Autodidactism
The Power Of Self-Learning
While they put their hand up, you put your head down.
by Ishan Haque
A student voice synapse
A hard work ethic and a curious mind can go a long way. Hungry to learn more? Now you can, more than ever. We have access to the world’s information at the touch of your fingertips, use it.
Throughout my existence, I've always had a thirst for knowledge. I was born on the internet and raised in a digital world; some would call my type a ‘millennial’ or a ‘digital native.’ If my friends had a problem, they would go and seek help from someone while I would turn to the internet. I started playing around with computers when I was six and have loved it ever since.
The more I found out the more curious I was to utilize this tool to my advantage. When I was twelve I wanted to learn about marketing, business, and programming, but to do so I had to learn myself. I researched and kept on doing so and never stopped. I didn't rely on someone to give me work or teach me; I was curious and filled that curiosity through autodidactism.
There I was, twelve years old, marketing online video content that attracted a niche audience. How? Using accessible tools such as YouTube, Google, Forums etc., I would keep trying, failing, trying, learning, applying, learning, researching, applying, trying, and failing. I hit a couple of home runs and eventually signed a contract (yes, at twelve) for a media company to be managing online talent/partnerships. It was nothing special for me; I didn't want to get paid very much. I wanted the experience more than anything, although the company gradually became successful. Okay, I was a twelve-year old who made several thousands of dollars as a result of learning marketing from the internet alone? That’s pretty cool, right? Learning by and for myself.
The years have gone by and I have created several other projects that were failures, and some successes. I wanted to disrupt the traditional media space at thirteen, learnt about online distribution by using accessible tools and various websites to teach myself how I was going to achieve my vision. I ended up partnering with a friend and we overhauled online distribution for a television network and increased viewership. But instead of them watching it on TV; the viewers came to us which decreased their ratings and we got into trouble. Was I taught how to do this at school? Or by a family member? No. I researched, learnt, applied, tried, failed, and tried again using the internet.
It was at this point that I decided to learn graphic design and editing. Through many YouTube videos, forum posts, tutorials and the other millions of ways to teach yourself how to design; after a while I got the hang of Photoshop, Sony Vegas, After effects etc. I then ran a small design freelancing business that would take up my spare time which, was all the time. I was interested in design, curious enough to learn it, then loved it.
Most of my side projects are aimed at disrupting the field I’m competing in but I didn't care about money. When I was fourteen I started up a gaming server business to actually make some money to show my parents that being on a computer isn't all bad. I would be playing games with my friends, it didn't feel that productive. I found a niche market where I made, traded, and sold game servers attached with an e-commerce store where players could purchase virtual goods within the game that I offered. I learnt programming before but I took it more seriously at that moment because I had to code, collaborate, and manage employees because this was making good money for a fourteen-year old. I ran to websites such as Codecademy, Treehouse, and other self-learning programming courses, and I researched the tech industry.
This side project started growing rapidly and remember I’m a still a kid who needs to learn, I received a call from my bank and they said my money was ceased. I was stupid to put myself as an adult and not a minor but I stopped everything because I couldn't sustain the business without cash flow. At the end, I received my money back and I realized that I've had a little dab of experience in programming, designing, marketing and now it’s time for business.
Here I am now at fifteen years old, taking a shot at writing (I’m not that great). I read the usual TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Recode, Bloomberg etc everyday. I've learnt so much about the valley and startups, but just like everything else I do, I have to not just learn but try, apply, fail, and try again. I've read a ton on venture capital, seed, series A, and funding/startups in general. I wish to be working or creating a startup one day. I have ideas but it’s not enough to just think, I have to do; I love to build. A year’s worth of learning is a day’s worth of experiencing. I will continue to teach myself, learn about things I’m curious about, and utilize the accessible tools that will help me reach my full potential.
Make something out of nothing;
become independent and ready for the world.
