 Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals, Quality Education, What is Lifelong Learning and Why Does It Matter? Meet Carl. Carl just graduated from college and started a new job, but realizes he wants to keep learning new skills in an academic setting. Carl to go back to school, but is overwhelmed by all the different subjects that he can learn. With all the new information available and even more new fields emerging, Carl decides to pursue lifelong learning. Lifelong learning can best be described as the ongoing pursuit of knowledge for professional or personal benefit on a completely self-motivated and voluntary basis. Lifelong learners realize that learning should not be limited to childhood and classrooms, but should be employed throughout life and in a range of situations. Lifelong learning has a wide variety of benefits. The best part is anyone can be a lifelong learner. The first step in becoming a lifelong learner is to make the decision to become one. It's also important to engage in work that supports and encourages your lifelong learning desires. Examples include attending workshops, taking up apprenticeships, and promoting your hobbies to help monitor your progress and show others the strides you've made to help encourage them. The most important thing needed to be a lifelong learner is time. Setting aside time to pursue your lifelong learning dreams helps you manage your daily tasks and gives you the opportunity to learn on your own time. Learning doesn't end after school. The world is full of information, all we have to do is take it in.