Are you self taught?

I am self taught in every subject, this was mainly due to going a shithole of a school and never grasping the need for others. I have however taught in several capacities so understand what it is for. I feel I can learn a subject faster and deeper if I do it alone. I shan't list my subjects though.
 
College grad and self taught. Spent many hours at the library, on the floor literally buried in books. I didn't have the wild & wacky web to use. Structured classrooms are boring with criculum being just a taste. The library was like attending a buffet...and oh my now with the internet available...I am in heaven with 99 search engines open all at once!
 
I have a learning disability so I had to self teach to overcome it. The summer between 5th and 6th grade I became an autodidactic learner. As an introvert I feel this process is natural for us. My mother an extroverted public school teacher tried her best to help me with my homework but something just wasn't clicking.

Fast forward to college age and I'm taking a few gap years off to travel and do mission work before becoming a pre medical student at a university. After that I will take another gap year between undergrad and graduate school while I prepare for the MCAT.

During the total time of my gap year education I will self learn Spanish and Korean and improve upon my STEM skills while embarking on a journey of self discovery and motivation.

Unless I am Hippocrates, med school would have to be a stoping point where I could no longer self teach and would have to learn more hands on through clinicals and classroom engagement.
 
Sandie33 said:
College grad and self taught. Spent many hours at the library, on the floor literally buried in books. I didn't have the wild & wacky web to use. Structured classrooms are boring with criculum being just a taste. The library was like attending a buffet...and oh my now with the internet available...I am in heaven with 99 search engines open all at once!
Click to expand...

Yup, this is also me. I miss being a student for the immediate access of online journals and other scientific publications. I learned so much aside from the studies required of my curriculum. I was more interested in what I wanted to know than what I was actually going to school for.
 
Going through school and university I found it easier to teach myself through reading rather than attending lectures and tutorials. I'd find myself daydreaming if it wasn't a topic I was interested in. I'd become frustrated at not having time to research further topics that would fascinate me that were discovered in the process of reading course material. After completing university I indulged in reading the material that was not related to the set assignments and exams, Savouring. Each. Delicious. Morsel.

When first setting out it was important to me to finish the tasks related to obtaining certificates etc. Now I'll become interested in a topic and float on cloud 9 researching it on the internet.

Going to conferences and courses in my area of work I now find fascinating as they are based on recent research in the area. (consciously not mentioning my area of work) But I'll also read information about a topic that I'm interested in just for the joy of it.
 
I like a mixture. I was ok in a classroom environment, but it usually depended on how I got on with the teacher. If they were enthusiastic, that made a big difference to me. If they were going though the motions, or just teaching "for the test" then I'd lose interest. Overall I prefer learning something alone.

A friend kindly tried to teach me to play guitar years ago. It was very helpful, but really I progressed much faster by myself. We'd meet up each weekend, and after my fingers adjusted to the strings (you need those finger tips to toughen up) I made rapid strides. I remember him coming over about the third or fourth week and after I played some stuff he was shocked how quickly I'd learned. I think that's just part of my nature though, if I decide to do something I'm very very driven. If you're learning alone you can just devote all your free time to it.

Also in a classroom environment, you have to deal with other students etc, even as an adult. It's ridiculous how some people get jealous if you thrive in a subject, if they're struggling. That used to make me want to "keep my hand down" and stay out of class debate, unless it'd really aggravated me.
The one thing about the "structured" thing that really frustrated me, was the rote learning, memorization thing. To me that's a total waste. You end up with people reciting reams of information, with no actual understanding of what it means, or how to try to advance or apply it.
 
I can't play an instrument yet, but I can bang out chord, invert it if I want to, use a standard chord progression or make up my own. I can't put together a band, but I can sound like one. I am a self-taught lyricist. Listening to several of my demos, my engineer/co-producer asked how I came to know so much about production without going to school. That's possibly the greatest compliment I could have hoped for at the time.

I would eventually like to become an audio engineer. I'll probably have to go to school for that, if for no other reason than the fact I don't have all of the equipment. :-) But knowing me, I'll study up on it beforehand.

I'm a much better student than when I was younger. I was a high school honor graduate, but a college dropout. In my early 30s, I breezed through cosmetology school. In my 40s, I graduated from massage school near the top of my class (there's a lot of anatomy and physiology involved).

If I had my druthers, I definitely prefer self-study, or study in small groups or private study. And I require confident instructors.
 
Gist said:
Do you find that you learn better when you teach yourself an academic subject that is perceived as more easily or better learned in a classroom? Do you feel you can accomplish more as a self taught learner? How do motivation and self discipline play a role in your ability to learn on your own? What else makes self taught learning more effective or attractive? When you do you think self taught learning isn't effective? For what subjects or in what circumstances?
Click to expand...

Yes.

In all seriousness, I prefer to learn on my own. In classroom settings for example, there was too much external stimulation toying with my anxiety. Also, I learn visually much better than if someone were to stand in front of me and talk. I can't do that. I just don't learn that way. School was beyond dreadful and I honestly didn't learn a damn thing. College wasn't much different. Basically, I want to know what I want to know, and nothing will get in my way until I learn, usually firsthand, and that means I have to take the interest in a particular subject into my own hands.

For this very reason, I see exactly why I don't have a "big boy" job, and may never; unless I find a field of work that I feel I absolutely must delve into.
Even then, nearly everything is institutionalized and I can't justify being in debt. I guess if I ever go back to college, I'll try to study abroad somewhere.
 
SkipINFJ said:
I can't play an instrument yet, but I can bang out chord, invert it if I want to, use a standard chord progression or make up my own. I can't put together a band, but I can sound like one. I am a self-taught lyricist. Listening to several of my demos, my engineer/co-producer asked how I came to know so much about production without going to school. That's possibly the greatest compliment I could have hoped for at the time.
Click to expand...

Are you going to school for audio engineering? Is it motivating you beyond any shadow of doubt?

I believe a natural ear for music is inherent, something certain people are born with, and some are exceptionally gifted. I used to want to be an engineer but I couldn't allow myself to rack up the load of debt for places like Full Sail University, just to work on someone's band and to hear input from other people ( I don't like people and I don't like other bands, usually). I work better alone, actually. My idealism establishes a need for total control and my perfectionism will make me a totalitarian in the field, and I just don't think it's worth it, the biggest consideration, all of the debt incurred, just to be able to do something I'm naturally very gifted at. I'll always slave at my own projects, and while I can imagine being an established engineer would be fulfilling, I think my personality traits will keep my abilities in the underground, limited to my own outlets.
 
Ryso89 said:
Are you going to school for audio engineering? Is it motivating you beyond any shadow of doubt?

I believe a natural ear for music is inherent, something certain people are born with, and some are exceptionally gifted. I used to want to be an engineer but I couldn't allow myself to rack up the load of debt for places like Full Sail University, just to work on someone's band and to hear input from other people ( I don't like people and I don't like other bands, usually). I work better alone, actually. My idealism establishes a need for total control and my perfectionism will make me a totalitarian in the field, and I just don't think it's worth it, the biggest consideration, all of the debt incurred, just to be able to do something I'm naturally very gifted at. I'll always slave at my own projects, and while I can imagine being an established engineer would be fulfilling, I think my personality traits will keep my abilities in the underground, limited to my own outlets.
Click to expand...

Hi! No, I'm not going to school for audio engineering, but if I had the means to (affordably), I would. Reading your post, I relate to so much of what you've written (and so eloquently written!). I need to do some more research on the topic to see what I can learn on my own. I too prefer to work alone, but due to skill limitations, I send the final tracks to an engineer for his touch. Then, it's back and forth a little until I like the finished product. We get along great, so that helps.

"I don't like people, and I don't like other bands, usually." Love that one!

If you don't mind sharing, where can I check out your music?
 
I'd like to, but I'm sorry. A few people on here have had that privilege but I'm afraid I'm a bit too private of a person to share my music. They are creations from deep within my head and although I wish it was easy for me to allow strangers in to those worlds, even on this forum, I have to limit my exposure.

I'm just as private in real life / in person, especially to other musicians. I generally don't talk about my passions with other people unless they bring it up, and my interest in music is usually brought into a conversation by a loved one to strangers who then ask all of this personal information about everything involving what it is that makes me tick, and I can't handle it. It's easy to discuss those things on here but there is a level of vulnerability I can't allow. Its hard for me to say no, but I hope you understand.
 
Last edited:
Potentially in due time, though. Sometimes I am open about it here but sometimes not. It would be easier if I had a master recording not of my own material.
 
detectivepope said:
I am self taught in every subject, this was mainly due to going a shithole of a school and never grasping the need for others. I have however taught in several capacities so understand what it is for. I feel I can learn a subject faster and deeper if I do it alone. I shan't list my subjects though.
Click to expand...
Good on you.
 
Thinking Type said:
During the total time of my gap year education I will self learn Spanish and Korean and improve upon my STEM skills while embarking on a journey of self discovery and motivation.
Click to expand...
Blimey!

I'm learning to play the fiddle, I go classes and can read music already, so I'm not really self taught but I go through the book at my own pace.

I'm studying for a psychology degree on-line... not really self-taught as such but I guess in a away it is.
 
Last edited:
I'm not self-taught, but I am winging it as I go with a few things.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top