Presently many things with education seem to be up in the air. People are working from home and students are relying on technology to continue their education. Pre-pandemic, people used technology, but it certainly was not maximized to meet its full potential in education.
While everyone seems to be staggering to find balance there are many people who have quit school to pursue online learning and education. There are hundreds and thousands of resources available to people for learning. Even better there is no age limit.
Regardless of if you are 5 or 50, there are education opportunities for everyone. In many college courses, you get taught the basics, but programs rely on getting “real world” experience for training in the areas that are most relevant to your career. In some cases, this definitely makes sense. In other cases, not so much.
Many engineering degrees rely on self-taught understanding of CAD programs to build and design models. This can be incredibly tough to self-teach and if you were to wait till you were applying for jobs, many companies do not have the time to train you on new software. Gaining the basics or having even a beginner/intermediate understanding of common programs can seriously help in applying for jobs.
Problems Many Find With Self Teaching
Self-teaching can be incredibly effective and can help you to hone your skill in whatever area you are trying to gain knowledge in. There are tricks in making sure that your self-teaching journey is effective and is not a waste of your time.
Many people find that they are eager and initially motivated to learn a new skill: how to draw, learning a graphic designing software, learning a modeling software, brushing up on math skills, etc. The problem they run into is long term motivation and accountability. This is honestly the hardest part of self-teaching.
It really does require discipline in order to be able to start a course and then complete it without having an “in class” deadline. You are accountable to yourself and it is easy to be relaxed with how strict you are. There are some hacks you can integrate into your workflow in order to ensure maximum productivity.
Hacking At Home Education
There are thousands of tips available for you to find better methods of productivity, but it honestly comes down to finding methods that work for you. There are some methods that are tried and true.
Working at a consistent time for a set amount of time. If you want to work on learning three times per week, then give yourself a set times and days that you will dedicate to working on developing your new skills. Make sure that this time is set in stone and do it in a place where you cannot be distracted.
It is important to ensure that your workspace is clean and clear of distractions and is in a place that is easy for you to focus. If you are trying to learn a new skill at your dinner table with the television on and a bunch of people around you, it may not be the best environment for you to learn. Do not waste your time trying to learn in a space that is chaotic.
Leave School and Learn From Home
Learning from home is completely doable, it just requires that you focus and find the best ways for you to work. Sitting in bed in your pajamas may not be the best way for you to focus and it certainly does not help if you do not give yourself dedicated goals. Creating goals and giving yourself structure is part of the toolkit you need in order to succeed.
