Self-education

Now it's time to collect all of your certificates and diplomas! Yes, we want to see them all! Please be ready to share your studying experience.
We are going to find out the ninja-student with the biggest number of certificates and share tips and tricks for "Self-education".

This is one of the first meeting that we made 100% online using video conference.

On a meeting we were using following worksheet (download jpg, or pdf version)

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Here are the other useful materials that we used for preparation

Intro
What’s your name, tell what you would like to self-study soon?

Definition
Self-study is a learning method in which students conduct their own studies, outside the classroom and without direct supervision.

General self-education questions (BLOCK 1)

In what industries and professions teach yourself is more beneficial rather than formal education?

• Graphic design
• Photography
• coding
• Digital marketing
• Writing

Pros and cons for Self-education (BLOCK 2)

Pros and cons of higher education

Pros

• Better salary
• Colleges provide job fairs, career services, internships and volunteer opportunities
• Explore new options, when you can change the major
• College graduates have higher chances of employment opportunities.

Cons

• College education is expensive
• Cost of missing opportunities
• Recent college graduates are under or unemployed
• Many graduates working jobs that don’t even require a degree.

EXTRA

Benefits
1) Do not pay tuition
2) No commuting! You save not only time but also commute money (gas, public transport etc)
3) You build your own curriculum , and there is no excess work or not needed courses.
4) Don't have to deal with bad professors.
5) Opportunity to meet other people who are interested in the same topics. Use forums for online discussions and Meetups for offline

Drawbacks
1) Need some gear to start. Laptop, software etc
2) Need self-discipline

Tips how to success in self-studying (BLOCK 3)

Techniques, like Pomodoro (time management, break down work into 25 min intervals separated by short breaks)

Other Technics

• Believe you can do it.
• Be specific on what you want to learn.
• Get yourself ‘how to’s’
• Practice over and over
• Record/write it down
• Don’t be afraid to make mistakes
• Final thoughts…
• Learning is continuous, it never ends.
  
  How to Pursue More Self-Directed Learning
  1. Identify your learning goals.
  2. Question the significance of things.
  3. Seek out interesting challenges.
  4. Monitor your own learning process.
  5. Understand your own approach.
  6. Use game-based motivation strategies.
  7. Start with background on a topic.
  8. Cultivate intrinsic motivation.
  9. Share your learning with peers and mentors.
  10. Create something out of what you’ve learned.
  11. Build your own personal learning syllabus.
  12. Use time (or lack thereof) to your advantage.
  13. Pursue knowledge, not good grades.
  14. Create your own personal learning record.
  15. Verbalise your achievements.
  16. Make a list of topics “to master.”
  17. Practise using what you’ve learned.
  18. Value progress over performance.
  19. Keep your goals realistic.
  20. Build a network of “learning colleagues.”

Tricks for self-study (BLOCK 4)

The Sandbox Method for Self-Education
This is your “sandbox,” an area where you can freely play around with the skill you’re trying to learn without having to worry too much about taking it seriously.
This sandbox should be:
Low cost or free: so you don’t delay in starting
Low-stakes: so you’re not afraid to fail or show your work
Public: so that you have to put your work out there in some manner


Some examples:
Programming: Accounts on Github, Heroku, and StackExchange for building projects and asking for help.
Writing: A personal blog hosted on WordPress, Medium, or SquareSpace.
Photography: Your camera and Instagram account.
Design: Sketch, and a Dribbble account to show your work on.
Marketing: A blog or information site hosted on WordPress that you can try to grow.
Detales: https://www.nateliason.com/blog/self-education

Resources (BLOCK 5)

• Where Can I Find out What I Need to Know?
• Traditional sources
• books
• articles
• film
• art and design
• conversation/collaboration
• courses
• hands-on workshops
• seminars
• mentoring/practicums
• Online sources
• websites
• blogs
• wikis
• videos
• podcasts
• online learning/MOOCs

Share your story (BLOCK 6)

Can you share your self-studying experience? What did you like (or not) and why?

• https://medium.com/swlh/self-education-the-key-to-living-the-life-you-want-57af251c8e72
• https://www.nateliason.com/blog/self-education
• https://wabisabilearning.com/blogs/inquiry/10-self-directed-learning-questions
• https://www.developgoodhabits.com/self-education/

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