You can hear constantly that traditional education is becoming more and more useless. The school and university programs have difficulties catching up with time. And quite often, you can hear about the benefits of homeschooling and self-education. If you dig up things a bit, you can understand why.
Students quite often get bored because of the loads of study-related work they need to do, which they rarely find interesting. When it comes to writing an essay, most of them are more likely to hire a professional paper writer on Essay Writing Service rather than doing it on their own. And they have to find a proper balance between their studies and work.
At schools, the picture is quite the same. The main problem is that teachers aren’t trying to make lessons more interesting. Pupils’ attention wanders, and they struggle to focus.
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Regardless of the number of nootropics they took, when it comes to math, they are more likely to google “Can someone do my math homework for me?”, and they find a helping hand in essay services again. But we are talking about students, and what if you are an adult that wants to learn something new to, let’s say, change your profession?
Should you go to some courses and workshops or try learning on your own? If you choose the second option, you need to consider the pros and cons of self-education.
Table of Contents
Advantages of Self-Education
There are definitely lots of benefits of self-education. You don’t feel like you’re being forced to study, as it often happens when studying in groups. You are not afraid to ask the teacher to repeat something – you don’t have a teacher. Repeat whatever you want until you will understand it perfectly. So, let’s check out the advantages of self-education.
You Choose…
The main benefit of self-education is the fact that you can choose anything from the subject and materials to methods and pace. Also:
- you won’t lag behind anyone;
- you don’t have to argue with the teacher about the methods that are more suitable for you;
- you won’t have scheduling conflicts with your job.
Basically, everything is up to you.
Less Stress
There is a lot of stress connected to going to courses. You are constantly worried that you are underperforming in comparison with other students. As mentioned above, you may have scheduling conflicts with your work, which leads to missing classes, being not ready with the homework, and lagging behind the group.
Study from Anywhere
When you’re studying on your own, you are not bound to a particular location. You can study from the comfort of your home. You can study abroad. You can study on the go. Whatever you choose. The main thing is that it is comfortable for you, and you are making progress with your studies.
No Problematic Teachers
You know how it goes, you find the proper courses, and you like the materials, but you get the teacher that you just don’t get along well with. And you are wondering whether it’s you or them. Maybe you just need a little bit more attention than other students? You won’t face problems like that with self-education.
It’s Cheap
Well, you would be happier to hear that it is free, but that’s not going to be completely true. It’s almost free. While all you need is a strong internet connection, you still pay for the internet. And there’s also a possibility that you may buy a certain book or pay some extra to get access to some materials. Still, it’s much cheaper than courses or private lessons.
The Shortcomings of Self-Education
Yes, self-education has a lot of benefits, but there are some risks and shortcomings along the way. Surprisingly, the root of all benefits and disadvantages is you. You choose your pace, but where’s the guarantee that you are good at self-management? Are you sure that the teacher, even a difficult one, won’t force you to give more dedication to your studies? So, let’s check the main problems of self-education.
Self-Discipline
While you can choose your pace and methods of learning, you need to be good at self-discipline. Yes, the traditional form of education may seem dated, but there’s a reason why it still exists. Lots and lots of people are quite bad at self-management. Even when it is something that you need or want to learn, it is quite difficult to discipline yourself without a mentor.
Lack of Interaction
While you may be afraid to fail in front of other students, it’s the thing that makes us evolve and excel in our results. When you are studying on your own, there’s basically no way to check how good you are compared to others. Sometimes, other students who are better at the subject can give you good advice, and it is easier to get it when you are in the same class.
Slow Progress
Yes, you can choose your own pace, but that’s not always the best way to learn. You can’t be 100% sure that you’re not lagging behind someone else. It is impossible to learn if you are a bit slow with your studies. If you are studying together with other people, you can see the progress of each one of them, and, thus, you are able to measure your own.
Confusion
Courses often teach us how to work in a team. You can brainstorm something together. Even without teamwork, you are able to check out someone else’s performance to figure out your weak and strong sides. In the case of self-education, you can’t be sure. Yes, there are materials based on which you can figure out how good you are, but that’s not the same thing as watching someone else.
Checking Out Your Skills
Courses give you the possibility to show what you have learned and see what you’re missing. Self-education doesn’t offer the same. If you learn something that you would like to implement in your current or future job, implementing it right away is the only way to check your level of knowledge. And it may lead to disastrous results.
Conclusion
Self-education can be useful, but you need to be really passionate about the subject. You must also be good at time management, which is impossible if you are not disciplined. Thus, you need to think twice before choosing to go to some courses or learning on your own. But making this decision is way easier now, knowing the main benefits and disadvantages of self-education.
