And it’s a lot more diverse than just getting a whole other degree. Lifelong learning is a chance to take our education in whatever direction we feel is most beneficial for us — which could mean retraining for a total career shift, or be as simple as joining a book club, going to an improvisation workshop or listening to a podcast. But it’s also intrinsically linked with maximizing the value and impact of an organization. As an open letter from a Harvard Professor and an engineer to CEOs stresses, much of the most valuable learning takes place not in the classroom but “in the field — finding ways to do better while doing the work.”

Tech is making adult education a lot more feasible: This McKinsey study sees the education of the future being seamlessly linked to digital platforms, predicting a flourishing of new markets, an almost limitless supply of knowledge and training on platforms that can be scaled massively, and the creation of new value propositions (increasingly personalized learning, new modes of delivery, employer-specific accreditations) and business systems (such as virtual reality-based immersive learning).