“The truth is that school does little more than to put one in the way of learning how to acquire personal knowledge.”- Napoleon Hill
A lot of people tend to believe that once they leave college, or any formal classroom setting, and go out into the “real world” that their education has completed. While it may be true that your formal education might be completed, education of oneself should never stop when you leave a classroom. The first few years after graduation are when some of your most important life education begins, and unfortunately I think there are many twentysomethings that are not encouraged to engage in the active development and pursuit of this education that is so vital for the years ahead. Whether it’s pursuing a new hobby, interest, or a career, it’s important to always challenge yourself by opening up to new ideas and knowledge that can help lead you on the right path to fulfillment and success. There are many ways to pursue further education after you leave the classroom, both formal and informal. Here are just a few of the ways you can always find more knowledge for further self-improvement:
Learn from Life Experience:
Just because you graduate college doesn’t mean that education stops once you get your degree. In fact, it’s really just the beginning. Use the first few years after graduation as a learning experience. Know that these are the best years to make mistakes and learn from them. After each good or bad experience, evaluate the lessons you’ve learned from each one and use it as a model for self improvement for the next try. For most people who attend college, the experience is not just about preparing you for the work force, or to be knowledgeable about one particular subject, but it’s also a time to prepare you for the life experiences you will encounter as you embark on your own life. If you are self-aware enough about your own experiences, you will learn that each one can teach you a lesson about how to improve yourself in the future.
Always Keep Reading:
In a shocking statistic from parapublishing.com, 42% of college graduates never read another book after college. Although we constantly heard the message from our high school English teachers, it really is important to read newspapers, books, and the internet. Read anything so as to expose yourself to new possibilities and curiosities, and it will also keep you current about what’s going on in the world. Not only will this make you more interesting at parties, but it will expose yourself to things you might find interesting, and also topics and subjects you may or may not have been aware that you were interested in.
At the bookstore, go to different sections and check out new books. Or just make it a habit to hang out in a bookstore in a regular basis. I know every time I go into a bookstore, I go to the same 3 or 4 sections. Every time I find a few new books that I’d be really interested to read. I call it the Bookstore Compass. Also feel free to check out a new section every once in a while and see what might catch your eye.
Another good way to find books that might appeal to you is to check out Amazon.com. If you do most of your book shopping there, they’ll give you some good suggestions for other books you might like. Or even when you just browse for books online, you can find ones that are similar to your tastes that might appeal to you. Usually if you like one particular book, there are many many more that you’d probably enjoy as well. It’s important to remember that when you’re out of school, you no longer are required to read books for classes, so take the opportunity to read whatever interests you. I know when I was in school there were a lot of books I dreaded reading, and always said “well, I’d be more interested to read something if it was a book I wanted to read.” Well, unless you’re studying for a higher degree, there’s no excuse not to pick up that book you’ve always wanted to read right now!
Take Classes:
Similar to not having to read specific books for classes when you’re in college, you also have the freedom to explore new subjects and classes you might have always been interested in. Taking classes doesn’t mean you necessarily need to make a huge time and monetary commitment and go back to grad school for a whole degree. Don’t go to grad school for the sake of going back to school. Grad school should only be a path to pursue only if you are sure of what you want to specialize in for a career. It’s expensive, difficult and time consuming. Take a course at a local community college or extension school. If you ask around, you might even be able to get a class paid for by work or other organizations. Some companies will pay for extension classes, and a lot of classes are online, so they don’t take as much time and effort outside of your other work/social activities. Maybe you want to take a cooking class, or an art class, or a class on how to teach ESL. Taking classes gives you great hands on experience with new interests that might open up to a new passion or a career. And it’s a great way to meet some experts who can give you a first-hand perspective on that particular field.
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