Learn like a student, build like an entrepreneur
As a student, learning feels like a waste of time.
Schools force curriculum to each student regardless of their individual skills, talents, and interests.
Whether you want to or not, it’s required to check the boxes that the system has set in place.
As a result, a majority of students are left with a skewed perspective on education.
Rather than learning out of curiosity, students are required to learn out of necessity.
This leaves most adults with little to no desire to pursue continued “learning” throughout their life. It just feels like another chore.
But learning is a skill.
And it’s a necessary one to pursue your purpose and build a meaningful career as a creative.
Fortunately, there’s never been a better time in history to be curious.
Nearly infinite information is at our fingertips, making learning new things easier than ever before.
Learn Like A Student: Level Up Each Year
Each year, students of all ages take on new curriculum at school allowing them to advance to new classes, subjects, and skills.
With each new class, the skill level advances. What’s learned one year serves as a foundation for what’s to be learned the following year. And on and on it goes.
Because of this structure, it’s common for students to look back on their work from previous years and “cringe” at how little they knew. Their knowledge has advanced allowing them to see the growth from one year to the next.
This is an important characteristic of learning and personal growth.
Most people are embarrassed by things they previously believed, things they previously shared, or problems they previously had. The key word here is previously.
Those things are now past. You have learned since then. You have grown.
Therefore, it’s silly to be ashamed of what you used to be like.
For example: The YouTube video that you post today will likely be outdated and “not as good” as the video you share a year from now.
Your design project from a couple years ago might not be as good as your work today.
But that’s okay.
That’s the whole point.
Learn new things each year, progress your skills and knowledge, and don’t be ashamed of what you previously did.
You’re an upperclassman now 😉
(And let this be an encouragement not to stress about having it all “figured out” today – because you’re bound to expand your knowledge and experience for years and years to come. Play the infinite game.)
Choose Your Electives: You Finally Have the Freedom to Learn Relevant Skills
Unlike the education system – you now have the freedom to learn anything you desire.
Most students spend thousands of dollars and thousands of hours learning things that are completely irrelevant to their interests.
If you haven’t yet discovered this for yourself: A very large majority of organized education is unnecessary for creative entrepreneurship.
Even if you choose your “major” at the university level, dozens of irrelevant classes are required for graduation.
Because of your freedom as an adult, you now have the ability to focus on the skills that matter for success in the digital age.
(More on what these skills are in another essay)
And since you are free to learn about curiosities that genuinely interest you, a 7-hour “school day” can be condensed into a 1-hour Building Block.
Learning more about your chosen topics should feel like a natural next step. If it doesn’t hold your attention, find something that does.
Find the activities that allow you to get lost in the flow state. This is where your stoke lives.
For your 1-Hour Building Blocks, be careful not to get lost in the “consumption phase.”
Watching tutorials and reading books about a specific topic is beneficial to some extent, but it’s only transformative when paired with a project.
If you’re going to learn, make sure to build something with it.
Don’t just learn about video editing, download a free software (like Davinci Resolve) and start cutting up footage.
Information is only helpful when paired with action. You must experience a problem, and overcome it through experimentation in order to solidify that information in your mind.
Best of all – a majority of the skills relevant to your creator business are free to learn.
Even if you choose to take a course or join a paid program, these products are a fraction of the cost of tuition. And better yet – you learn the skills from business owners who have real-world experience in these areas (unlike a college professor).
Some people see online courses as a scam – but how are they any more of a “scam” than the outdated education systems that charge astronomically high prices for theoretical advice?
If you have the freedom to learn skills that pique your interest, do it.
They’re free (or inexpensive) to learn, and will equip you with real-world value.
Education: What’s The Point Anyway?
Learning and pursuing a career as a creative requires a shift in thinking.
You must “UNLEARN” these beliefs:
- Money = being an employee
- Being an employee = good education
- Good education = checking the boxes your whole life
This is NOT the case for entrepreneurship.
Instead, money = an exchange of value.
And value is found in your ability to:
- Help a business solve a problem or achieve a goal
- Help a person solve a problem or achieve a goal
Rather than learning with the goal of getting good grades and improving your GPA, learn with the goal of building a valuable skill stack.
This will increase your value, your impact, and your ability to make a difference in other people’s lives.
Seek your stoke, and learn the skills necessary to continue seeking it.
And remember: It’s never too late to get started.
That’s all for today. Had a lot of fun writing and researching this one. This topic means a lot to me (if you couldn’t tell from the spicy modern education comments lol).
Would love to hear your perspective on it – reply below.
Keep creating!
–Eric Pfohl