| Baby boomer is a generic term used to refer to | | | | Whatever, the motive of going back to school, the |
| individuals born between the years 1946 to 1964. | | | | fact remains that adult education in America has seen |
| According to the latest estimates, they comprise | | | | an upward swing in the past few years. |
| about 28 percent of the total population of the | | | | 2. Access to course material: Internet has |
| United States of America. This is a significant | | | | revolutionized the field of education. There is loads of |
| percentage and most of them are about the age of | | | | information on the internet, pertaining to various |
| retirement or have retired. | | | | topics. Moreover, the web based interactive learning |
| However, they are making a difference and making | | | | has made it easier for an adult student to acquire a |
| their presence felt. They have come of age, and | | | | college degree from the comfort of their homes. |
| heave been re-defining retirement in their pursuit of | | | | Moreover, there are many accredited web based |
| lifelong learning. A majority of this baby boomer | | | | programs online, which offer undergraduate, |
| population has created a revolution of sorts by going | | | | postgraduate and doctoral degrees. |
| back to school to acquire new degrees. | | | | 3. Financial aid: Availability of scholarships, grants and |
| This surge in enthusiastic enrollment of the older | | | | loans have given the baby boomers a chance of |
| students can be attributed to various factors. | | | | getting back to school to pursue studies, that had |
| 1. The foremost factor would be the zeal to learn. | | | | been interrupted due to personal as well as |
| However, for some, a college degree would help | | | | professional obligations. |
| augment their salaries and career prospects. | | | | |