Learning how to learn

I once mentioned that I started but didn't finish a course on learning how to learn, and that it made me a meta learner.Well, sorry to  disappoint you, I lied, about the meta-learner part that is. Perhaps if I actually finished the course I would have mastered the art of learning.

So, I get asked a lot when I'll do my masters, I guess I should I expect it because of  footprint I leave on the internet. So like the existential question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?", I politely give a political answer deal with the triggered midlife crisis. See, I took the rebellious decision of only mastering in something I'm really interested in, thanks to suffering through 4 years of slaving through a degree I signed up for just cause it sounded cool. Don't worry I will go to grad school for cool things like Deep Learning, Quantum Computing, Computational Neuroscience, Bioinformatics ,Cloud Computing, a combination or all the above, just not now.

Now, I'm trying a thing called deliberate self-learning, where I pick a topic, focus on fully understanding and practising it for a given period of time, no deadlines, no tests, no assignments, no peer pressure. It really sounds easy when you put it that way. Only after doing it do I appreciate structured curriculums. Most of the curation and planning has already been done and all you have to do is follow through, usually in class setting with all the support you need. Self learning does have the perks of control over everything your pace, your specialization, your network, but then of course, there's a catch. Gregory Brown described it perfectly in the blogpost: A thousand degrees of freedom. Perhaps the hardest thing about self-learning is you don't know what you don't know. With all the knowledge out there, it can feel overwhelming to not know so much, it can feel intimidating to be surrounded by 'experts' and even harder to reach out to them. All feelings considered, you are almost guaranteed to be slow, which awakens other demons. Deliberate practise of self improvement has never been easy, not because there is an enemy out there who is out to get you. Trust me, those are easier to fight, the real battle is the never-ending battle against the self-sabotaging inner voice. The voice that would rather do nothing than fail.

I'm (not yet) a meta-learner but I have one or two things to say about learning. Be kind to yourself, take as many breaks as you need, however long you want them, small progress is better than none. No one was born knowing it all, we all start somewhere.  I believe we can all relate to being beginners sometime, even those you think are 'experts'. Reach out to them, you'll be surprised at how helpful they may be, directly or indirectly. You will feel confused and lost, don't fight it, feel it, clarity only follows confusion.

Learning is a lot like muscle building, you have to tear them to build them. It is indeed painful, which is why you need a good reason, a fundamental reason to do it. Doesn't matter whether the goal is career progression, career transition, a burning curiosity, social status, whatever moves you. Whether or not you'll reach that goal, I can't guarantee, but you'll definitely be a better person.

Thanks for reading and have a great week ahead!