Today, we will discuss about Self Education. Let us be clear about the definition of Self Education. It is a process of educating oneself by one’s own effort through reading & informal studies. For self-education, one needs to have passion & interest in the particular subject he/she wants to pursue. Let us have a look at How to Educate Yourself.
How To Self-Educate Yourself
1. Stay Updated on Industry News
Keep a curious eye on the news of not only the industry currently in, but also the other industries you are interested in. In the new age, industries are changing very rapidly. One of the most important ways to educate yourself is to stay updated about the current state & events of the industry you are eyeing.
You don’t need to pay for subscriptions to numerous papers or magazines to stay updated. Go to social media and search for relevant hashtags or keywords, or sign up for news outlet mailing lists. There are many free options.
2. Sign up for Online Course
Information has become so ample that there are all kinds of courses available nowadays. Online courses are a great way to educate yourself nowadays. Some universities are also offering some online courses for free. If you don’t mind paying there are plenty of websites.
Go online & compare which website/ Institute is offering the course you want to go for at an affordable price, don’t forget to check the credentials & testimonials of former students. It will help you to choose from the available options.
3. Get an Advisor
Every industry has talented individuals who are eager to help. Armed with years of experience in the field, they can provide valuable lessons that no other classroom could teach you.
Their years of experience in the industry can prove to be beneficial for you. While various courses follow a certain curriculum for everyone, a mentor will understand requirements & focus on the specific queries you have in your mind. Needless to say, that is much more fruitful than a conventional class.
4. Hunt for Books, Magazines & Journals
These are great sources of information about certain Industries. Make a list of such books & hit a bookstore. Often book stores cannot provide some books due to lack of availability, sometimes it is too costly. Go to a library & try to find that book, if you know someone who is in possession of that particular book, you can try to borrow it for a few days.
5. Watch Documentaries
In the way of Self-Education, documentaries are a great source of the required information. So many documentaries are available for free on the internet, search for the documentaries related to the industry you are interested in & start watching.
6. Visit Seminars & Webinars
Nowadays, various companies, universities, and government organizations conduct seminars & webinars. Keep an eye out for them, visit a seminar nearby, or log into some websites hosting the webinar. Honchos of various industries come & talk about those industries & provide important inputs about that.
You must realize what a great source of information that will be. Keep an eye on newspapers, social media, flyers, and posters about the announcement of such seminars & webinars. When it happens, don’t miss it.
7. Don’t Assume Every Information Is True
Rightly we are living in the age of information technology. Whatever information we need is readily available but we cannot assume whatever information we are getting is true.
There are many of false information and exaggerated information too. We need to weed them out. If required we need to cross reference every piece of information we come across, in that way we will be able to gather true data & information about the subject & industry we are interested in.
Importance of Self-Education
Now we have established How to Educate ourselves, let us think about why Self-Education is important.
1. Helps You Think Outside of The Box
When a person is teaching himself/herself about a certain subject or industry, it helps him/her to think outside of the box. It boosts the problem-solving ability of a particular person & decision-making power too.
Most people who never try self-education always remain in the same place. They stop learning after getting a college degree and this prevents them from thinking out of the box, which is a barrier to self-development.
2. It Makes You An Optimistic Person
As the old saying goes, “A pessimistic person always sees difficulty in every opportunity and the optimistic person always sees opportunity in every difficulty”. The process of self-education makes a person more optimistic because he/she will have more references than people with just formal education & degrees.
3. It Makes You Richer
No, we are not talking about property or bank balance. We are talking about the perspective of working knowledge & experience. A self-educated person explores more avenues of knowledge & information than others. They become richer by collecting experiences & information which remain out of reach to others.
4. You Can Create More Opportunities
For most people getting stuck in a dead-end avenue is devoid of the gift of self-education. Self-Educated people never get stuck in such situations, he/she will create more opportunities to expand himself/herself in the way they want to be. They can easily switch industries, positions & roles in professional life with the power of self-education.
5. You Will Increase the Chance of Your Success in a Significant Way
The chance of success for Self-Educated persons grows exponentially. They are armed with newfound knowledge, capabilities & newly explored ways to solve a problem. We don’t need to remember what kind of boosts it provides for success.
Conclusion
The world has changed a lot in the last couple of decades. For success & experience, you cannot rely on formal education only.
It is quite mandatory nowadays to have the power of self-education, if you are interested in a particular subject or Industry, you should start the process today. All you need to know is How to Educate Yourself & follow the way in a constant manner.
