A Dropout's Guide To Self Education

Self learning resources to transform your life

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I dropped out of school when I was 19 after 2 months in a polytechnic studying for a computer engineering degree. 

I always hated school so maybe I should have seen it coming.

But I really had high hopes for post-secondary school education. I thought it'd be better than the boring, mandatory, note copying style of school I was used to. 

This was the higher institution I thought. Surely you'd learn only useful things there. 

After 2 months I realized I was wrong—very wrong.

This was worse than secondary school because the boring classes were longer, more intense, and cost a lot more money.

Each class came with even more irrelevant and costly assignments.

I remembered thinking "I can learn everything here for free on the internet."

I knew this with certainty because I’d already spent the previous year doing exactly that as I awaited admission.

As each day passed the belief that I was wasting my life in these classes grew stronger until it pulled me into a depression. 

The way I saw it, the only benefit the school offered me was the certification at the end of 5 years.

5 years felt like a very steep price to pay for a piece of paper.

I had two choices:

1. Stay in school for 5 years to get certified even though it was killing me.

2. Dropout—learn everything on the Internet.

This choice pulled me into an existential crisis. It made me question the purpose of my existence.

I reached a conclusion that most likely in 50, 100, 1,000 years after I was dead.

No one would know I'd ever existed. At least not in any real way that mattered. 

If I died would I be satisfied only ever living somebody else's life?

To me, cowardice means going against what your conscience dictates because of fear of harm or ridicule.

I realized then that in the end, no one's opinion of you will matter more than your opinion of yourself.

When I died I wanted to be able to say "I lived under my terms."

And so I walked out of class. 

I remembered as I crossed the school gates, a feeling of relief washed over me.

I knew it would only get harder from there yet strangely I felt happy. 

I told my parents my decision later that day. 

They went ballistic.

They called neighbors, friends, family…anyone they could get to talk me out of leaving.

They all wanted me to do my time in school. Grind out the years like everyone else.

Their actions were futile at that point.

I'd already made up my mind. I'd seen the black hole of existence. I'd tasted freedom and nothing could make me go back.

It's been almost 5 years since I dropped out that hot afternoon. 

When I left school I didn't know anything.

I'd never even owned a computer. 

But 5 years ago I began this journey of self-education/self-determination and I've learned so much since then. 

Today I'll share some of the best resources that helped me transform my life.

Some of these will be harder to follow than others.

One thing to keep in mind is that what matters isn't whether something is hard to learn or not. 

But rather whether it's important enough to dedicate the time needed to learn it.

If something is truly important to you the time required to master it shouldn't matter.

I also try to optimize for things that excite me. Even though something might not seem very practical in the moment.

Following your excitement can lead to amazing results. 

Excitement works so well because no single resource can help you learn everything.

How you learn is by embedding yourself into the information stream of a subject.

When I was learning psychology, for instance, I'd watch and subscribe to YouTube channels, read books and blog posts, as well as listen to podcasts on the topic…because I was excited by it.

Slowly as the subject becomes a part of your everyday life you become more knowledgeable.

The topics I've selected today are purposely diverse because learning from different disciplines gives you many useful perspectives to see the world.

These resources range from books, YouTube videos, blog posts, TV shows, and online classes.

Some of these resources are free, others are not. But they're all on the internet. 

I've personally used every resource I'll mention here so I can guarantee if you follow them your life will transform for the better.

This was the case for me.

Self Education Resources

Learning to Learn

• Learning How To Learn [Course]: I'd recommend anyone serious about self-learning to start with this course. It explains the biology of learning and how to learn anything faster.

• MIT Challenge [Article]: This is more for inspiration that you can learn anything online. Scott Young completed a 4 year MIT CS curriculum in 1 year using online resources.  

• The Art of Learning [Book]: Chess and Martial arts are two distinct fields. Yet Josh Waitzkin became a world champion in both. This book delves into the psychology of learning and what it takes to be World Class at anything.

• How to Biohack Your Intelligence [Article]: Serge Faguet is one of my favorite writers on Medium. In this article, he explains biological/behavioral hacks for increasing intelligence.  

Mathematics

• Maths From Scratch [Videos]: Nearly everyone has something negative to say about maths. I never really understood it until I took this course. I've come to understand that people find maths difficult because they skipped a lot of the necessary building blocks needed to understand it. I like this course because it starts from the number line all the way up to algebra. The teacher carries you along step by step.

• A-Level Maths [Videos]: Continuing from the course above, this takes you gradually into more advanced concepts. Once you get into the groove it's amazing how far you can go. You'll surprise yourself with the problems you'll be able to solve. 

Writing

• The Elements of Style [Book]: It's sad that many people think they don't need to learn how to write. It’s like expecting to be able to complete a 10km race just because you can walk. You might finish but how you finish matters. Writing is like that. You can do it now but practicing makes you instantly 10x better. Start with "The Element of Style". Many describe this as the “Bible of Writing”. It’s an old classic that gives you the basics of making any written work shine.

• On Writing [Book]: Stephen King is a best-selling fiction machine. He's written over 60 books in a span of 40 years. That's more than most writers can put out in 10 lifetimes. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into feature films, television movies, and comic books. In this book, he goes into the craft of writing, calling it the closest thing there is to telepathy.

• Start Writing Fiction [Course]: This was one of the first online classes I ever took. It showed me how amazing the online learning experience can be. Not only do you get resources and practice assignments. But you're also paired with people around the world to get feedback from. Did I mention it's free?

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Programming

• Intro to Web development [Course]: The web is an important part of our lives. Understanding how it works will be a very useful skill in any area of life.

• Intro to Programming [Course]: This is the best programming course I've ever taken. Before it, I barely understood functions, and after I completed it I could write them. A liberating experience.

• Intro to Blockchains and Solidity [Course]: I like this one because it starts with a non-technical explanation of blockchains. Then teaches you how to build apps on the blockchain. In the future, most apps will run partly or fully on Blockchains so it’s essential to understand this growing field.

Psychology

• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion [Book]: Psychology is the study of the human/animal behavioral set. I first got hooked on it when I learned that "Toothpaste foam doesn't help clean your teeth". The same goes for soap and laundry detergent. Marketers simply found that people used these products more when they foamed. So they add foaming agents to these products to make people use and buy more. Psychology is filled with fun unexpected things like that.

• Jordan Peterson Psychology Lessons [Videos]: Dr. Jordan Peterson is an online father figure for many people, myself included. His lessons manage to be practical, entertaining, and emotionally uplifting. 

• Buyology [Book]: This book delves into how we buy and what businesses use to push our purchase buttons. It's a fun read.

• Think Fast and Slow [Book]: The authors of this book won a Nobel Prize for their research. What's amazing is how they were able to make it an enjoyable book too. This book is about the psychology of how we make decisions…filled with unexpected, entertaining findings. 

Physics

• High School Physics [Video]: If you don't like maths you probably won't fancy physics either. Both work on the principle of progressive understanding. This video series works so well because it takes you through elementary physics concepts with practical examples. Be sure to check out the full curriculum too. 

• Six Easy Pieces [Book]: Richard Feynman is a noble prize winner and one of the most entertaining physics teachers ever. This book made me fall in love with physics because of how intuitive he made the topic feel. Why does a pot cool? What is heat? Feynman covers it all and more without any math.

• Cosmos [Video]: Easily the best science series I've ever watched. Neil deGrasse Tyson takes you back in time to when important physics discoveries were made. And how these discoveries changed the inventors and their world.

• Physics with Julius Miller [Video]: If you love to learn by observation then Julius Miller is the teacher for you. He covers physics concepts with direct experimentation.

• Chemistry from Scratch [Article]: When you get into physics you realize that chemistry is pretty much the same thing. I hated chemistry in school but this website made learning it fun with easy-to-understand explanations.

Business

• Ultimate Success Library [Article]: Jon Morrow is paralyzed from the neck down and managed to build a multi-million dollar online business using nothing but a special device that allows him to write using his tongue. He's an incredibly amazing and inspiring person. I used to always tell myself if Jon Morrow could have all his disadvantages and succeed then I can't possibly have an excuse. Sign up for his newsletter and you'll get his "Success Library" which is a collection of books that helped him overcome his obstacles to success. 

• Paul Graham Essays [Article]: Paul Graham is the cofounder of YCombinator. The biggest startup accelerator in the world. His essays are timeless guides if you want to build valuable things. Read everything you can.

• How to Get Rich [Video]: I listen to everything Naval says. And this 3-hour video on the subject of creating wealth is well worth the listen if you value financial freedom.

• How to Start a Startup [Video]: Even if you don't plan to start a startup. You might work in one or create a business of your own. Whatever you choose to do this is a course on building valuable things.

• Navalmanack [Book]: I also read everything Naval writes : ). This book is a collection of his best Tweets. Just as amazing is that it’s free.

• Lean Startup [Book]: This book taught me you don’t need a lot of money to build a business. In fact, it can be an advantage to not have so much capital in the beginning as it forces you to get creative.

• Crypto Startup School [Video]: This is one of the first resources I used when I started learning about blockchains. If you’re interested in how the economy of this new internet will play out A16Z’s crypto startup school is an amazing resource.

Mindfulness

• 10-day Intro to Meditation [App]: I began my first meditation experience with Headspace. Their 10-day free trial is the best intro to meditation experience I’ve seen.

• 101 Zen Koans [Video]: A Zen Koan is told in the same way as a joke, only its aim isn’t to make you laugh but to realize some profound truth. The stories are sometimes hard to grasp but some just leave you in awe.

• The Power of Now [Book]: I’d never considered myself to be a spiritual person but Eckhart Tolle surprised me with the breadth of his wisdom in this excellently written book.

• 21 Day Self Love Course [Course]: The foundation of mental health is self love. So it’s strange that we all try to seek love from outside ourselves. This course taught me that ultimately you’re with yourself a 100% of the time. This relationship with yourself will determine your state of being more than anything else. You can take an active approach and strengthen this relationship with yourself for a happier life.

Biology

• The Selfish Gene [Book]: I used to think I understood evolution until I read this book. It cleared so many misconceptions I had about the subject and was very entertaining.

• The Living Body [Video]: I love using visual resources to learn. This video was one I couldn’t forget. You follow the life of a human from birth to death. It shows how life is crazy complex and nothing short of a miracle.

• Beverly biology [Video]: I barely understood biology in school. This is a short video series on the basics of human biology.

Mindset

• How to Achieve Your Most Ambitious Goals [Video]: A TED talk on goal setting and actualization.

• FAST-5 and DIET [Video]: I’ve been intermittent fasting for over a year now. It’s a game changer for your health and this was one video that helped me pick up the practice.

• Achieve Your 10-Year Plan in 6 Months: I believe Benjamin Hardy is one of the best writers on Medium. His articles always leave you with the energy to accomplish more. In my opinion, this is the best he’s written yet.

• Ray Dalio Principles [Book]: Ray Dalio is a billionaire CEO and someone Bill Gates considers a mentor. His book is filled with practical advice on accomplishing your life goals.

• No More Mr. Nice Guy [Book]: Growing up I had difficulty expressing my needs. This spilled over to relationships and negatively affected my life. This is a no-nonsense book about taking charge of your life and being responsible for your own happiness.

• The Obstacle Is the Way [Book]: When you’re in the process of pushing past your limitations obstacles will pop up. This book teaches how to not just overcome the obstacles in your way. But to use them as catalysts for your transformation.

• Can't Hurt Me [AudioBook]: David Goggins is the hardest man alive. Before I found him I didn’t even know there was such a thing as an ultra marathon. If you’re interested in strengthening your mind…in pushing past your existing limitations then listen to the audiobook.

Misc

• Sapiens [Book]: This book is about the story of humanity. It explains how our society is built on shared myths. How we evolved from simple hunter-gatherers to space-faring monkeys because of these myths.

• The Beginning of Infinity [Book]: Every once in a while you come across a book that reorganizes your mindset so much you feel like a different person. This book did that for me. The author David Deutsch explains the infinite reach of human progress. Why humans living on Mars isn’t any more unnatural than living in a desert.

• 1984 [Book]: I found many similarities between the dictatorship in this book to the situation in my country and many others.

• Man's Search for Meaning [Book]: In this book, Viktor Frankl chronicles surviving a concentration camp and everything he learned about human will, our capacity for suffering, and morality.

• October Sky [Book]: This book tells the true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner's son who was inspired by the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 and had dreams to build a model rocket even though he didn’t understand algebra. Homer eventually became a NASA engineer and the book got made into a movie that’s said to have inspired Jeff Bezos to start Blue Origin.

• Black Swan [Book]: Nassim Nicholas Taleb has a very unique style of writing. In this book, he explains why the expected is unimportant because it’s anticipated and why the unexpected is more important exactly because no one expects it.

These resources might seem overwhelming but only if you try to take them all in at once. It took me a 5-year journey to cover most of these.

What I've learned to do is break down a long course into smaller segments I can do per day. The goal is to learn something new every day. To get 1% better every day.

Find a pace you're comfortable with and take a break whenever you like because you’re in this learning thing for life now.

Keep calm and transcend your limitations.

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P.S I also have a Best of Youtube Playlist : )