Congratulations! You’ve graduated! Toss off that tasseled hat and celebrate. Now it’s time to start working—and you never have to listen to another college lecture again. Take that, academic establishment! Oh, wait, pick up your tasseled hat, because school’s still in session. A 2013 employer survey by the American Association of Colleges and Universities found that 93% of employers hire for skills over a degree. That’s a bit of a shame, seeing how graduating millennials are facing a growing skills gap as the current model for higher education is proving woefully inadequate. What this means for you is it’s not enough to just pick up your degree and hit the ground running. You have to perform preventative maintenance on your education and continue it voluntarily on an ongoing basis. The good news, however, is this: Learning after college is more fun, less expensive, and carries a host of benefits for your personal and professional advancement. Whether jockeying for a promotion or just seeking to grow as an individual, there are plenty of advantages to pursuing continuing education. Here’s why you should always be learning.

Why You Should Always Be Learning

Why: Keep Up to Date on New Procedures and Technologies

In many industries, such as medicine and law, keeping up-to-date on developments in the field is crucial to ongoing success. It’s likely some higher-ranking representatives of your company already attends events like this on a rolling basis. So why shouldn’t you? From job fairs to conventions, to local workshops, a bevy of learning opportunities tailored toward current professionals is available in just about any field. Investigate event sites to find programs near you or look for specific trade associations in your industry.

Why: Keep Skills Sharp and Learn New Ones

Honing your current skills lets you take on greater responsibility, and learning new skills ensures you can be useful to an employer in a variety of roles. Mentorship is a topic often discussed in fluffy think-pieces targeted at recent graduates but rarely is it quantified in any concrete way. Let’s be clear. Mentorship is not some mythical life-coaching program between you and a high-powered CEO who “likes your moxie, sport.” A real-world mentor is simply someone who does what you do, but who does it better, has been doing it for longer, and doesn’t mind answering the occasional question. The best part? You’ve probably already got one, in the form of a professor or faculty advisor. All you have to do is send a nice email and turn that acquaintance into a lasting relationship.

Why: Keeps Resume Current

A degree was once the gold standard for entry-level hires. Now it’s more like the cover charge you have to pay just to get in the door, and getting in the door doesn’t even guarantee you can stay. As a growing number of unemployed people will attest, becoming employed once does not equate to remaining employable. It’s up to you to make sure your resume stays current and relevant. You should never have to “dust off” your resume. It should be a living thing that is constantly growing and changing. So should you. Formal, curriculum-based continuing education programs are the most concrete and verifiable means of advanced professional education. It’s no wonder why many employers, particularly in the healthcare field, require or incentivize such programs using a “credit” system like the one you used in college. Whether your field is healthcare, law, or something else, if you’re looking for continuing education that is grounded and practical, a formal program may be just what you’re looking for.

Why: Networking Opportunities

“Networking” is another term that gets thrown around a lot in puffy think-pieces but often lacks any real substance. Here’s what networking is not: putting on a suit, sleazing into a smoke-filled room, and handing out freshly-printed business cards. Here’s what networking is: actively seeking to make new personal and professional relationships, then finding ways to turn either kind into the other. The best way to meet new people in your field is by attending local events and lectures. If you live anywhere near a city, chances are you can throw a rock and hit twenty of these—but if you’re not sure where to start, Facebook and MeetUp groups are an excellent place to look.

Why: It’s Good for You

Countless studies have drawn links between learning and cognitive health. In the words of Brandeis psychologist Margie E. Lachman, “Education seems to be an elixir that can bring us a healthy body and mind throughout adulthood and even a longer life.” From YouTube to iTunes to Massive Open Online Courses (or MOOCs), the Internet is an ocean of free learning resources. In 2015, learning a new skill is as easy as typing the words “how to…” into Google. When learning is that easy, your best reason to keep doing so may simply be this: You have no excuse not to.

By Sarah Landrum: Sarah Landrum is a freelance writer and the founder of Punched Clocks, a site all about finding career happiness and success. For more from Sarah, subscribe to her newsletter and follow her on Twitter @SarahLandrum