All professional workers need to be "developed." Moreover, there should be no end to this process--the true professional knows that learning is for life. The author wants to explore how these two propositions have come to be true for academics and other professional workers at the beginning of the new millennium, and with what effects.…

The question of what determines the appropriate use of self-directed learning (SDL) as opposed to teacher-directed learning (TDL) for midcareer professionals was examined through a review of the literature on SDL, SDL in professional development, and through interviews with 12 midcareer adults in a wide variety of professions. In general, the…