Even if you are in academia, most of the knowledge that you need to function in the real world does not come from a textbook or a college course.

You quickly realize after graduating college that the real world isn’t like an undergraduate education. In school, you are given the lesson and what you need to “get out of it” in a structured format. Life rarely works that way.

Most of the time, you are hit over the head, fall in a ditch, or go through a rough patch and have to figure out the lesson on your own. “What am I supposed to learn from this experience?” 

It sucks to not be able to find a job, or to be in one that you hate! It sucks feeling like everyone in the office knows more than you on a particular topic. This article will help turn that feeling around into something positive.

You can skip to the learning tips below, or stay and learn a little bit more about my experience learning.

I’ve gone through a learning curve on a variety of topics including: programming, creative writing, economics, photoshop/illustrator, psychology, public speaking, sales, seo, blogging, and now podcasting.

If you’re wondering, yes I switched my major a lot in college and what I thought I would do with my life in high school. People say that’s a horrible way to build an “employable” resume, because you are a jack of all trades, and not master of one. Not true! I was offered a job straight out of college with high pay that I turned down to keep building my company.

Ultimately, after going through learning the basics, and in some cases mastering, some of these subjects, I’ve come to a few commonalities that really will speed up the learning process for any new subject. Check them out below!

1. Find Passion in the Subject.

I think that motivational books do a really good job of prepping the reader for being in the peak state necessary to absorb information. In the book, How to Master the Art of Selling, Tom Hopkins asks the reader to visualize how the knowledge they are about to learn will improve their life.

For example, learning the technical aspects of editing a youtube video might be boring, but if you sit back and visualize how this knowledge will enable you to create amazing videos that will touch, inspire, and help millions, then it makes you more excited to get started!

Learning should always start from a place of passion. Not necessarily for the subject itself, but what the accumulated knowledge will enable.

2. Start With The Misconceptions

Every subject has misconceptions surrounding it, which are usually spread by the media.

For example, most people who want to get a six pack think that they need to do a lot of sit-ups and crunches. Not true! Having a six pack has very little to do with the actual muscles of your abdomen. It has everything to do with the fat layer on top of them. To get a six pack, you need to get your body fat percentage down to 10% through exercise and dieting – not by exercising your abs! (Also: If you are wondering, spot-fat-removal does not exist).

By starting with the misconceptions, you will be able to weed out the helpful knowledge from the not-so-helpful “gurus.” In addition, you’ll make sure you’re going to be set on the right path when you are investing copious amounts of time in learning this new discipline.

3. Learn From Thought Leaders, Not Resources.

Although the basics of some subjects are generally static, like mathematics, basic programming concepts, physics, or economics, most subjects in the workplace like marketing are dynamic and changing.

You could read a book about how to master SEO that was written a year ago, and it’s already outdated!

The best way I’ve found to learn is to seek out people who know what they are talking about and then to listen to them. Rather than trying to find the perfect book to learn from, find the person first, and then explore the books they’ve written or courses they’ve published online.

I had this realization a while back when I was first learning about business. I bought and read this massive book: Start Your Own Business: The Only Book You’ll Ever Need

The book was so comprehensive with worksheets. It walked you through every facet to starting a new business. After reading it, I felt kind of immobilized. There was so much to do that it seemed like an high-reaching mountain that would take forever to climb.

It wasn’t until I came across a simple explanation of what to do to start a business, that I started to thrive, which I’ve included below.

“Make something people want.” – Paul Graham

Facebook made many mistakes, like initially starting as an LLC in Florida, and even having a team that didn’t see eye to eye (along with outside individuals who believed they stole the idea), which caused a lot of legal issues.

The one thing they did right was make something that people want to use. At the end of the day, that’s the only thing that matters. That simple fact generated investor interest and ultimately allowed them to monetize the website.

By seeking out thought leaders, it will make it easier to wade through the B.S. and figure out what actually matters in the industry.

4. Make Your Life a Learning Center.

I first came across this concept when I was listening to a talk by motivational speaker Tony Robbins. He was saying how, if you really want to master your life, you need to be constantly learning and feeding your mind. The best way to do this (at the time) was to turn your car into a learning center. You could use the time commuting as an opportunity to grow.

Ever since I heard that, I took every opportunity to read, watch youtube videos, attend networking events on a particular topic, and eventually progressed to listening to podcasts on the subway.

Over time, this becomes a habit and you just find yourself learning entire new subjects every year. It also enhances your ability to relate with other people in the world. Finally, it will give you a lot of confidence. You won’t be afraid to dive into new subjects or talk at networking events, because you’ve done your homework!

5. Cement Learning By Doing.

You can learn as much as you want about sales, but until you actually get out there and try to get people to give over their hard-earned dollars for your product, you don’t know what it’s really like.

Similarly, you can read about programming, but if you don’t ever code and hack together small projects, you won’t come to master the discipline. Doing ultimately is what gives you confidence to say that you know a new skill.

6. Sources to Learn From

– YouTube: Watch talks, interviews, and tutorials!

– Udemy: Find a paid course in the subject.

– Blogs: Google searches are your best bet for this.

– Twitter/FB/LinkedIn: Awesome networks to find thought leaders to follow and amazing content.

– Webinars and google+ hangouts: Usually these also let you ask questions about the topic or interact in some way with the expert/moderator.

– Meetup.com, Eventbrite, and networking events: These are my personal favorite because you can identify high-status people in an industry and directly learn from them. You may have read in countless business books that content marketing matters, but until you talk with someone who is doing is and experiencing results, you don’t know for sure.

– Books and Magazines: Probably the most traditional form of learning.

– Podcasts: Recently, I’ve been learning a ton from podcasts about niche topics. My favorite right now is the Smart Passive Income podcast. I also have a podcast show on crowdfunding.

– People. If you’re in business, you can’t read a book on a customer. Industry reports will only take you so far. You have to talk to them directly, get inside their head, and figure out how they view the world and what they care about!

How do you learn?

What mediums, platforms, or websites do you use to learn new topics? My friend recently launched a new website where you can learn about specific topics more easily! Let me know what you think.