This is my first blog post on my site. I wanted to write a long time ago, but due to some reasons, I couldn’t. But today, I have managed time to write.
I choose this topic to share my personal journey of self learning which I am doing for more than 2 years, to encourage others to start self learning and understand why we as Pakistanis need it.
What exactly is Self Learning?
Before moving further, lets first understand what is self learning. Here is its formal definition:
Self Learning is the process of acquiring knowledge, education or skills without physical or direct interaction with any teacher or traditional educational institutions
My Journey
I began self-learning when I started programming in 12th grade. After joining university, I continued to self-learn consistently. I only attend university to pass the exams, as dedicating time to university studies would hinder my ability to pursue self-learning effectively.
How self learners learn?
You might have question in your head that If self learners don’t need any teacher then how they learn.
And, answer is, they need teacher but not direct supervision from physical teacher.
Instead self learners utilize technology and books to make their own roadmaps or curriculum and then learn them at their own pace.
Core of Self Learning
The core of self learning is curiosity. If someone is curious or passionate about something, He will automatically start self learning. So, if you want to start self learning, find out what excites or impassion you the most.
can you do self learning if you don’t love what you want to learn?
Well, you can but it will not be as fulfulling or sustainable in the long run. Passion and interest are powerful motivators for self learning.
Why does Pakistan need self-learning?
Pakistan produces about 445,000 university graduates per year.But why is there no significant innovation, research, or major development?
After thinking for a long time, I concluded that the root cause is that students are not passionate about what they are doing or learning in educational institutes.
As I mentioned earlier, passion or interest forms the core of self-learning. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, students lack this core. Consequently, there is no opportunity for self-learning. This leads them to depend on traditional educational institutes and teachers to learn subjects they are not interested in.
Somehow, they manage to succeed through rote learning and cheating, obtaining certificates. Frankly, this approach often results in wasted time and brings no progress or innovation.
The only way to do great work is to love what you do
Steve Jobs
So, If we want Pakistan make progress, we have to allow students to find and follow thier passion. That will automatically lead them to self learning. I will write a separate post on it as it is a complete topic in itself.
Benifits of Self Learning
- Independence from traditional institutes and teachers. Regardless of whether these institutions or educators improve, it will no longer matter.
- Students learn at their own pace, not at the pace set by teachers.
- When students love what they do and engage in self-learning, their creativity levels increase.
Cons
- Sometimes, you may struggle to understand certain concepts without someone to clarify doubts or answer questions.
- You have to rely solely on yourself to learn and overcome challenges. However, with perseverance and continued effort, you can eventually grasp the concepts over time.
Resources used by self-learners
- Youtube
- Blogs
- Documentations
- Online courses platform like udemy and coursera etc.
- chatGPT
How you can start?
First find out what excites you most
Start learning and exploring about it
Practice, Practice and Practice
Wrap-Up
I tried to tell you what is self learning, why we need it, its benifits and how you can start.
It might be not very good as it is my first post. But, I hope that I will improve writing over time.
See you in the next post—till then, keep learning and keep practicing! 👋