Self-education.

[criza]

I think that skills, for you to be able to become specialist, can be learned outside school and experience can be acquired beyond education that will enable you to become a specialist in a specific field. However, it does not necessarily mean that you can be a specialist without a formal education or being self-taught alone. I still do believe that although we can learn different skills and techniques on our own, many learnings and lessons we can get through the help of others, by means of their knowledge and expertise. "No man is an island", as well as in learning. Education is never ending, and that means that we need to learn from others' experiences in order for us to grow, since we cannot experience it all.

[GideonGono]

Self education or self taught? , well i guess it's more applicable though you find the things by the help of your curiosity , but again still not enough is a unique way though to educate yourself .

That's why we have teachers to taught the things we don't know , to learn but then again sometimes , or should i say now a days teacher , school rather , they just tend to somehow brainwash us , instead of living on the truth we live on a lie.

[ololesia]

Yes, it is possible in most cases. Just take an online course. There are plenty of websites with Harvard, Cambridge or Oxford lessons. However, it is not possible if you want to become a doctor

[ScroodjMoney]

As a undergratudate I think that we have to learn so many things without proper guidence by lectures. So its called self education. It will help us to gain our knowledge and give confident about what we learnt.

[tvbcof]

Is it possible to become a specialist studying by yourself?

I read somewhere that an IQ level of about 130 is the threshold where one can be expected to be able to successfully self-educate in technically advanced fields.  I believe that Stanford-Binnet IQ ratings are imprecise in gauging features which accurately predict self-education potential, but it's probably a useful value in predicting success anyway.

My experience in the Silicon Valley tech sector substantiate the above.  I would suspect that the lower end of college educated participants was in the 120 range.  The (less numerous) self-educated contingent was probably in the 130-150 range and as a general tendency they excelled (perhaps because those who did not went back to digging ditches.)  The high end of participants tended to hold graduate degrees and I would estimate they to be North of 150 a lot of times.

The more I think back on things, the more I suspect that formal education focuses a lot on instilling certain ideas which are of benefit to a certain group of social engineers.  Their programs were successful in achieving a result.  The self-educated crowd were much more likely to be 'conspiracy theorists' when it came to unrelated political thought patterns for instance.  Also, being deficient in an understanding of certain documented procedures, the self-educated tended to 'go their own way' sometimes, and sometimes it worked out well.  But I worked mostly in 'start-up' companies.  I suspect that in the larger corporate environments it was usually a better strategy to just go with the industry standards.  'Blazing new trails' is a risk/reward ratio which doesn't make as much sense there.

[SkyFlakes]

We can learn a lot from our own selves and from the environment we live in. The experience that you can acquire from out there can be a way of educating our own selves. However, this self-education can't makes us certified specialist on the field that we want. Maybe, ypu can be a specialist by your own but think of it as you were a specialist but you were the only one who could know that. Formal education is a need to be a certified specialist in any field. It is something that you can hold for you to really do what you want to do. There's nothing bad on being self-educated, it is in fact a great edge to others but consider having formal education for you to not waste the knowledge that you gained from your own.

[AmorFati]

I do believe you can achieve anything you want through self education especially in this age of information where you get to easily find something with just a few searches through the internet.

I also believe that interaction and collaboration with others is a requirement for anyone to grow and nurture their skill.

I've been taking Udemy classes for different skillsets and what I've learned from there are things that I am utilizing right now.

[FlightyPouch]

Is it possible to become a specialist studying by yourself?

There are some instances that people are learning a lot of things by their selves and there is a lot of people that is famous because of that, it is a good thing still I think it is far more better if people can share their knowledge and skills to other people in order to attain and achieve more than you want to. The more people share the knowledge, the more they can contribute and help each other.

[diegz]

In my opinion, everyone can learn what they want, but what you should be thinking is the mastery, you can't perfect everything if you would not focus on just one craft. You will need thousands of hours before you could be considered as "master" on the specific field that you are into.

But, things like fixing your own things like your house, bikes, computer, I'm sure you can learn how to do it. Ever heard of "DIY"? I consider it self taught, but I can't consider DIY'ers as "specialist" that you are talking about.

There are also talented people who doesn't need someone to teach them, they could naturally enhance themselves by experience.

[DropBombzENT]

All the money I earned was due to the knowledge that I learned myself. I do not use the knowledge that I got at university

[Chusnul]

Thus self-education is when you teach yourself something, a subject in which you have no or very little formal education. Self-education could possibly be learning about a specific TV series at your own time, because you are teaching yourself about a subject which you have had no formal education and you will thus become an autodidact in the subject of that particular TV series. Learning about electrical systems in order to repair your car on your own would also classify as self-education since you will be an autodidact in the art of fixing electrical systems in cars.

[Blekok001]

It is possible to become a specialist by self-study, this is commonly known as self-taught learning.
You can learn the specialists you choose by utilizing existing technology such as finding out via the internet etc., or you can read the books and search for the opinions of previous experts.

[tvbcof]

Yes it is. The problem is convincing someone to hire you without a degree.

Important point for those considering this route.

I can only speak from the perspective of the U.S., but as a rule of thumb, if you can make someone money here they will pay you.  But you have to get your foot in the door.  Many professional fields are closed off by regulation.  That is to say, you cannot legally practice without the right government issued paperwork, and that is impossible to obtain without a college degree.  Sometimes if one is knowledgeable about, say, construction, one can get a job as a bureaucrat, but that is low paid and most who have the potential to self-educate would probably find the work unrewarding.

My opinion of education in the U.S. and in a technical field is that getting a degree proves two things.  1) one has a certain minimal intellectual capacity (e.g, can get through differential equations, etc, which is little more than an IQ test in reality.)  and 2) one can stick with something for 4 years or whatever even when it is often boring and stupid and you need to deal with various levels of idiocy.  Both of these are valuable to a potential employer.  If one can demonstrate the ability to be of value without the degree, that is just as good (and probably better to the more dynamic enterprises.)  That is usually accomplished word-of-mouth, but one does have to get their foot in the door somehow.  And, of course, have the ability to be a worthwhile asset.

Most people who have the potential to self-educate would probably do better starting a business of their own.  And most probably do.

---

Edit - follow-up:

A college degree means less and less as time goes by.  Many people who hold a degree and a government issued license to practice actually need help doing their job effectively from someone who has a few brain cells to rub together.  This is not exactly new.  In the 1950's when women were more excluded and men were the 'breadwinners', it was pretty common for the secretary to be running the show in white-collar offices and the executive for whom she worked.  Effectively she was basically the brains of the operation.  A similar dynamic is probably evolving where college educated morons will need hand-holding in order to perform.  Targeting a niche where that is practical would be a strategy.  At least as a phase of a self-directed learning program.  Just an idea.

[tvbcof]

This thread has the 'virtue exam' feel described in the mod's sticky depressingly often.  I think that self-education is a great thing, but people need to be realistic for their own good.  It is probably not the best option for dumb shits.

Secondly, study in a lot of fields includes hands-on experience.  Without it, the rate of progress is severely retarded and success is unlikely.  This means that choosing a field where success is practical is important.

Software engineering is a good option because fairly state-of-the-art unix systems (for example) are easily available.  A datacenter sized storage array is not, but it is practical to emulate one for training purposes.  Many of the most widely used tools and techniques are 'open source.'

Contrast this with genetic engineering where one is unlikely to get to first base without access to a lab full of expensive equipment.  Compounding this problem is that most of the information representing the state of the art is secret.

For technical fields which involve expensive equipment, a pretty good option would seem to me to be to learn enough to make oneself useful sweeping floors and cleaning bottles in order to get a foot in the door.  Then focus on learning the more technical aspects while on-the-job.

I will also say that a technically tracked AA at a junior collages is cheap and it will force one to get through the basics of math, physics, chemistry, etc, and a certain basic amount of equipment is available when needed.  In some cases a community college will have a superior program to some of state universities in the lower division levels.  This was absolutely my findings at the schools I attended.  Community colleges also tend to cater to people who have to work for a living (and kids who have exhausted the potential of their high schools.)

The above is written from an American perspective and experience of about 25 years ago.  Some things may have changed and may not be applicable in other countries.  I sense that universities are even more focused on cranking out good little SJW's now then they were even back then.  The local CC mostly just wanted to instill the prerequisite knowledge to succeed in a transfer program it seemed to me, though this may have applied mostly to the technical track.

No matter what they do, a person will be better off and have more options if they can stay out of debt.  And relatedly, avoid other types of responsibilities (esp, a bunch of hungry kids to feed.)  I know of a bunch of instances where it was simply not realistically practical for a person to move upward in terms of education/skill development because they got themselves financially trapped.

[FlightyPouch]

I would say no. You need experience nd skill from another person su you can get better and improve.

I don't agree. All you got to do is just study. You get knowledge, you can develop a skill though skill or a talent there is a lot of people that became popular and better with just them no one teaching them. But I agree that with other people we became more better.

self-education derived from the experiences we have ever experienced be it a bitter and sweet experience. from that experience will become deeper in life so that it can benefit all

That is not self education that is a based on a experience education which we always do while we are growing old. There is a difference in that too since with all of that experience in the past, there are still some people who helped us out.

this is pass your exam without teaching your teacher  lol..

I guess you get it backwards. Teaching your teacher is not a self education. If you will be asking me to give an example about it? That will be passing the exam without going to school and just self studying in your room the whole semester though that won't make sense since if you do not need your teacher, why would you still go to school right? You are wasting your money for your tuition.

[SugoiSenpai]

Is it possible to become a specialist studying by yourself?

I believe this is more of how dedicated a person can be towards learning by him/herself. In our modern society there are plenty of advanced technologies and platforms which can help us innovate our lifestyles, it can even help us self-study. But why are there still schools and even teachers homeschooling people? The answer is simple, because we are easily drawn to pleasure, e.g. the pleasure we get from platforms that entertains us such as games, watching, streaming, etc. There are plenty of distractions that can lead to only procrastination. Without discipline and dedication self-education could not be possible. So for me, the answer is no, unless there is an inborn human which already understands by itself how things work in reality that it can actually self-educate without guidance.

[Mobeecryptotech]

If we're to believe that humans are born with a tabula raza (clean slate),  then self education takes a longer time to be achieved. Also,  human beings grasp topics differently and may need guidance in a particular area. Hence the importance of formal education

[Degeneral002]

It's a choice... It all about determination and courage you put as a person to stand out in a particular area of your endeavor. Do you want to know God? Then devote yourself in reading the Bible, pray and seek his face then He'll show forth. Do you want to make money..? Then find some material on finance and read, dare to put those things into practice then you'll get there. I believe in it so well.

[ozgrnc]

MOOC (massive open online course) is the best way to improve your skills. One can have high qualified courses by the best universities via using EdX, Coursera etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_open_online_course

[sakib12121012]

There is a lot of technology in the age of technology through which we can learn and publish our self-education. The first chapter of self-education learning is our parents. Then from school life we can achieve our self-education and make our future. Some tips for self-education. Prepare a studying environment. create your own studying space organized desk, a comfortable chair, a laptop, the books and notebooks you need and some pens/pencils/markers. Get a dictionary, Use an online dictionary like Merriam-Webster or dictionary.com or actual dictionary that you'll use when you're studying from books. Highlight, Get some markers for the prints and use the highlighting feature on your eReader to put an accent on the crucial elements of the text. Learn from different mediums, Do not limit yourself to a single source of knowledge; make sure to experiment and benefit from information in all forms. Talk to experts, Find people who are experts on the topics of your interests and ask questions. Nothing beats one-to-one communication with inspiring people. Study every day, Routine is important! Organize your learning schedule in short, frequent (daily) sessions that will keep you focused on the material. Don't assume everything you read is true, When you use different studying materials, some of them may be in contradiction to the things you already know. Make sure to get to the bottom of the issue by conduction an in depth research. Join online communities of learners and methods, You don't want to study in isolation, so make sure to find the right subreddit communities and Linkedln groups that will connect you to people you can learn from. Make learning your lifestyle, As you gain more knowledge and you start understanding how things work, you might lose your ability to wonder. Don't allow that to happen! Ask more questions and discovery new things every single day. Search for online courses, Many reputable free online courses on websites like Udemy, edX, and other popular websites. Set goals, it's important to develop a habit of learning. Set monthly and daily goals, and give yourself a motivation to accomplish them. Teach ! if you want a proof that you're gained enough knowledge - start teaching. You can become a private tutor, but you can also start offering you own online. Say YES to new experiences, Since you have the liberty to develop your own learning style, you have to infuse some practical experience into this journey. Find a way to implement everything you learn into your traditional education or the job you have. If we can achieve these self-education tips ourselves, then we will become successful people in life.