education Archives - nathvibe.com

Learn, share, repeat

December 11, 2014 / Personal Development / By Nathan Vidal

One of my favourite things about the internet is the vast amount of information it gives you access to. You can find educational material such as scholarly articles, tutorials, answers to questions and electronic books. You can also find entertainment, news, and countless other interesting or extraordinary bits of information. The empowering thing about the net is that you can also create content and share your expertise and experience with others. This platform is great for two way learning and interaction.

Learn

Learning may often be associated with formal education and school which may not exactly seem like a fun experience. Learning is much more than that though and the internet empowers you to learn at your own pace and study the topics that interest you. You can do this formally by taking online courses or informally on your own. Many freelancers are self taught and can find help on forums and in groups online.

The other great thing about learning online is the wide array of multimeda which you can use to enhance your learning based on your preference. If you are a visual learner you can search for videos. If you rather read you can search for articles. If you rather listen you can search for podcasts. If you learn about what you are interested in or passionate about in this manner you are less likely to get bored.

Online communities are great places for finding and sharing information. Chances are that some time in the future someone with the same questions as you will be looking for answers. Using what you have already learned you will be well equipped to either answer these questions or point the person in the right direction. Things you share in online communities may also be indexed by search engines so it can be found via web searches.

Sharing does not always have to be public though. You can share via an email or a direct message to a particular individual or group of individuals. Sharing can be as personalized or as generic as you see fit and you can do so utilizing the same variety of multimedia that is accessible for you to learn from.

Repeat

Repeat After you learn and share your knowledge it is time to start the entire process over. We are always learning new things even when we are not actively seeking knowledge. Sharing is one of the principles on which the internet was built and is a foundation of social media today. Continue to learn, share and repeat so we can benefit from each other’s knowledge and experiences.

Balancing business and education

July 22, 2014 / Personal Development / By Nathan Vidal

One of the challenges of operating a business is figuring out how to perform the daily operations of the business as well as stay updated with the news trends and developments in the industry. This is especially true in the information technology industry where changes happen very rapidly, but it applies for almost any type of industry over time. How do you stay updated with the latest ideas and techniques without sacrificing delivering your core products/services? This question weighs heavier on a sole proprietor than any other type of business due to limited resources. Here are some tips that I have used to balance the delicate scale of learning and working.

Prioritize formal education for a fixed time period

You may be naturally adept at your job but at some point you may desire a formal recognition of your talent. To get the degree or certification that you want you may have to go back to school. Your business does not have to stop because you are taking classes though. You can do courses online from accredited sources while still running your business. If you do decide to obtain a degree or certification though, ensure that you make it a priority and invest in your education. After you receive your degree or certification you will be even more qualified to run the business efficiently. If you want your business to succeed, however, you should not reduce your influence on it indefinitely. Give yourself enough time to get the formal education that is necessary then refocus your knowledge and new-found expertise on growing your business.

Continue with informal education throughout your career

Despite our best efforts, we will never know it all and we will never be recognized for all that we know. To remain competitive we must learn, adapt and innovate. This can only be done by continuing education through experiences, opportunities and even failures. The internet gives us access to many resources that we can use to educate ourselves at our own pace. Although this type of education may not be formerly recognized, you have access to various types of multimedia to suit your individual learning needs.

Learn from the experience of others

Influencers are people who have gained a reputation in their field and are regarded as good sources of advice. These influencers can teach us from their own experience and success/failure stories. By learning from these individuals’ work ethic and approach to problems we can gain insights from the professionals that have already been through the challenges we are facing. These insights can help us to avoid making the same mistakes and prepare us for some of the challenges in store.

Keep a futuristic view of business

Your business is operating now but your goals are based on future success and profits. With that in mind you have to be focussed on your goals and the environment in which you are operating. The rise of social media has changed the behaviour of many in your target audience and future developments are likely to have a similar impact. Being able to foresee these trends allows you to be better prepared for them. Change can be challenging especially if it requires leaving your comfort zone but it is often necessary. Do not let the challenges of today make you lose sight of the opportunities of tomorrow.

Benefits of informal education

May 18, 2014 / Personal Development / By Nathan Vidal

Having just completed my Bachelor’s degree in Multimedia Design & Development I am very grateful for my formal education. Going to school and interacting with classmates and an instructor while going through course material is a very helpful experience. Despite this though, there are many benefits of teaching yourself and utilizing informal sources of education.

Informal education allows you to choose your field of study and pace of study without the financial responsibilities of formal education. It also has no age restrictions. I was able to learn website design on my own without any formal schooling and I know many capable people who accomplish technical tasks that they have never studied in school. If you do decide to pursue your passion and get a formal education your informal education can also help you in your courses and classes and give you a competitive advantage.

I would encourage anyone interested in a field to taker control of their education. The internet is a treasure trove of information on a wide variety of topics. The library, books and experienced professionals are also great resources for finding the information you are interested in. If you find school in general boring or certain subjects boring choosing what you study can make the experience more bearable and it may actually be more fun than expected.

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