Adult Development and Learning Process - Essay Example

 As an adult, an individual needs to be more responsible to excel in the profession. It becomes more than just cramming things up to pass the exams, which is the approach towards learning adopted by a vast majority of juveniles. One gets to realize the importance and significance of learning once one is required to exhibit the skills acquired through learning, and one’s professional growth, privileges, benefits, and the whole standard of living are associated with that. “As unemployment rises, along with employer concerns about worker skills, adult learners are returning to higher education in droves” (Cordes, 2009). As a result of this realization, adults become more serious about learning. While they may have skipped classes in school to hang out with friends as juveniles, the same people tend to look for opportunities for learning, training, and skill development once they enter professional life. An individual who was not serious about learning software when the parents were paying the fee becomes so conscious and serious about learning that he/she will personally pay an institution to teach him/her that software. Tough life experiences make adults realize the importance of learning and thus, they approach learning as a ladder towards professional growth and success.

IT can help adult learners in many ways. Firstly, learning through IT is a way that is best attuned to the learning style of adults. A vast majority of adults spend considerable time using the Internet in the present age. Adults choose to use the Internet in the contemporary age to build contacts and interact with friends and colleagues frequently in the most cost-effective manner. Besides, knowledge of and expertise in the use of IT has become a prerequisite of recruitment in many workplaces today. This makes IT the most useful channel of learning for adults. Adults can learn using IT mainly through online education. This includes the use of social media websites to get to the links of useful articles, websites offering free online education like Youtube and Dailymotion, and other online journal articles available free on the Internet. Adults can rapidly exchange notes and articles using email and Skype. The use of IT for adults is the most cost-effective, quickest, and most objective way of learning for them which suits their tough schedules and busy lifestyles.