Thanks to the internet, learning through self-education has never ever been easier in the whole history of mankind. Today, vastly infinite amounts of information, valuable content and knowledgeable networks of people are merely a few clicks away.

I know some might be skeptical about the possibility of becoming a self-taught expert. To them I say, yes. It is absolutely possible except if you plan on becoming a doctor or something similar. Heck, did you even know that four out of the top 10 richest men in the world today are drop outs? And they still made it to the top without formal education. Furthermore you don’t require a crazy amount of time to learn what you want. In fact, you can easily make time.

Okay now, so let’s get started with the 7 steps.

1- Passion

I cannot stress enough the huge importance of passion. This is why I constantly mention it. Passion is the fuel and the energy. You can dream up ideas and desire endlessly to become someone smart in a specific field but that’s not enough. Without action, dreams and ideas are simply that - dreams and ideas. Without action, they will never become reality and without passion, there can hardly be enough action.

2- Curiosity

Passion is the drive that pushes you to action. Question is, towards what are you going to channel it? This is where curiosity comes in. Curiosity lets you channel your passion and drive towards finding answers for the things that make you curious. Inevitably these very things are what you then become passionate about.

We’re all curious to one extent or another. It is passion however that leads us to get up and act upon the curiosity in order to understand the things we desire to understand.

Seth Godin has a great video in which he talks about the importance of having a curious mind. Be sure to watch it.


Courtesy of lijojohnson

3- Identification

Curiosity is great and is a very fundamental foundation but it’s one that results in a large surface area of potential interests. Too often, the topics we are curious about are too broad for us to become an expert in easily. This is why it’s necessary to zoom in and identify specific and more focused things to learn.

4- Immersion

This is the fun part. Here you finally begin to satisfy your curiosity and start quenching the thirst for what you seek. Drown yourself in knowledge. Pile it into your head with big shovels.

Stuff to Read

Personally, I like drowning myself in relevant blog communities. I explain the process of doing that in the 3rd step of this post:

If you want a list of blogs (besides this one of course) to help you become a better learner have a look at:

Of course, you don’t just have to stick to blogs. You can read mainstream websites and even Wikipedia.

Stuff to Hear

By that I mean podcasts and audiobooks obviously.

Stuff to Watch

If I’m tired of reading and not in the mood for hearing stuff, I usually turn towards video. I love watching educational videos that make me question, think and ultimately learn. My favorite two websites offering that are:

TED: TED began in 1984 as a conference devoted to the converging fields of technology, entertainment and design. Over the years, the scope has broadened. But the formula remains the same: Gather the world’s leading thinkers and doers; offer them four days of rapid-fire stimulation. The result? Unexpected connections. Extraordinary insights. Powerful inspiration. (source)

TED is super amazing. Check out what bloggers said after TED2008.

BigThink: This is a digital age, one in which a wealth of accessible information empowers you, the citizen-consumer. But where is the information coming from? How accurate and unprocessed is it, really? Ask yourself this: how empowered do you feel debating a television screen or a newspaper?

Our task is to move the discussion away from talking heads and talking points, and give it back to you. That is Big Think’s mission. (source)

You’ll surely find some good stuff at TED and BigThink.

If you’re looking for something practical that shows you “How-To” type of content, this, right here is a great list of where you can find such videos. On a related note, CookShow has decent amateur cooking videos.

5- Re-Immersion

Re-Immersion is doing the same things explained in the previous step Immersion but with a twist. Instead you choose sources and people who are discussing the same topic you’re learning but provide an opposite view differing from that expressed in content you drowned yourself in previously.

This way you learn about the different view points available and become more familiar with the topic’s gray areas, areas which don’t have a clear answer or agreed upon definitions.

6- Digestion

After immersion, give yourself time to digest what you consumed. This is important. Ferocious consumption can burn you out. You need time to rest and relax in order to prepare for the next closely related step.

7- Self-Reflection

Self-relfection is the capacity to engage in deep introspection in order to examine one’s own thoughts and feelings. It’s like conducting a mental audit. The conscience process helps in problem solving and ultimately contributes to achieving personal goals.

Conclusion

Becoming a self-taught expert is possible. Want more related stuff?

New York Times best-selling author Tim Ferriss also has some amazing tips and ideas on how to become an expert:

  1. Join 2 or 3 related trade organizations
  2. Read 3 top selling books on your topic
  3. Give one free 3 hour seminar at the closest well-known university
  4. Give 2 free seminars at branches of two well-known big companies such as AT&T or IBM
  5. Offer to write 1 or 2 articles for trade organizations
  6. Join a service that journalists use to find experts to quote for articles

And there you have it. Taraaa!