Autodidact???

Are you an AUTODIDACT???

When I began making beads I didn't know where or who to go to to learn this skill.  My oldest son came up with a torch and my youngest son helped me buy a kiln.  The rest was up to me.

I found someone at a fair who made enamel beads and talked him into showing me how he did it in his garage over 100 miles from where I lived.  I drove there and sat with him for about an hour and a half for $40 to learn what he knew.  From there I bought a book by Corina Tettinger, Passing the Flame.  I was making beads in my mother's garage for two years before ever taking a class.  It wasn't until today I discovered that I am an autodidact as I continue experimenting, practicing and pursuing this passion I have for glass any way I can.  One day, I will be a master.

Some of the greatest people in history have educated themselves to a large degree using a process known as autodidacticism. This is something that's more easily undertaken these days with the great wealth of online tools available to anyone.

Whether you've gone to college or not, you can learn just about anything these days on your own. Want to learn about the classics? Carpentry and home maintenance? Philosophy or cooking? Chess or computer programming? It's all online, and with a little bit of excitement, you can motivate yourself to learn a subject in a growing number of ways.

Why self-education? Well, besides the obvious reasons of wanting to improve yourself, prepare yourself for success, and just learn as much as you can, self-education offers a few extra benefits: you can learn at your own pace, and in your own way. You can follow your passions, and learn about things that excite you. There's no price for failure, but there's every reward for success.

How do you go about becoming an autodidact? The answer is simple: any way you want. I would suggest you set aside just a little time each day to learn a specific subject, but that really depends on your learning style. Some people learn all in one great rush: they'll stay up late hours for a few days in a row, consuming everything they possibly can about a subject. Others are overwhelmed by an approach like that, and would rather learn a little each day.