Rob's Blog

Learn how to learn - or, "getting ahead with self-education."

A 22-year-old University student approached me last week looking for a little career advice. Should he go to College after University to train for a practical skill? Should he use his degree to get a job in a company, and work his way up the ladder from there? Or, should he start his own small business - even though he knows nothing about running a small business?

We talked through what he really wanted to do for a few minutes. Almost in passing, I told him that regardless of what he chose to do, he “could certainly learn what he needs to learn as he goes,” and that “everyone in the working world makes it up as they go along - so you can too, as long as you keep self-educating.”

He looked at me with disbelief, like he was waiting for a punch line. Finally, he blinked and said “no adult has ever told me that before.” His understanding was that formal education was the only path to a good career. Nobody had told him that the primary purpose of a University education is to “learn how to learn.” That’s at least my understanding of what a University education is supposed to do.

Once I got past the shock of being called “an adult” by a 22-year-old, I was left wondering - did I just spill some sort of secret that “adults” aren’t supposed to share? Did I violate some kind of “grownup” code? Did I just let a major secret out of the bag? If so, it’s a pretty ridiculous secret.

To any young adults who may be reading this, here’s the truth: everyone is making it up as they go along. Everyone. Do you think that CEOs go to CEO college? Nope. Did that world leader go to President school? Definitely not. Do all entrepreneurs have post-secondary degrees? Not a chance. Did Drake learn what he knows from any post-Degrassi institution? He did not (I looked it up). And don’t forget - most University professors have no formal training as teachers. Everyone is learning on the fly, and you can too.

Academic credentials are often necessary, and can only earned from academic institutions, but learning is what you really need to get ahead. Learn how to learn, and you will be ready to make up the rest as you go.

Refuse to be bored...

The first day of class was always a tumultuous experience for me as a student, and it's even more so as a University instructor. The combination of excitement, novelty, nervousness and inevitability on that first day is a legitimate rush. Students may seem aloof and disengaged sometimes, but my experience is that students (like most people) get engaged with what they're doing as long as they are trusted, trusting and respected enough to share their interests. I love the process of reaching out to new students to discover common ground between the course content and their goals and experience, building bridges to achieve our shared goals together.

I often share a Zelda Fitzgerald quote at the start of each new course: “She refused to be bored chiefly because she wasn't boring.” I love the jazz age feel of this quote, and I present it as a challenge for students to take control of each class. Everyone gets bored in class (I sometimes find myself getting bored as I teach), so I encourage students to take control of boredom by participating actively in the discussion. If students get involved and frame their understanding through their own experience, it helps them to learn. The benefit of this shared experience helps peers to learn too - and it's much more fun.

Like most things in life, some extra time and effort invested in learning will make the experience much better, and much less tiresome. Passivity is monotonous and dull - and more importantly, it's unproductive. Don't be afraid to stretch your limits. Embrace the novelty, nervousness and inevitability that life delivers, and you will be more alive for the effort.