Thomas Kwader looks at the pros and cons of making continuing education mandatory.
I have very mixed feelings on the subject. Having attended a number of classes and having taught classes at the university level, formal education has enabled me to excel in my field, improve my degree of professionalism and enjoy a better quality of life. Even after approaching 50 years on this planet, I still attend numerous classes, annual trade shows, professional society activities and teach classes every year. I'm not convinced that we should force people to "better" themselves. Most people have gotten where they are in life by their own choosing and have done quite well without government intervention. In some ways, continuing education is self-regulating. For example, if we don't maintain our vehicles (say change the oil), they will eventually quit running, be expensive to maintain and be discarded (out of business) before their time.