An education does not mean school. It does not mean college. It does not mean university. It does not mean a degree, a masters, a PhD.

For the person willing to attain it, an education is unconfined by place or time. And there is the crux of it. Willingness. As with most things willingness is not binary – willing or unwilling – but a scale. Of course, context can increase or decrease willingness.

Gaining an education relies heavily on willingness as manifested by attention, interest, and curiosity. Without it one could remain in a library for the full span of one’s life and still at the end be uneducated.

But attention, interest, and curiosity can fuel the desire for learning. One so inclined is always on the lookout to learn something related to their favoured subjects. The walls of schools, colleges, or universities are not boundaries.

That’s not to say that institutional learning doesn’t help. Eduction does take place in the rooms of schools, colleges, universities, and other institutes of learning. It is also acknowledged with formal awards such as degrees, masters and PhDs. But a full education is rarely only these things.

Be willing.