WHAT IS EDUCATION

Education refers to the process of learning and acquiring information. Education can be divided into two main types: formal learning through an institution such as a school and self-taught learning or what is often termed life experience. Generally, education is important for learning basic life skills, as well as learning advanced skills that can make a person more attractive in the job market. When an individual thinks of becoming educated, most commonly he thinks first about formal schooling. Formal schooling exists in a classroom setting where a teacher provides curriculum according to an accepted plan of what must be learned. School learning can continue for many years, especially if a child decides to pursue higher education. Colleges or universities provide specialized additional training and learning for a fee. Graduate schools and specialty programs, such as law school or medical school, also provide additional information to help prepare a person for a career. For many professional careers, both a bachelor's degree from a four-year accredited college institution and a master's or graduate degree are required to prove qualification for the job. While book learning is thus very important, it is not the only form of education. Some individuals are self-taught, which means those individuals pursued knowledge on their own outside of a formal classroom. Many of these individuals may have read extensively or may have become experts within a given field. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, for example, was a college dropout.