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THE MODERN AUTODIDACT

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Who or what is an autodidact?

How does someone become an expert or genius in an area of interest?  

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Since the beginning of time, people have taught themselves. Formal education is a more recent idea (first university was the University of Al-Karaouine in Fez, Morocco, founded in 859 by a woman named Fatima al-Fihri). Will we always have to receive a stamp of approval from a university to gain employment? What will happen to universities as MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) gain influence? What if you can demonstrate you have a skill? Is learning on your own more efficient than a traditional school when you have specific goals and careers in mind - and are self-motivated? 

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Learning on your own will pay off in dividends. You can do it to align with your formal education, or if you won't, can't or don't go to school, you can design your path.

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The debate around autodidacts (a self-taught person) versus genius (a person who is exceptionally intelligent or creative, either generally or in some particular respect) versus genetics (the variation of inherited characteristics) is an interesting one. Are those who love learning and are on a constant quest to learn more, teach themselves, and think, born or made?  Who cares. What does matter is the current learning climate and how it directly affects you. You can accomplish anything if you are conscientious, disciplined and willing to learn something new each day. 

 

Question how to get to where you want to go. Right now a stagnant curriculum, money/tuition, obstacles (preparedness), those who follow antiquated and outdated systems mindlessly (the sheep), may appear to be the problem, but the problem is an aversion to risk. Your brain may be telling you if you don't do those things, if you don't follow the crowd, you will be unable to pursue the life you want. That may not be true. It depends on your level of drive, your willingness to learn, and your level of curiosity. Most when asking questions and receiving answers (or reading research or an article), simply file the "answer(s)" away. Others immediately hear a voice which might prompt a, "Why?" or "I don't know. That doesn't sound like a complete possibility. I need more information." If this is the case, then you are on your way to building the part of your brain which provides you with the intrinsic motivation to learn. Focus on wiring that part of your brain - it can be done.   

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The other side of risk, the reason everyone continues to jump through the hoops - employer attitudes and beliefs. Human resource departments and corporate leaders believe only those with a college education are capable of specific jobs, complain that students have no skills to speak of, yet support the school system. So, straddle both. Get the degree but stay true to your goals and go to a school which will provide an environment which allows you to absorb a lot on your own, outside of the system.  If you focus on skills and expertise outside of school, you will not be penalized by employers who puzzle as to why you got through marketing without social media or coding skills, or how you escaped a humanities program without developing business acumen.  

 

You can jump through the hoops, but you don't have to jump through each one. Choose which you jump through, and create your own hoops to fill gaps. Forge your own path. If you need help developing one, GetReadyU designs 21st Century Learning Plans to help those who might not know where to begin. Whether you do or don't know how to start, below is a gateway to discover what you might want to do, learn, and master. Become an expert/develop expertise. Start today. 

 

Expertise = having or involving authoritative knowledge. 
 

No one can predict or determine what industries, areas of expertise, or man-made problems will create the next innovative or revolutionary product or idea. But, we can read, love learning across many sectors or fields and train our brains to synthesize information for retrieval when we want or need it.   

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Our current system/curriculum does everything to quash this natural trait of the brain - rise to the challenge. Learning is fun, it is challenging, and it can be rewarding if you spend time pursuing topics and activities you love versus playing video games or watching television. Life is there for the taking and those who rise to an entirely new level develop a passion. They love to read. They love to connect with others possessing similar interests - which only strengthens theirs. Do not let a system determine whether or not you have what it takes. You do, but if you don't have the skills or money to do what you love, you need a self-learning plan. Embrace your inner autodidact.  

 

Below is a short list of possible areas of interest. If you have an inclination toward any of these topics, the links below each should help you get started. Don't worry, if you dive into a topic and find it is not of interest to you, that doesn't mean you can't teach yourself something. All geniuses, or those who love learning, tend to find something they love and dig deep. They might also dig fairly deep across a few topics, but it is that single topic that often provides them with expertise. Which in turn builds credibility and thought leaders. 

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A final thought. Stay ahead of the "robots". Actively seek new skills and knowledge related to your areas of interest. Machines, computers, and software are powerful drivers and not something one needs to worry about if a strategy is designed and employed. Enjoy outsmarting them. It will be a while before a robot can be an capable sales professional, a highly creative pastry chef/designer, a small business owner, a manager of people, a painter, etc. Stay ahead of the game. Read up on your industry and make sure you are always one step in front of a machine.  

 

A list of ideas to get you started. Concise, simple summaries which might inspire you to begin teaching yourself and learning on your own. Become an expert in one (or as many as you like!) of these areas: 

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  • Design, design thinking, the arts, graphic arts, architecture, doodling (graphic facilitation), creativity, do things which build your visual spatial skills (see this page), buy art materials and train yourself using online videos or courses, learn relevant software by taking free online courses, study color theory, read about the world's top architects, take courses in creativity and design thinking, learn graphic facilitation by watching online videos or signing up for a course, go to your local art museum and see what they offer, go to local art shows and festivals, watch the Abstract series on Netflix.

  • Teach yourself coding, read about and follow thought leaders in that industry, go to conferences and workshops, go to boot camps and hack-a-thons, follow tech blogs, there are thousands of resources to help you learn Python, Ruby, JavaScript, etc. There is an extensive list here.

  • Data analytics and data science, learn coding related to data, learn how to create infographics, find free courses on statistics, watch TED Talks, follow thought leaders, read

  • Owning your own business, entrepreneurship, innovation, creativity, thought leadership, go to local Score offices, join a work space, join a local entrepreneurship MeetUp, attend conferences and local Eventbrite events, read, read, read

  • Foodies, vinologists, restauranteurs, entertainment, read books and blogs on the hospitality or wine industries, look at programs that focus solely on hospitality or sports management, start a blog, follow other bloggers, watch documentaries. There are programs all over the globe where you can train to be a pastry chef. If you love wine, you can pursue a sommelier certification. The possibilities are endless.   

  • Blogging and social media skills, gain the top certifications (Google AdWords, a digital marketing nano-degree program, Hootsuite Academy, etc.) There are all sorts of free courses available online.

  • Tinkering, creating prototypes, collaborating, designing, discovering...find a local organization that meets to work on small engineering projects, robots, check out Maker spaces in your community, read, take online courses (prototyping training and tutorials are available at Coursera  and other similar training sites can at times be accessed through a public library), learn about filing patents and trademarks, learn to brainstorm

  • Writing, authorship, comic books, publishing, check out free cartoon/comic book courses/YouTube videos, self-publishing sites, free writing courses, "how to market yourself as an author" courses, read the latest books on how to brand yourself as an author, or there are short programs you can attend where you learn to create your own comic book series. 

  • Globalization, international relations, cultures, international business, foreign languages, read books and take classes on cultural etiquette, download language apps and learn as many languages as you can, read Fluent Forever, follow and read different foreign affairs organizations/sign up for their newsletters, join organizations committed to building ties with those abroad (Global Ties, World Affairs Councils, etc.), look to see if your city has foreign consulates and go to their events, read magazines like The Economist or download the Flipboard app and read news for 30 minutes each morning, listen to cultural interviews. Travel. Connect with others around the globe. 

  • Non-profit sector, women, children, international development, urban planning, volunteer for local organizations, take free or for fee grant writing classes, go to city council and school board meetings, watch TED talks and download news apps, sign up for free courses, follow Women in the World and other organizations promoting women, network with local women's organizations, sign up to volunteer abroad.  

  • Sales and selling, sales management, marketing, read the top books, watch videos, listen to TED talks, find mentors, take free courses or go to local Eventbrite networking and informational events on selling or managing sales organizations

  • For those contemplating an MBA, these days specializations/niche areas are more likely to have a higher ROI. If you want to pursue a traditional MBA on your own and document it, do. It's cheaper. Check out NoPayMBA ; The Personal MBA, developed by Josh Kauffman, offers up a list of the 99 books used across the globe in MBA programs ;  and University of the People, an accredited program designed by professors from    https://www.uopeople.edu/programs/ba/degrees/master-of-business-administration/ 

  • Finally, for those whose minds are constantly filled with ideas, have already built prototypes, and are already creating, what about the Thiel Fellowship? Have a great idea, apply. Per their site, "The Thiel Fellowship gives $100,000 to young people who want to build new things instead of sitting in a classroom."

 

Keep searching for more information/options. Search for "free classes on ....", "top 10 books or sites on...", "industry thought leaders for...", "conferences and conventions for....", your local Eventbrite pages, enter contests/challenges, find mentors in your field of interest, do whatever it takes to pursue free options, watch TED talks, and if and when you feel it is appropriate, pay for knowledge.

 

FYI: Be wary of high-priced study abroad programs. You don't need more debt, but you also want to make sure you spend a semester overseas. Choose wisely. One option, if your family supports it, is to find your own program through local companies in the cities and countries of interest to you (other cultures tend to believe education should be reasonably priced). Perfect example: When a recent student interested in Italian summer language courses was told her university option was $15,000 for 30 days (included one or two hours of daily language instruction), we were able to find her an affordable alternative. A small but well-known village in Italy had a program which offered 80 hours of instruction over 30 days plus board - all for $1,500. She learned much more given she was not with a large group of English-speaking university students. If you are mature and savvy, we are in a time where you can arrange your own options - don't worry about school credit when you are designing plans. You want to make sure you take full advantage when you are investing so much time in shaping your future. The skill can be more important than getting the credits.  

 

Enjoy learning again!  

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Fantastic blogs/podcasts for anyone obsessed with learning and self-improvement:

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