Why I stopped learning on my own?

Photo by Simon Weisser on Unsplash

Ever since I learned to play the first Taylor Swift song on my guitar, I have been obsessed with learning things on my own.

Why go for a guitar class when all the resources are FREE?

Whenever I came across a tool, an app, or software, I put immense pressure to learn it on my own.

If someone else could figure it out, why can’t I?

For 12 years, this mentality was holding me back.

• I wasted countless hours going through “documentation.”

• I jumped from one YouTube video to another without knowing where I was headed.

• I suffered knowing that there was always something missing in what I learned.

But my ego was far bigger to learn from someone when I could “learn” on my own.

That changed last week.

Google Analytics is something I have dabbled with for years. Needless to say, I didn’t completely grasp the tool.

This time, I decided to take a course.

I was blown away by how fast I learned the basics of Google Analytics. Not only I understood the WHAT and HOW, but I understood the WHY.

Here are the 5 benefits of taking a course instead of learning on your own.

1. Speed learning = save time (Learning on your own takes time. Learning from an expert takes less time. Instead of wasting months, you learn things in weeks.)

2. Structure (I still haven’t mastered the guitar because I was picking up skills from a buffet. I didn’t know where I was going. With a course, you’ll have a sense of where you’re going.)

3. Expert knowledge (You get specialist knowledge within weeks that another person has taken years to master.)

4. Less frustration (Trying to learn independently can be frustrating, especially when you get stuck and have no idea how to proceed.)

5. Access to resources (Most courses offer resources you never knew existed and would’ve never known if you continued alone.)

After taking that course, I vowed to find courses/classes whenever I wanted to learn something.

I’m not saying there’s no merit to learning on your own. Even if I take a class, I still have to do the work.

The difference is now I’ll start doing the work much faster.

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P.P.S. What have you been trying to learn on your own and failed? Add a comment below and let me know.