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Long Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs that Don't Even Exist Yet

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A visionary guide for the future of learning and work

Long Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs That Don’t Even Exist Yet offers readers a fascinating glimpse into a near-future where careers last 100 years, and education lasts a lifetime. The book makes the case that learners of the future are going to repeatedly seek out educational opportunities throughout the course of their working lives — which will no longer have a beginning, middle, and end. Long Life Learning focuses on the disruptive and burgeoning innovations that are laying the foundation for a new learning model that includes clear navigation, wraparound and funding supports, targeted education, and clear connections to more transparent hiring processes.

Written by the former chief innovation officer of Strada Education Network’s Institute for the Future of Work, the book examines:  

How will a dramatically extended lifespan affect our careers? 
How will more time in the workforce shape our educational demands? 
Will a four-year degree earned at the start of a 100-year career adequately prepare us for the challenges ahead? 
Perfect for anyone with an interest in the future of education and Clayton Christensen’s theories of disruptive innovation, Long Life Learning provides an invaluable glimpse into a future that many of us have not even begun to imagine. 

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 10, 2020

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464 people want to read

About the author

Michelle R. Weise

3 books9 followers

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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
Profile Image for Frank.
369 reviews105 followers
May 27, 2021
This is not a book that describes how to become a life long learner. It is for university admin teams, the people at the top, and for politicians dealing with education. That is, the book describes the data infrastructure needed for adults to educate themselves at different times in their lives in order to acquire new skills to better themselves for the workplace. So I only read 2/3 of it.

The book's title is misleading.
Profile Image for Derek.
1,843 reviews140 followers
April 29, 2023
Although not very artfully written, the book provides a reasonable overview of many trends in higher education and workforce development. The author provides readers with good examples of new initiatives to help job seekers, workers and employers prosper in a changing economy, but seldom has data to show whether these initiatives are actually helping. Nor does she often provide data on the costs of these varied initiatives. Of course, the title is also a little misleading. But how can we know how to prepare for jobs that don’t even exist ? And the author does rely a little too much on the cliches of trendy management literature. I did appreciate that the author conducted interviews with the unemployed or underemployed, and wrote a chapter on ways to make the hiring process more equitable. However, these aspects of the book weren’t very well integrated with the book’s organizational structure.
Profile Image for Kayleigh.
53 reviews3 followers
February 10, 2025
Super points on the future of work and learning. Best for educators but likely enough in here for others too! A strong 3.7 for me, only because some points felt a bit drawn out, like got the gist in one paragraph but there were ten about it sort of thing. Will follow her work!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Alyson.
819 reviews6 followers
December 30, 2020
Read this one for work. The Yang Gang was only one talking about the Robots during the election. Lots of interesting ideas and orgs I’ve never heard of.
Profile Image for Marcus Goncalves.
817 reviews6 followers
September 26, 2021
Excellent research; a must read for anyone in higher education, and a career. Digital technologies, and transformations, globalization, industry shifts and so many other factors related to the future of work, are changing the economic landscape daily. The book offers a compelling vision for strengthening linkages between learning and earning.
Profile Image for Fred Cheyunski.
354 reviews14 followers
July 21, 2021
Learning Ecosystem Work Ahead - Seeing this book while searching for material on lifelong learning and higher education after reading books and articles about COVID 19 impacts (see my review of Zakaria’s “Ten Lessons for a Post Pandemic World”), I decided to check it out. I was impressed by the sample chapters as they mentioned the virus and other recent events (as on November 2020).

As I read, I found useful perspective related to those most impacted by globalization and changing conditions, as well as new possibilities developing related to job preparation (e.g., see my review of O’Toole and Lawler’s “The New American Workforce”). The book was less informative for those faculty and students in more traditional programs as well as well as challenges higher education will face in adapting and contributing to the new learning ecosystem required, but of value none the less.

More specifically, the book consists of an introduction, 10 chapters divided into 2 parts and a conclusion. Namely, author Weise introduces “An Abiding Hope for the Future.” In Part I, she discusses the need to move away “From a Rigged System” including data that supports: (1) A 100-YearWork Life, (2) The Theories Behind the End of College, (3) The Future of Workers, the Future of Us. In Part II, Weise addresses moving “To a New Learning Ecosystem” for (4) Seamless On- and Off-Ramps, (5) Navigating Our Next Job Transition, (6) Wraparound Supports, (7) Targeted Education, (8) Integrated Earning and Learning, (9) Transparent and Fairer Hiring, (10) Getting Started: Taking Root. She finishes the book with a Conclusion, extensive and information in Endnotes, Acknowledgments, About the Author, and an Index.

While I appreciated her mention that the focus of attention needs to be on the many “left behind” by our current education system, my favorite parts were those where Weise describes the overall learning ecosystem needed. For instance, related to the former, she states (in Kindle location 335) that even before the pandemic, more than 41 million working-age Americans were seeking more direct connections to good jobs and good wages, but they kept falling through the cracks because of the limited way in which we train and hire our workforce.” Regarding the latter, the author suggests that “[a] new learning ecosystem must be navigable, supportive, targeted, integrated, and transparent’ to help the address disenfranchised and provide for the people development our increasingly technological future will require. Her earlier work with Christensen (see my review of “Seeing What’s Next”) and allusions to such books as Kelly’s “The Inevitable” (see my review) are also helpful.

On the other hand, I was disappointed that Weise didn’t have diagrams and tables that could have depicted the type learning ecosystem needed making its various aspects and components more tangible and comprehensible. Charts might be based on the principles she keeps returning to and constructs such as human life cycle stages like those related by Schein some time ago (see my review of his “Career Dynamics”). This kind of depiction might foster further treatment of the respective areas covered in this book and those beyond its scope such as implications of such a learning ecosystem for higher education (e.g., see Zakaria’s “In Defense of Liberal Education”).Perhaps such enhancements might be included in another edition and make “Long Life Learning” an even more useful resource in promoting the case that it is already making.

In any event, this book should be helpful for those concerned with learning and a decent read as well.
2 reviews
January 11, 2025
I just finished reading “Long Life Learning: Preparing For Jobs That Don’t Exist Yet” by Michelle R. Weise, and I can’t recommend it enough to anyone interested in the future of work, education, and workforce development.

This short, impactful read is packed with eye-opening statistics, testimonials from real workers, and practical insights on how we can better prepare for the rise of AI and other shifts that will redefine the skills we need in the future.

Weise does an excellent job highlighting the growing disconnect between traditional college education and the needs of today’s workforce—a gap that often disadvantages workers from minority and low-income backgrounds. But what stood out to me most was the focus on alternative pathways that actually meet workforce demands.

Organizations like Basta, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit closing the employment gap for first-generation students, and College Unbound offer compelling models for skills development and career preparation. Weise also outlines five guiding principles for employers and educational institutions looking to support adult learners and workers in upskilling for the future.

This book deeply resonated with me, not only as a credentialing professional but also as a first-generation American, first-generation college student, and working adult learner. Having gone back to school to earn my master’s degree, I’ve been fortunate to have an employer who values and invests in professional development. Long Life Learning inspired me to think about how we can expand these kinds of opportunities to others—creating systems where employers and educators work hand-in-hand to invest in the current and future workforce.

If you’re passionate about the intersection of education, work, and equity—or just want to better understand how we can prepare for the jobs of tomorrow—this book is worth a read!

Have you read Long Life Learning? I’d love to hear your thoughts, or feel free to share other recommendations for books in this space!
Profile Image for Emily Jane.
9 reviews
October 16, 2023
A must read if you’re interested in the future of the job market. I agree the title is misleading in that it’s not necessarily geared toward the “learner” who is interested in advancing skills, rather for “industry leaders” in reflecting on current systems (education, employment, technology) and gaps within those systems. But if you collect a paycheck- chances are those systems matter to you, or should.

Let’s face it: the job market is changing. We are having to work longer as retirement age creeps higher and higher, we are having to figure out how to stay relevant with our skills set but don’t have an easy way to continue our educational efforts while remaining employed, we are barely aware of advancements with AI and what we need to know about it, we sometimes feel “stuck” in these systems (education, employment, technology…) and at the mercy of outdated systems and beliefs.

It’s time for a change.

I work in health care (social worker turned finance Director) and my husband works in education (community college instructor). As a learner or consumer, I want to have a seat at the table and influence or put positive pressure on the “decision makers”.

I’ve already told my CEO she’s getting a copy and I plan to give one to our corporate CEO as well.

Buzzwords like “inclusion” and “diversity” need to be broadened to include aging employees and include discussion around hiring practices, educational pathways, and biases. We have to challenge ourselves to see the overlaps and gaps of these systems to create a better future for ourselves.

Highly recommended.

Profile Image for Kunlonewolf.
90 reviews4 followers
September 19, 2024
อ่านจากหน้าปกและคำโปรยในตอนแรกคิดว่าเกี่ยวกับการเรียนรู้ตลอดชีวิตไม่ว่าจะอายุเท่าไหร่คุณสามารถเรียนรู้ได้ตลอดชีวิต

แต่พอได้อ่านเข้าจริงๆกลับไม่ใช่เลยหนังสือพยายามสื่อจากรูปแบบนามธรรม มาสู่รูปแบบรูปธรรมโดยเราอยู่ในโลกที่มีการดิสรัปชั่นตลอดเวลาซึ่งองค์ความรู้ใหม่ๆจะอยู่ได้ไม่นานหนังสือพยายามจะบอกว่าต่อไปนี้แทนที่เราจะเรียนมหาวิทยาลัยแล้วทำงานไปจนเกษียณ

ก็จะกลายเป็นว่าเราต้องเรียนทักษะใหม่ๆอยู่ตลอดเวลาเพื่อที่จะสามารถทำงานในสิ่งที่ตลาดต้องการได้นั่นหมายความว่าในชีวิตหนึ่งของพวกเราอาจจะเรียนได้หลายครั้งแล้วทำงานได้หลายที่ซึ่งการเรียนครั้งนี้อาจจะไม่ได้อยู่ในรูปแบบของปริญญาแต่อาจจะเป็นในรูปแบบของใบประกอบอาชีพหรืออะไรก็แล้วแต่ที่สามารถเป็นตัวการันตีได้ว่าคุณมีทักษะนั้นๆในสิ่งที่ตลาดต้องการ

ซึ่งอ่านไปมันก็คือการ re-skill ใหม่ดีๆนี่เองแต่ว่าทุกๆอย่างจะเป็นไปได้ก็ต้องให้ทุกภาคส่วน รัฐ เอกชน กา���ค้า บริษัท หรืออะไรก็ตามทำงานร่วมกันแบบบูรณาการมันถึงจะสร้างระบบใหม่นี้ขึ้นมาได้

เเละยังส่งเสริมคนที่ไม่มีวุฒิ ภาระหน้าที่เยอะ ให้สามารถเพิ่มสกิลที่นายจ้างต้องการได้ ลดการพึ่งพาเเต่วุฒิการศึกษา เเต่ก็ต้องให้ทุกภาคส่วนร่วมด้วยช่วยกันสร้างระบบใหม่ที่ดีกว่าการตัดสินคนด้วยวุฒิอยู่ดี

ซึ่งในหนังสือเล่มนี้ยังเป็นเพียงแค่แนวคิดอยู่ เเละเกิดขึ้นจริงในบางส่วน ก็ได้เเต่หวังว่าเเนวคิดนี้มันจะทำได้จริง100% เต็มระบบ

เเล้วมันจะเป็นการปฏิวัติวงการศึกษาครั้งยิ่งใหญ่ของโลกเเน่นอน
Profile Image for Leah Sciabarrasi.
92 reviews28 followers
February 8, 2022
THE great summary of the intersection and future of education and work, and the ecosystem needed to tie them together

Weise has applied her years of apprenticeship with the late Clayton Christensen and as a formidable asset for higher education and industries to this massive summary and guidebook for what exists now and what our future needs from the education and industry collaboration. At the heart of this book are the voices of the workforce that have become louder throughout The Great Resignation. Many Americans are lost on the broken journey full of dead ends and barriers that should lead them to jobs that fit their interests, experience, and abilities. Layered on top of the first hand job seeker stories of frustration, is a thesaurus of projects, data, ambitious entrepreneurs, and technologies hoping to solve this complex puzzle. I highly recommend this book for anyone researching or interested in the intersection of higher education, industry, and job seekers.
Profile Image for Kyle.
110 reviews
February 12, 2021
Long Life Learning. I love the title of the book. I hope to live a long life, and I hope to be a life-long learner. I'm excited to see all the innovations and jobs that are invented over my lifetime.

During my short time as an adult, I have not been impressed with the long-life learning opportunities available to people who want to improve their lives. Weise illustrates the difficulties wonderfully in this book. If you aren't predisposed to benefit from a college degree, you may have many difficulties finding suitable work. The current education to a career conveyor belt is not suited for the 21st century. Many people need to reskill, and many people are capable of upskilling, but the tools are not in place to satisfy these demands. Weise has a broad grasp of the current attempts to solve these issues. I am excited by the prospects and stimulated by great ideas that are summarized in the book.
Profile Image for Carlos Andrés Vanegas .
43 reviews1 follower
May 22, 2021
Hay varios aspectos a destacar en el libro Long Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs that Don't Even Exist Yet de la autora Michelle R. Weise. Tal vez lo más interesante es su visión general de la problemática más amplia que resulta de la falta de flexibilidad del sector educativo, y por otra parte, la escaza visión e inversión de las empresas por el desarrollo humano y su potencial. En este sentido, la autora combina su gran experticia en temas de innovación con recomendaciones y posturas aterrizadas a la realidad en el campo de la educación para toda la vida. Es un libro que logra proyectar una perspectiva renovada de este concepto; mucho se ha hablado de la educación para toda la vida, pero poco se concreta en cómo permitir que exista todo un ecosistema en las sociedades modernas para que pueda florecer. Gran aporte.
Profile Image for Nattapon Chotsisuparat.
Author 1 book5 followers
February 11, 2025
Long Life Learning: Preparing for Jobs that Don't Even Exist Yet by Michelle R. Weise presents a lot of job related statistics that help us understand employment. For example, only around 70 percent of high school students go to college and as many as 30 million people in the U.S. have attended college but did not finish. On average, people change jobs about 12 times before the age of 65 and etc. The book discusses the education system and job prospects making it an interesting topic because most of a person’s lifetime is spent sleeping and working. Jobs are a big part of our life as they help put food on the table and pay the bills. I love this book’s title because I plan to be a lifelong learner too. There are many textbooks to study, as well as many books to read for fun and knowledge.
Profile Image for Julie.
326 reviews
August 7, 2021
Our learning ecosystems and traditional model of higher education no longer matches the needs of industry. The skills gap is growing, and it isn’t solved by traditional education. A bit of a futuristic look at the skill sets of the future and emerging adult learning and technology solutions that create navigable, supportive, targeted, integrated, and transparent options. The author describes the 100-year work-life (yikes) and the current learn, earn, and rest (retire) model which doesn’t support the needs of the evolving workplace. The new world of work will be learn, earn, learn, earn which will require more collaboration and connection between academic organizations, companies, and communities to ensure they have the right skills to support and grow business. An interesting read.
Profile Image for Will.
124 reviews1 follower
September 4, 2024
Mostly contains the insight that our current system of going to college as a young adult and then not having to learn through our working life isn't going to be successful in the future. As a millennial this is already blindingly obvious to me, and this book contains no advice on how to succeed as a learner. It is directed at college administrators. It's somewhat scary to contemplate that the supposedly wise people in charge of post-secondary educational institutions don't already grasp this.
Profile Image for Luna.
3 reviews
October 29, 2024
We shouldn't be talking about the idea of a "100 year" work life because that is moving backwards in our societal growth. If you are looking for a book to list jobs that will be more popular in the future and how to be apart of that, this book is not for you. It's mostly written for CEO's and university admins. Not for those who are seeking employment to stay ahead of the curve.
Profile Image for Pearlyn Chua.
200 reviews7 followers
June 1, 2025
Useful read for the realm of higher education policy thinking, especially on the continuing education & training front. Still pretty relevant issues and ideas being grappled with now, even half a decade after it was published – the need for skills-based hiring, innovative funding models, a more integrated learning ecosystem, etc.
Profile Image for PS.
127 reviews1 follower
August 3, 2025
ธีมน่าสนใจมาก และผู้เขียนก็มีความตั้งใจในเล่าเรื่อง จนออกเหมือนเน้นย้ำอยู่นั้นแหละ บางทีรู้สึกว่าจุ๊กจิ๊ก
เนื้อหางานสะท้อนความเป็นอเมริกาเป็นหลัก (ไม่ได้เป็นสากล) ทั้งระบบการศึกษาและตัวอย่างที่ยกขึ้นมา
จึงทำให้อ่านแล้ว ได้ประโยชน์น้อย ซึ่งอาจจะถูกจริตกับนักอ่านอเมริกัน หรือประเทศที่มีระบบการศึกษาที่คล้างคลึงกันมากกว่า
Profile Image for Natalie Eng.
19 reviews2 followers
December 8, 2021
It was insightful and definitely thought provoking but the examples were overkill. The main points could’ve been made in a much shorter book and in a more compelling way. The points made are good - I just found it too repetitive.
Profile Image for Jonathan Cassie.
Author 6 books11 followers
April 6, 2022
I suspect this would be of greater use to a person working in a university or workforce training capacity. I think the title suggests that it would be of use to educators broadly, but I didn't find this to be the case for me in K-12.
Profile Image for Darren Beck.
107 reviews3 followers
April 1, 2021
Deep information on how education and work preparation can and should align better, smarter. Some really great insights based on research makes it hard to shrug off.
Profile Image for Niki.
56 reviews
August 17, 2025
Absolutely enjoyed this book to death . The alternative solutions explored are plentiful and innovative.
Profile Image for Dimitri.
221 reviews2 followers
December 25, 2022
Why (Not) to read this book (Target Audience)
This book talks about the importance of human+ skills, in a world where work is bound to technology.

How this book changed my daily live (Takeaways)
Our educational system should train lasting human+ skills, at work we will learn fluid skills. Today our linear education and work competency does not fit the flexible world. How well we will work wil depend on our interaction with silicon. We need hybrid Skills (human+ skills): human skills + technical skills, it is the genius off the and. CBE, competency-based education needs modularization via skill granularity.

Tools:

What is ESCO? | Esco (europa.eu)
O*NET OnLine (onetonline.org)
Lightcast - Labor Market Insights

Spoiler Alerts (Highlights)
Mutation of skills wil help survive the agile world where leaders are caretakers.

The most effective learning looks inefficient, it looks like falling behind, deep learning is slow learning, it involves struggle (david epstein). Lasting knowledge and better performance later in life comes with poor performance in the near future.

Ghost workers, fill the gap between people and technology
Profile Image for James The Outdoor Asian.
22 reviews
October 18, 2023
Noteworthy book.

If you’re interested in lifelong learning, this book provides great insights into the challenges of traditional educational structures and the ever adapting world of continuous education and up-skilling, particular focus on rapidly changing requirements for near term future careers and models for continuous learning.

It definitely had me thinking more deeply about rapid skill acquisition, educational contexts and paradigms, as well as lifestyle decisions along the way..

A compelling read for those contemplating continuing education, preparing for children to enter education, or who want to learn how to learn within the backdrop of learning industries/public education.
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