All children are born as autodidacts, but through schooling, most forget that they can learn something on their own without being taught. This happened to me too. After 12 years in brainwashing school systems, I assumed that in order to learn anything credible, it has to come from an institution with lots of good reputation, otherwise there is no way it can be useful.

However, when I was faced with picking a major in college, I picked programming. I noticed that it wasn’t because I had a great programming teacher, or because I took lots of programming classes, but because I was spending most of my free time having fun programming on my own. From that point on, I took learning as something I do for myself and teachers are there only as consultants that will give me advice and information.

I’m now confident that I can learn anything I put my hands on if I really want to know it. Case in point, in the past two years, I became a hobby auto mechanic, just because I was interested in cars. I didn’t take a course at a local community college; instead I bought a 1991 Nissan 240sx that needed some TLC. While trying to make that car run and look better, I researched suspension, handling, intake, exhaust, powertrain, basic maintenance, body work, interior and exterior styling, lighting, etc. and applied that knowledge to my own car, tinkering with it on weekends. I learned about different automotive competitions and driving styles and techniques. In order to make my well built car perform better, I also found the need to improve my driving so I participated in several autocross events. I became friends with people who were into working on cars, so we helped each other and learned from each other. In short, I made cars my number one preoccupation in my free time, which in two years turned me from a completely ignorant girl that would judge cars based on their color, to a car enthusiast who could swap the suspension in an hour or troubleshoot and fix an idle problem.

In the same way by reading books, websites, magazines, forums, Wikipedia, etc. and gaining practical knowledge at the same time, I can learn how to be a vet, a detective, a farmer, a pilot, or whatever else I want to become. The only hitch about being an autodidact is that you don’t get a piece of paper that says what you are supposed to be able to do. I know people who finished computer science, yet can’t write a decent piece of code. They were never passionate about programming, and went for it just because they heard it would be profitable. How are they now any better and worth more than someone who spent thousands of hours on a computer improving the kernel or writing elaborate web tools for fun, is beyond me, but that is how the modern school system functions, and frankly that will get a post for itself.

Regardless, learning new things on your own even especially after leaving school is an invaluable skill to have. By learning whatever you want or need to know, you will become more flexible and adaptable, make your life more interesting, and in the long run possibly make/save money if that’s what you’re into.