It began when I enrolled in my first cryptography course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I was stunned to discover that the summer job working as a software engineer wiped my brain clear of all math knowledge, even though I was working in the anti-money laundering division of a prominent e-commerce firm outside Boston. Within an intimate setting of 20-something graduate students, it was difficult if not impossible to eschew professor Micali's question of the day. So I had to level up. That warm fall anchored by the Charles River was the season when I decided - once again - that I'll be a self-learner and teach myself cryptography.   

Self-starters

Apples are a common crop. They layer your decadent Thanksgiving pie crust, which has a dash too much of everything according to tradition. But for Newton, apples were more than just food. They were the reason he went on investigating why matter has gravity. Apples are the secret sauce in more than your apple pie. They catalyzed Newton into developing the foundation of classical mechanics.

Einstein was a man like every other patent attorney. Except he did not accept the sophistication of two extravagant forces called electromagnetism and gravity. He knew that a more elegant - a simpler - design stood behind nature, and he had the intellect to research his own unifying theory of everything. Einstein's legacy resulted from a never-ending desire to learn and understand the miracle of life.

Bill Gates never finished college. Actually, he dropped out during his second year and went on to found the Microsoft empire. But Bill Gates reads, reads, reads. To this day, he continues his education through constant reading and conversing. Michael Specter, a New Yorker writer who profiled Gates for the magazine, has said that the Microsoft founder "is one of these autodidacts who reads, reads, reads. He reads hundreds of books about immunology and biochemistry and biology, and asks a lot of questions, and because he's Bill Gates [he] can get to talk to whoever he wants."

There's a common thread behind every human legend of our civilization - the passion for continuous learning even outside a formal schooling system. From Einstein to Newton to Bill Gates - the same axiom holds. These impressive personalities never stopped learning. If nothing else, they learned throughout their lives with an even more ferocious ardor than while pupils. An autodidact takes learning further than only studying a new field. Self-learners don't just study; they actively research and often even contribute new knowledge to the field.

Learning: what is all the fuss about?

Why do we learn? Out of obligation, initially. Because mom and dad believed a good education opens doors for life. Because the teacher needed papers to grade, and students had no choice but to write those papers. Because if left to our own devices from a young age, we would only choose to learn what feels comfortable, but that might not be sufficient knowledge or the right choice. The Gods of logos prescribed a system and structure to guide every young mind through the knowledge of the world. Most people need structure and accountability to develop their cognitive capabilities; schools have both these features baked in by design. But does that mean we stop learning once out of the formal school system?

If learning in school is fundamentally enforced by external factors, learning during our lifetime is guided by our curiosity. Whether you're a self-experimenter like Tim Ferris or a passive podcast listener, it's curiosity that shows you the way. Your brain assimilates information from your surrounding environment all the time. Which means you learn by simply being alive. Autodidacts take learning one step further as they go out of their way on the quest for knowledge. And they have one thing in common - they overcome failures and hurdles because they are curious to find answers and figure out the knowledge puzzle. To them, knowledge brings satisfaction.

Can anyone become an autodidact?

People's attitudes toward life are like a colorful rainbow. It's easier to be curious about anything and everything if you're an optimist. But what happens when you were born a cynic? There must be a way to kindle the fire of curiosity even within the toughest skeptics out there. To survive in the knowledge economy, we must all adapt a self-learning mindset.

Self-directed learners are blessed with a genetic predisposition for independent thought, pattern recognition, and creative problem-solving. They are bright. But having a growth mindset trumps intelligence. In a school without borders or walls, here's how you can direct your own learning.

1. Define what you want to learn. Remember when you looked into that Tarte Tatin recipe for grandma? Then the Internet pointed you to the history of the Tatin sisters, best French bakeries in Paris, famous pastry chefs, how to get a certificate in patisserie, and - wow - you got exhausted and failed to make the Tarte Tatin for grandma. To stick with the task, define from the very beginning what you want to study and the depth of your investigation. Articulate any critical prerequisites and set about clearing those instead of wandering away from the subject as unknown topics come up.

2. Know what style works best for you. If you're a beginning, prioritize learning from examples. Expert learners will benefit more from solving problems. Meanwhile, combined activities such as drawing of a muscle after reading about it, improves learning across the board.

3. Accept the peaks and valleys. The urban legend has it that some people were born to study the guitar, while others were math prodigies solving differential equations while in their mother's wombs. We cannot all be Mozart. Some people are exceptionally bright from birth, and their neuronal wiring is optimized for processing certain types of information. Yet, we have seen masterpieces bloom from minds who were initially passed over by critics. Those people are likely the ones who stuck with the task despite the hardship. Learning a new subject will not fit like a glove from the very beginning. The journey to mastering a new topic or craft occurs in fits and starts. Stick with it and it will pay off.

4. Build an accountability group. The physical presence of teachers, peers, and deadlines has its value. No human being learns in isolation; education is a social enterprise. You can simulate the schoolroom in the real world by building an accountability group for regular check-ins. Start recruiting family and friends, or even venture out of your way to find others interested in the same topic.

5. Keep an open mind. Knowledge is a living organism. It's ever-evolving based on the technology we have to poke questions at the world. Don't be disheartened if you learn something today, but an expert proves you wrong the following day. Experts sit at the top of the spear in their work field and can access information not available through commercial channels. Remember this valuable advice - strong beliefs loosely held. Be agile in updating your beliefs based on new evidence.

6. Track your performance through self-observation and feedback. Tracking your progress has many benefits. First and foremost, it will gamify the process of learning. Brain chemicals are your friends on this autodidact journey. Dopamine will keep you going for more, while endorphins will enable you to enjoy the rewards. Be intentional with a learning journal where you plan and track your journey.

7. Consider giving back. Ever noticed that person who has a gazillion hobbies and many more jobs? Chances are those people are self-learners who took their process to a new level by choosing to teach or deploy their newly acquired skill in a professional setting. As you're studying the latest nutrition or physical training trends, consider if you could give back to a family member or the community by teaching. As a bonus, you might uncover a new source of income for yourself.

School gave me the pillars of knowledge and provided early tools for accessing my critical thinking. As I journeyed through life, my thinking tools got sharper and my experience deeper. With sharper thinking tools, I can dig deeper and also sculpt more elegant neuronal shapes. If there’s a formula for living life happily, it must start with an autodidact mindset.

I am still learning.