Self-learning allows you to explore a subject in new directions

Summary

• Self-learning allows you to choose the angle that you wish to learn

Details

• This may give you an edge over a formal course that has a very specific field of learning
• You may also be able to cross-polinate, by learning something tangentially related, and explore how it relates to your primary topic

Quotes

You can study subjects with a different perspective. Most university graduates are set on a certain, limited career track. They study with a specific purpose and aim for what to do with their newfound knowledge. Even if they achieve success in their fields, these times of rapid change can make their positions less secure, since employees are expected to keep up and know more about different topics than in the past.

For example: learning solely business Japanese instead of how to use it in daily settings. Committing to self-learning gives you the upper hand because it allows you to learn with broad purposes, different purposes, or no purpose at all. This is a stark contrast to learning inside the box, oriented toward a specific perspective.

References

• The Science of Self-Learning - How to Teach Yourself Anything, Learn More in Less Time, and Direct Your Own Education - Peter Hollins

Related

• Learning skills takes time
• Learning something new is good for your brain
• Learning is best done slowly to accumulate lasting knowledge even if it means doing badly in the short term
• Variability in learning - Contextual interference
• Curiousity is a powerful learning tool