Lifelong learning is a topical issue in the context of today’s society. Improvement in everyday activities, through social experience or natural curiosity, is important for people of all age groups and professions. While the global approach seeks to identify and recognize non-formal and informal learning as having a major impact not only on personal development but also providing an opportunity to push the country’s economic potential, this way of learning is widespread in everyday life of higher education and treated as a natural process in the context of professional development. This article describes a survey of conducted at one Lithuanian university with the aim to find out what goals drive lecturers to improve their skills through informal or independent learning. The results of the empirical research show that lecturers do not imagine their work without constant informal or independent development; they aim to acquire additional knowledge in order to overcome certain challenges, satisfy their curiosity, engage students, find useful contacts, reach for career heights, and broaden their horizons.