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You are here: Student Success Skills » Developing Essential Career Skills » Developing a Passion for Continuous Learning

Student Success Skills

Developing a Passion for Continuous Learning

by JoJo
August 16, 2012

Imagine this scenario.  You are in an interview.  The interviewer asks you the following question: “Can you tell me about a book you have read in the past year that has influenced you?”  How would you answer this question?  For many college students, there would be a long period of silence.

No matter your major or career choice, there is much to learn on your own.  Learning in this case can come from books, seminars/ workshops, websites, processional journals, and from your experience and from that of others.

It’s hard to develop a passion for continuous learning.  Here’s an approach you can use:

  1. Approach the continuous learning process as something you need to develop for yourself.  In effect, you need to learn how to learn on your own

■      How can you motivate yourself to learn on your own?

■      How do you learn best (e.g. time of day, material covered at one time)?

■      How do you reinforce what you learn (e.g. self-practice, teach someone else)

  1. Try out the self-learning on something finite.  You might try to teach yourself somethingthat is fairly quick to learn that has immediate application.  Some examples of this include a dish you want to learn how to cook, a computer application, a video game, a new sport.
  2. Set up a routine for self-learning.  This would involve preparing a specific learning goal, setting a time schedule for achieving your goal, and developing smaller learning tasks that can be accomplished each week.
  3. Develop a plan for using the material you learned.  There are a couple of ways to do this:

■      Teaching someone else

■      Using the content in some practical application

  1. Move to the next self-learning activity – One of the keys to self-learning is the continual pursuit of new knowledge.  Each time you fulfill a learning goal, achieving the next one becomes easier.

Once you have fulfilled three self-learning objectives, a passion for self-learning sets in.  Self-learning will become a part of who you are.  Without this passion, you will find yourself bored and stagnant in your career..

← Supporting Others
Developing Consistency on the Job →

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  • I have learned what a schedule should be and what to do when balancing work and school.  This semester I set up my schedule to be as productive as possible.  However, productive does not necessarily mean busier.  Last semester my schedule ran for about 13 hours a day most days.  I shot myself in the foot, and most often I felt too drained after work and school to get homework or studying done.  Now I undertand what I should expect of myself and how to create an effective schedule.  On top of that, there will be a balance between work and school the rest of my college career.  I have learned that the best way to handle homework and assignments is to get them done between classes or during spare time at work.  This prevents me from having to deal with the lack of motivation or energy when I get home and avoid the numerous distractions that are much more appealing after the day..

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