may want them to work in finance, even as they want to become a music producer. The best way forward may include encouraging them to follow their dreams but have a back-up plan. Encourage them to find innovative academic programs that can equip them with a wide range of choices post-college.

Adult education

It’s easy to feel like that we can’t go back to college once we hit our mid-twenties or so. The narrative surrounding a college education focuses mostly on people in their late teens and early twenties, but it shouldn’t. College should not be a one-size-fits-all proposition. You can go to school anytime you feel ready. Sometimes what doesn’t work at eighteen works great at thirty.

There are also ways to further your knowledge without setting foot inside a traditional classroom after high school. People who work best with their hands can have just as good or better a career as those who prefer white-collar office work, even though we don’t always hear as much about vocational or technical school options. The world will always need people to repair cars or install water lines. If auto repair is your thing, an ASE automotive degree can equip you with both the theoretical knowledge and real-world skills required to make it as an automotive technician. It’s a solid career choice with plenty of growth potential, and looking at an engine and figuring out what’s wrong with it requires plenty of critical thinking. Once you have a basic education, it’s time to find a path that works for you and pursue it without apology.