“Impressed by Muñoz’s knowledge, Anderson invited him to form a company. Only later did he learn that Muñoz was 19 years old and entirely self-taught. “In my world, it doesn’t matter who you are but what you can do,” Anderson says. “You prove yourself by answering questions in discussion forums, showing demos on YouTube, and committing code on GitHub.”
Re-read that second sentence: “Only later did he learn that Muñoz was 19 years old and entirely self-taught.”
The other day I suggested this line should send shivers down the spine of any college or post-secondary educator or administrator. The sentence posted above should do the same. Self-education is the future.
More important, the sentence should serve as a wake up call for every student (and, really, every adult) interested in gaining and maintaining fruitful employment in the future. Education will obviously continue to be important to your future but how you educate yourself is going to change considerably.
Universities, technical colleges and other post-secondary institutions aren’t the only way to get an education. They may not even be the best. An ever stronger case is being developed that the employees potential employers find most attractive are those that self-educate themselves.
For some advice on how you might want to self-educate yourself, read this article (Your Reputation is Your Resume) and pay close attention to creating and sharing what you know–and don’t know–online on sites such as Quora, Youtube and Shareslide.
Related Posts by futurist Jack Uldrich
The Future of Higher Education Has Arrived
Eight Questions for Innovative Educators
The Future of Higher Education: A Cloudy Future
