i thought a lot about my acitivies related to learning. what do i want to learn? what do i need to learn? is there really a need to show-off a diploma, telling someone “wow this guy knows what he’s doing”? – i came to the following conclusion: no, there’s not. at least not for me.
let’s analyse what is necessary to be able to gain progress by learning:
- interest in a certain activity or field of knowledge
- the motivation to let progress happen
- the material to work with
- another source of knowledge to compare the stuff you read with (there are always at least 10 approaches to the same topic)
- a practical experience to let you fall into the pits for that you will never need to fall again
- ..also known as feedback
- a success to remotivate yourself for another round
- gotoAndPlay(“start”);
the thing about diplomas is a bit more complicated. i’m sure that with a kick-ass portfolio, some known clients and a good feedback overall, you can get succesful aswell. all you need is an interest in intellectual tasks and motivation to open your mind and an interest in things you don’t know yet. if your goal is somewhere between becoming art director at wirz or jvm and creative director at ogilvy, my approach is probably not your thing. there’s a difference between illusions and rational thinking. how far you can go is heavily bound to the possibilites being offered to you. for example, you have a small budget. not enough to spend 20 hours on design. so what? you do it because you love it, no? so what’s the solution? why not spend 15 hours at home trying to make it perfect instead of crying “aaaahh budget!!” all day long? you’re doing it for you, no?
since i left school in 2001, i followed these rules. more or less. i have reached a lot without an education. just because i can do what i want to. of course, this way of handling things is easier for a business like the creative industry than for getting a job in a chemical research group or a huge it company as a programmer or something. talent is more important than knowledge. of course, you still need to know what you’re doing and why.
i guess my view of things is not anyone’s business. it heavily depends on your goals in life. and the possibilities you have. in my case, well.. i’m satisfied with my situation right now. i have a dedication, personal success and i can finance my life by doing so. i have a huge opportunity, i can help an existing company find it’s way to get healthy and strong. and now, the time has come to lean fully into it and concentrate on progress.
that’s what i thought about. and my conclusion is: i will quit school and continue the process of self education and learning-by-doing. it might take a longer time and there’s no one kicking your lazy butt. but the investement return is certainly better.
progress, learning and myself
i thought a lot about my acitivies related to learning. what do i want to learn? what do i need to learn? is there really a need to show-off a diploma, telling someone “wow this guy knows what he’s doing”? – i came to the following conclusion: no, there’s not. at least not for me.
let’s analyse what is necessary to be able to gain progress by learning:
the thing about diplomas is a bit more complicated. i’m sure that with a kick-ass portfolio, some known clients and a good feedback overall, you can get succesful aswell. all you need is an interest in intellectual tasks and motivation to open your mind and an interest in things you don’t know yet. if your goal is somewhere between becoming art director at wirz or jvm and creative director at ogilvy, my approach is probably not your thing. there’s a difference between illusions and rational thinking. how far you can go is heavily bound to the possibilites being offered to you. for example, you have a small budget. not enough to spend 20 hours on design. so what? you do it because you love it, no? so what’s the solution? why not spend 15 hours at home trying to make it perfect instead of crying “aaaahh budget!!” all day long? you’re doing it for you, no?
since i left school in 2001, i followed these rules. more or less. i have reached a lot without an education. just because i can do what i want to. of course, this way of handling things is easier for a business like the creative industry than for getting a job in a chemical research group or a huge it company as a programmer or something. talent is more important than knowledge. of course, you still need to know what you’re doing and why.
i guess my view of things is not anyone’s business. it heavily depends on your goals in life. and the possibilities you have. in my case, well.. i’m satisfied with my situation right now. i have a dedication, personal success and i can finance my life by doing so. i have a huge opportunity, i can help an existing company find it’s way to get healthy and strong. and now, the time has come to lean fully into it and concentrate on progress.
that’s what i thought about. and my conclusion is: i will quit school and continue the process of self education and learning-by-doing. it might take a longer time and there’s no one kicking your lazy butt. but the investement return is certainly better.