Autodidacts
I have a friend in the ministry who loves to learn. He described himself as an autodidact. An autodidact, simply put, is a self-taught person. You can check the internet for lists of famous autodidacts. They come from all fields of work and learning. Some dropped out of school already in their teens and never returned. Yet they mastered their craft, made money doing it, and many became quite famous.
I have three degrees beyond high school, so I'm a product of the educational system. To a point. I am fortunate that going to school did not kill my love of learning. In the best sense I gained tools to use to further my education beyond what I learned in the classroom. My last degree, a second-level research master's degree (which required a master's degree as a prerequisite) was one of my most valuable. The capstone of the degree involved a thesis. Since the degree was originally described as "interdisciplinary" I attempted to write a thesis that combined two of the areas in which I studied - liturgics and biblical exposition (exegesis). It was tough and my wife openly wondered why I tackled such a difficult approach. It took two proposals to finally get to my actual subject of research. I figured that I cranked out up to 40 pages before I even started to write the thesis. 123 pages later I finished it and successfully defended it. The experience taught me a lot. First of all, it taught me to meticulously research and analyze information. In fact, I actually disproved, to a point, my original thesis, which prompted my readers to tell me that had this been a Ph.D dissertation I would have failed because a doctoral dissertation sets out to prove, not disprove the stated thesis.
Secondly, it taught me to be thorough. I spent an entire weekend in the library where I studied in order to fill out my bibliography. Journals, books, reference works - I opened anything that might contribute to my subject. I footnoted profusely. In one case one footnote filled three quarters of a page. One of my readers was impressed, but not because of the size. The thoroughness of simply listing the multiple references itself made a point.
Thirdly, it taught me persistence. It would have been easy to 'fall between the cracks' and be forgotten by the school. They had other important issues to attend. But the thesis was required to earn the degree and I refused to stop half way. I did all this while working full time with other side responsibilities. Looking back I often wonder how I did it.
This degree, in some ways, contributed to being an autodidact post-degree. Degrees, ideally, should not be ends in themselves, although they are for too many. More than once I have debated with myself about going back and finally getting a doctorate. But a few things keep me from following through. At almost 59 years of age I have a hard time imagining myself again as only a student again. I now teach online. I am giving back. It's not a pride thing. If so, I'd go ahead and do it to have the title. Yet I realize that I have mastered the tools of learning and another degree will not make me more proficient. I can do what needs to be done on my own. Right now, in fact, I am actually teaching a subject that wasn't even part of my graduate program. I had not studied the subject in a formal way for at least 30 years. I had practiced it, however, and in some ways became an expert, of sorts, by doing. My class, at times, feels almost as much like mentoring and it does teaching.
I love to learn in other areas and I think this is one trait of a true autodidact. You have to love to expand your knowledge, to grow in multiple directions. I am not only an academic, but I am also a firefighter. Now I will be the first to admit that I often feel the most inadequate in this field, even though I took the 96-hour course through the local technical college and have been involved in regular training for the last 16 years. There are guys with only a high school diploma that regularly humble me by what they know. Still, I keep learning.
I am now considering learning another language. In college I took German, Greek and Hebrew. In seminary I added Aramaic. I have dabbled in Spanish, but lately have considered French. The nice thing is that I will do it purely for the love of it.
Whether you are in school or out, becoming an autodidact, I believe, is the secret to lifelong learning. Believe that you can learn. I am continually frustrated by children I teach who tell me that they aren't very smart or can't do such-and-such. If you tell yourself you can't, you probably won't. I never allow that excuse in my students. Assume you can. Go from there. The world is your school!
I have three degrees beyond high school, so I'm a product of the educational system. To a point. I am fortunate that going to school did not kill my love of learning. In the best sense I gained tools to use to further my education beyond what I learned in the classroom. My last degree, a second-level research master's degree (which required a master's degree as a prerequisite) was one of my most valuable. The capstone of the degree involved a thesis. Since the degree was originally described as "interdisciplinary" I attempted to write a thesis that combined two of the areas in which I studied - liturgics and biblical exposition (exegesis). It was tough and my wife openly wondered why I tackled such a difficult approach. It took two proposals to finally get to my actual subject of research. I figured that I cranked out up to 40 pages before I even started to write the thesis. 123 pages later I finished it and successfully defended it. The experience taught me a lot. First of all, it taught me to meticulously research and analyze information. In fact, I actually disproved, to a point, my original thesis, which prompted my readers to tell me that had this been a Ph.D dissertation I would have failed because a doctoral dissertation sets out to prove, not disprove the stated thesis.
Secondly, it taught me to be thorough. I spent an entire weekend in the library where I studied in order to fill out my bibliography. Journals, books, reference works - I opened anything that might contribute to my subject. I footnoted profusely. In one case one footnote filled three quarters of a page. One of my readers was impressed, but not because of the size. The thoroughness of simply listing the multiple references itself made a point.
Thirdly, it taught me persistence. It would have been easy to 'fall between the cracks' and be forgotten by the school. They had other important issues to attend. But the thesis was required to earn the degree and I refused to stop half way. I did all this while working full time with other side responsibilities. Looking back I often wonder how I did it.
This degree, in some ways, contributed to being an autodidact post-degree. Degrees, ideally, should not be ends in themselves, although they are for too many. More than once I have debated with myself about going back and finally getting a doctorate. But a few things keep me from following through. At almost 59 years of age I have a hard time imagining myself again as only a student again. I now teach online. I am giving back. It's not a pride thing. If so, I'd go ahead and do it to have the title. Yet I realize that I have mastered the tools of learning and another degree will not make me more proficient. I can do what needs to be done on my own. Right now, in fact, I am actually teaching a subject that wasn't even part of my graduate program. I had not studied the subject in a formal way for at least 30 years. I had practiced it, however, and in some ways became an expert, of sorts, by doing. My class, at times, feels almost as much like mentoring and it does teaching.
I love to learn in other areas and I think this is one trait of a true autodidact. You have to love to expand your knowledge, to grow in multiple directions. I am not only an academic, but I am also a firefighter. Now I will be the first to admit that I often feel the most inadequate in this field, even though I took the 96-hour course through the local technical college and have been involved in regular training for the last 16 years. There are guys with only a high school diploma that regularly humble me by what they know. Still, I keep learning.
I am now considering learning another language. In college I took German, Greek and Hebrew. In seminary I added Aramaic. I have dabbled in Spanish, but lately have considered French. The nice thing is that I will do it purely for the love of it.
Whether you are in school or out, becoming an autodidact, I believe, is the secret to lifelong learning. Believe that you can learn. I am continually frustrated by children I teach who tell me that they aren't very smart or can't do such-and-such. If you tell yourself you can't, you probably won't. I never allow that excuse in my students. Assume you can. Go from there. The world is your school!
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