How To Create an Independent Learning Program as an Alternative to Traditional Education

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The education system is failing us.

You check off boxes in standardized tests to gain entry to a system that prioritizes students from the most privileged backgrounds. You then graduate tens of thousands of dollars in debt into an economy where jobs are scarce, and competition is fierce.

That’s a pretty grim picture, but unfortunately, it’s true as of this moment we’re living in right now.

If your ambition is to become a doctor, or a lawyer, or a cancer research scientist, by all means, go to college. Heck, even if you want to read Tolstoy or study the ancient Greeks, or become fluent in Arabic, you should go to college.

I’m not discouraging higher education, but I do believe we need to think about alternatives.

The online e-learning market is set to be worth over $375 billion by 2026. With the transition to internet-based education due to the pandemic, more people are discovering that you don’t need to go to college to learn meaningful skills for your future life and career.

There is an alternative to college that anyone can follow, regardless of their age or background. The bad news is it takes much longer than four years to complete. I like to think of it as more of a lifelong learning program.

The good news is that if you are creative and have an insatiable thirst for knowledge, it won’t feel like work at all to you. It’ll feel like living true to yourself and learning as you go.

Here’s how to create your own self-directed independent learning program for life.

What is a self-directed independent learning program?

If you do anything creative in your life, whether by trade or passion, the best thing you can do is be curious and observant of the world around you.

A self-directed learning program is a commitment you make to follow your curiosities and learn new things, with some structured planning done beforehand to help you have these experiences.

When researching the lives of famous creatives and entrepreneurs, I found that what they all had in common was a broad range of unique life experiences and perspectives.

Like many of us, they went to college, but they never stopped learning or experiencing new things after.