Well quickly what IS it?
au·to·di·dact
noun: autodidact; plural noun: autodidacts;
a self-taught person.
Being a self-taught person means you learned something on your own, and regardless of how you got the information. Whether it was a book, course, game, video, etc; The point is that you had to spend time really processing what that information meant.
Seeking things out
Realizing that you don't know everything, and honestly you can never know EVERYTHING. It is a freeing experience actually, and as some Eastern philosophy goes: You can't take anything else in if your cup is already full.
Meaning that if you already THINK you know something, then you prevent yourself from learning more.
Go out in the world with open eyes, and an empty mind. Sure there are moments to use your knowledge. However in being a self-learner, there is a time and place.
Just like Leonardo Da Vinci you have to filled with insatiable curiosity.
A Thirst for knowledge
Try to learn as many subjects as you can, and take the jack of all trades approach. That is my professional opinion given the multidisciplinary niche I discuss in my content.
How are you going to the find the one or more specialties that you prefer, if you haven't actually tried very many? You might end up settling on one you hate. By dabbling in many different cookie jars if you will, then you'll find the cookie you like the most.
This is actually something that David Epstein talks about in his book RANGE.
Use a system
You don't have to just wing it either. You can use tools like Notion.so or even just Airtable to organize your learning. Give it semesters, sprints, or sort by subject. That is all within your control, and then you can pursue it at whatever speed you're able to do.
Hence why I created the Modular Degree system, so that it is modular to what YOU need as the learner.
It is perfect for autodidacts because you can add whatever subject you want to it. It is also perfect for multidisciplinary people as well because you can CHANGE subjects on whim too if you decide.
Push back the current subject, and put a more interesting one first.
Dustin Miller | PolyInnovator
Never stop learning
Reaching for new heights takes immense courage, but what it needs even more so is the knowledge of how to get there. Sometimes you only get that by doing it, and you can't learn it ahead of time. However the more you prepare, the more you learn, then the better off you'll be.
There comes a time where you have to stop learning however, and learn by doing. By taking the action it needs to get done.
Learning can only take you so far, but experience... experience will take you all the way.
