When was the last time you were “forced” to learn something? Did you have to attend a training session for your job? Have to complete an online course for school? Required to complete job hunting workshops to maintain unemployment benefits? The fact is we don’t learn very well when we feel the “education” is against our wills. Pink Floyd phrased the sentiment well when they sang, “We don’t need no education…we don’t need no mind control!” The more liberated you feel, the better you’ll learn.
Learning Liberty
People who teach themselves are not just disciplined, they’re at liberty to learn what they want, when they want, and how they want. Even though Einstein enrolled in college (and graduated), he had others take notes for him in classes while he went to read different books and do his own research.
What are you best at? Did that skill or talent come from sitting in someone’s class listening to a lecture? Was it something that’s even taught in school or the workplace? How can a trainer or teacher accommodate 30, 60, or 200 individuals’ learning preferences? They can’t. You know how you learn best and you are most qualified to teach yourself.
Learning Tyranny
Corporations, school systems and governments think they can force people to sit in a class or in front of a computer screen and “absorb” all the information being presented. They rely heavily on behaviorists’ theories and believe anyone can be threatened or bribed into remembering and applying new knowledge.
I don’t have to cite research that shows this isn’t the case. You know it for yourself. We can cram to pass a quiz or click through the pages in an online course. We’ll jump through their hoops to get our grades and keep our jobs then quickly forget the content. It’s not lazy; it’s what we have to do to survive.
You-niversity
If trainers and teachers can’t really force you to learn, then you can’t force yourself either. One easy way to persuade yourself to learn instead of trying to compel yourself is to follow your own interests. As “soft” as it may sound, what does your heart tell you to pursue? Sure, engineering and information technology offer higher paying, more secure jobs but they’re often monotonous and unsocial.
Trust yourself. Trust that when you couple self-discipline with the desire to learn new skills and talents, it will be much more effective than following someone else’s curriculum. Companies and schools often want you to learn for their benefits, not for your own development and well-being. Be your own teacher, and remember not to charge yourself tuition! Yes, self-education IS the best education.
