Illustration by Rose Wong for MarketWatch

MarketWatch: Once considered on the cusp of retirement, these people are taking a ‘gap year’ after successful careers

The premise of adult education is transforming, with educational opportunities for nontraditional students at an all-time high. OATS program Senior Planet is featured in this MarketWatch article about older learners getting back into the classroom.

OATS program Senior Planet is featured in this MarketWatch article about older learners getting back into the classroom, building inspiration and meaning into their lives, and redefining traditional notions of retirement. As the landscape of adult education opportunities continues to transform, older learners are not only taking advantage of available programs, they are finding joy in them. “The chance to get back into the classroom alongside undergraduates and graduate students “was exhilarating, humbling, frustrating — all of those emotions of a beginner learner,” said Marjorie Dorr, 58.

“The culture of adult learning is surging,” said Tom Kamber, founder and executive director of Older Adults Technology Services (OATS). In 2004, Kamber and a group of volunteers launched OATS with “a mission to help seniors learn and use technology so they could live better in the digital age,” he said. “Now there seems to be a rising passion for projects that are intertwined with a desire to learn the tech skills around it.” 

Read the story here.

Illustration by Rose Wong for MarketWatch.

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