Of course education doesn't stop at 22. But the interests you develop at that age have a way of carrying forward, and lower the threshold for re-engaging those

Of course education doesn't stop at 22. But the interests you develop at that age have a way of carrying forward, and lower the threshold for re-engaging those interests later in life. If you never appreciated the genius of Shakespeare or Thoreau at 22, why would you be motivated to pick them up at 40? The other big point is that, during those 20 years from 22 to 42, you have the advantage of wider learning in your bag, and it helps you communicate. Remember the "Space Seed" episode of the original Star Trek (the one with Khan)? At the end Scotty explains Khan's acceptance of exile to Kirk by saying: "Have you ever read Milton, Captain?" It's understanding references like that that make you a complete human, vs. understanding pointer dereferencing, which make you a tradesman.