What is an autodidact?

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Jimi Hendrix, Leonardo Da Vinci, Alan Turing, Caroline Herschel, Albert Einstein, Malcolm X, and Bill Gates are all famous examples of autodidacts, or people who learn without the guidance of masters. Generally, autodidacts choose the subjects they will study, identify their own materials, and choose the rhythm and time that they work. The individuals on this list were all determined to explore and solve problems, or to practise, develop and perfect new skills. They also felt that organised learning didn’t satisfy their curiosity; some of them were largely self-taught, while others moved away from schools and universities to explore their interests independently.

How you can become an autodidact

Being an autodidact doesn’t mean abandoning your formal studies, but it does mean wanting to go further than you have been taught and often in a new direction. This is why using your critical thinking skills is so important – you have to decide which areas to explore, then determine important questions, and be ready to challenge existing ideas and practices. To make a start, you might want to read about a new subject or topic and start building your knowledge to become an expert in that area. You could choose to start a new hobby or do some volunteer work; working with people in an unfamiliar area is a great way to learn fresh approaches to solving tasks. You will be surprised by how much you learn by engaging and collaborating in this way, and you might also find that you are given opportunities and responsibilities that extend your skill boundaries in ways that the duties of a paid position might not. You will be surprised how these experiences will change your understanding and by where your new skills and abilities will take you.

Why independent learning is great for your life and your career

As a self-directed learner, you will be able to develop your own interests and follow your own path to pursue the things that truly interest you. You will feel the excitement of exploring and doing things that you are not used to and which, perhaps, have never been done before. You will become very good at asking important questions, finding answers, and solving problems.

Universities will be impressed by your curiosity, love of learning, your hard work and ability to determine your own course of development.

You might have heard the phrase ‘the skills of the future are not the skills of today.’ This means that the world we live in is changing all the time and you will need to change with it and develop new skills to have success in your career. We don’t just want to have mastered an existing area but be able to explore solutions to new problems and questions. This means we don’t stop learning and instead that we learn how to apply and develop the knowledge we have to take on challenges as they emerge.

Don’t forget that independent learning does not just mean academic study, and it certainly doesn’t mean working in an isolated way. Having different kinds of experiences and working with a wide variety of people will give you a broad knowledge base, a great network, and the ability to apply your skills in new contexts and in an original way.

If you are an autodidact, your success really can be self-made.