I was a perpetual student. Now I call myself a life long learner. My mind is still stuck in high school. My best jobs are executive dishwasher and night manager at a grocery store.

I don’t think anyone could afford to be one these days given the cost of tuition and the cost of living.

There are still people who get multiple degrees.

Some people go back to attending classes when they retire. Lots of schools have free classes for senior citizens, or minimum fees.

It kind of feels like I’ve been in school forever, so I’m close to being one. I can understand the appeal of being a perpetual student. The real world sucks.

Would a serial student count? Some go to school for a year or so, work a year or so and go back to school, over the years.

We are all students.

Looking at the tags, it seems like you are talking about “perpetual student” in the narrow sense of “academic”. I know a lot of people who sign up for classes after they graduate, formal or not. I’m a “perpetual student” as well, as I’m learning for my Master.

I’m thinking of the term in a broader way though. You can get out of school and never go back again, but it doesn’t mean you have to stop learning new things altogether. I think this is where a lot of people fail. They can’t learn anything outside a class setting. Self-learning requires a lot of curiosity and discipline.

My son I feel. However, he pays for is own education and it’s only taking him so long because he’s working and taking night courses. Years later and he has 3 credits to go for his bachelor’s. I pray he doesn’t go for his masters. He’ll be 50.

We would have to define perpetual student first. If you can afford not to work there is nothing wrong with going after education.
People continue to go to school even when working in their career. Flexible work schedules, night classes and distance learning have opened that door to many.

I agree with @ARE_you_kidding_me. I suspect your premise is based on an old myth. The only time I have heard people talk of “perpetual students” and of people being “forced to actually work” were people who had swallowed a whole lot of conservative anti-education propaganda.

Yes, my Cousin’s husband has been taking university classes for decades.He attends at a state university so costs are manageable.

I used to just sit in on lectures even after I had graduated. Don’t have time for that these days though.

I might enroll in an ASL course in the spring. But that would make me more of an intermittent student, since there’s been a bit of a break.

My mom is in her late 70’s and still takes classes at the local state college.

If there ever were I’m sure there still are.