Self-education is valuable for your life. It is in fact, one of the most critical skills you should learn as early as possible. One of the most reasons why self-education holds high-value is because credentials are no longer enough today. Graduating from college is not going to make you different from other graduates. You need something to differentiate yourself aside from a degree. It is the skill to demonstrate how self-directed and motivated you are. Gaining a new skill you taught yourself is on of the ways to demonstrate those qualities.
How to be a self-directed learner
Today, lots of people are worried about automation destroying jobs. However, rest assure that new technology often create new opportunities and jobs instead. What you can do is take advantage of the situation and teach yourself new things. Hence, you will find more opportunities from interesting, well-paying jobs. So how to educate yourself and become a self-directed learner?
Figure out what you want to learn
Pick a subject or skill you want to learn as the starter. Be more specific with it so you can track your progress more effectively. For example, you want to learn more about making investment. However, the topic of investment is too wide to learn. You can be more specific by choosing to learn about investing in cryptocurrency. Find out why you want to learn it, and how it is going to be beneficial for your future.
Determine learning methods that works best for you
Since every individual has different way of learning, find yourself the most suitable method that help you learn more effectively. Your learning style may have something to do with visual involvement. So you can use videos or tutorials to teach yourself new things. There is no better method than others. The point is that you have control over learning method that work best for you.
Choose the right learning resources
There are so many types of learning resources you can choose. However, it is strongly recommended that you start with resources that focus on teaching beginners. This way, you won’t blindly jump into something too far ahead that make you miss out on something more fundamentals.
Practice
Learning theory without practice is almost a waste of time. It is more effective to learn if you can practice deliberately. Focus on specific intention while practicing. For example, you are learning about investing in cryptocurrency. You learn about how and where to do it properly. First, you buy Bitcons in small amount since it is the biggest and most popular cryptocurrency. With practice, you learn more about how to navigate your crypto investment, and how it works in real life.
Assess your ability
You need to know if you make progress from your learning. Assessing your ability yourself doesn’t need formal tests. Find a way to measure your progress accurately. When teaching yourself cryptocurrency for example, you need to bring in a third-party to help you measure your progress. Choose someone with experience in cryptocurrency investment or finance and not hesitant on giving honest feedback.