The Beautiful Unintended Outcomes of Lifelong Learning

College is a great place to meet others and build lifelong friendships (photo by Keira Burton on Pexels)

Lifelong learning and attending college isn’t just about the classes you will take and what you will learn there.

In the most recent edition of the Sunday LA Times, I ran across this article: Time to Get Serious. The author, Christine Soderlund, talked about her decision to go back to school to get a graduate degree after a couple of years working. She had contemplated not going because she had settled into a routine and was hoping to advance in her career.

She had friends who were considering going back to school and were studying for the GRE. After some consideration, she decided that she would join them. She took the GRE and got into a graduate program at CSU Northridge. She and her friends took classes together and their friendships deepened over time.

You’re probably thinking that this is a boring story about someone going back to school. Ho hum… but there is more to Christine’s story. Reluctant to get into a relationship, she shied away from dating… until a person in her class caught her eye. To quote Christine upon seeing him, “he was handsome and tall and also smart and funny”.

Chris (that was ironically his name) and Christine dated and eventually married after graduation. They’ve now been married for over 20 years. She ends her article with a hope that her children will not only have educational opportunities but find someone who will give them “a lifetime of laughter, education, and love, just like attending class did for me and my friends many years ago.”

This article caught my eye because it mirrors so much of my own.

College is often where some find their life mates. I did. My husband and I also met in my second year in college. He and I were attending a cultural club and he would walk me to my Statistics discussion section that met across the park. He was (and is) funny and wicked smart, two qualities I really admire in people. He isn’t hard on the eyes either.

Like Christine and Chris, we’d hang out with each other’s friends and eventually only with one another. After college, we moved in together and have been together ever since. It has been nearly 30 years since we met and we are still going strong. Like Chris & Christine, our oldest is now also heading off to college – community college. We still have some time with him in our home, but that is ending soon. Then our second oldest will follow the same path.

Lifelong learning opens you up to not only knowing yourself but creating the space to learn from other people. The classroom provides a structured space to share ideas, tackle problems, and learn the information you will need to make your opinions more informed. And yes, you hear others as they grow and develop through their learning.

Lifelong learning, whether in a degree program or a deliberate mental attitude, allows you to grow, develop, learn, and accept yourself and others. You learn to manage the emotional rollercoaster that comes from the endeavor. It can inform your work, your outlook on the world, and how you mentor others on their own path to self-discovery and success.

If you haven’t already, consider going back to school to start, finish, or continue your education. You will not regret the decision… and you may find love along the way.