Today, most people know that getting ahead requires continuing education. To many, this means earning an MBA, a law degree, or a Master's degree in your area of specialty, or even some combination of degrees. Yet sometimes it only takes a course or two to get the training you need to advance. Consider some of the professional fields below to discover how lifelong learning benefits not only the students but the people they work with as well.

• Teaching. Today's teachers are taking more courses in computing than in education or in their specific discipline. Many teachers are required to keep up with technology in their classrooms as schools push to be wired by the year 2000. Yet just as many teachers are studying technology because they have discovered an outlet for their creativity -- such as writing and/or designing Web pages for the class. These teachers are gaining more than new skills -- they are advancing their careers, preparing for their futures and modeling lifelong learning for their students.

• Medicine and Dentistry. Like education, the fields of medicine and dentistry require professionals to keep up with advances in research and practice modalities. Yet today we read reports from graduate business schools that indicate an increasing number of doctors are signing up for business courses or studying to earn an MBA. With the prevalence of managed care and changes in the economy, medical professionals are reflecting changes in their fields.

• Business Management. While you may believe that ingenuity and hard work are all you need to be successful, look at Bill Gates. A closer look shows that business people go to school in droves. Many study foreign languages. In a Midwestern community education program, there are no fewer than 30 class sections offered in seven languages including Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese and Chinese, not to mention English as a Second Language and Accent Reduction Classes. Instructors report that these classes are populated not only with business professionals, but also with members of the entire community, reflecting growing diversity in our cities and communities.

• The Media. Journalists and writers, as well as others in the related fields of broadcast radio and television, are also taking up foreign languages and cultural studies. And, like members of the medical profession, many journalists study business concepts and trends in order to stay marketable in an ever-changing global economy.

• Engineering and Computer Science. The Microsoft program Skills2000 is a perfect example of lifelong learning created to attract both members of the field and new entrants, offering internships and certification programs to bridge the gap. Those in consulting positions can be found in equal numbers in humanities classes, where writing, communication skills, geography and anthropology classes help workers better understand an international customer-base.

• Non-profit Management. What it may take to get ahead in the non-profit field is some combination of the above, in addition to a knowledge of fundraising. With government cutbacks, new positions in fundraising, grant writing, and development have emerged. Graduate degrees are now offered in new fields, like non-profit management and philanthropic studies.

If you are thinking of returning to school, first look at what you love to do or wish you knew more about. By pursuing your interests, you will be adding to your own professional growth and advancement, as well as developing new skills that will prepare you for inevitable changes and expansions in a global economy.

Center for Career/Life Planning © 1999