So I got a question.....

First things first, ya i know read the rules. Been there done that. Besides I'm not new, been here before, quite awhile ago, i made those dumb baseball cards out of WATMM members. Anyways, my question. So I'm thinking of pursuing a new hobby, what that deals with a lot of devotion to time. Doesn't matter what it is but do u "the watmm members" think with patience, time, and most importantly devotion can learn just about anything without any prior schooling. As in college. It's not feasible for me to go to school, but I want to self educate myself through books, online videos, tutorials, and whatnot. Now i'm not talking about building a spacecraft that will get me to Mars, but something you would normally go to school for. Now some examples are game designer, architect, programmer, whatever. Now if you want to post some crap bout "read the rules" or "dupe" that's fine, but follow it up with a serious response. Thanks

read the rules, dupe

If I wanted to learn something along the lines of what you're talking about, I think I'd want to learn auto mechanics. I have no clue about any of that stuff. It would be great to start learning the basics on small motorcycles and work my way up to cars. It would be really cool also because it is practical knowledge. If your shit breaks down, you could just fix that shit. Word.

i think there was a thread made a while back about how to be an autodidact, but i'm not sure if it still exists.

khanacademy could be something to try, lots of topics there.

usually i look for a community dedicated to a topic, then a thread with a focused question about that topic, and then look for a consensus in that thread on where to go from there. but you're kind of doing that already

I really can't recommend anything specifically but it sounds like you're career minded, not hobby minded. Anyhow, just ask yourself what you have a lot of interest in then look up DIY projects of that interest on google. Boom.

Similar to what jeffero said, and beyond auto repair, there's a lot to be discovered just tinkering with electronics, mechanical devices, and general home repair stuff. There's nothing like the sense of satisfaction in fixing something with a bit of effort, problem-solving, and research that most people would of simply thrown out or spent money on to have someone else fix.

i think i misunderstood the question.

try zone sieve pornography

few if any people can become experts at something through self teaching. it's a nice idea, but it never works. i recommend going to school or getting a job in a field you're interested in where you can learn first hand how to do things. in the same way that language learning almost never works unless a person experiences immersion, reading or watching lectures on the internet is just going to make you slightly more informed about a topic than someone with no knowledge. your post is vague, so what exactly are you trying to learn?

learn any art by yourself (coding included), sell your stuff via bandcamp, youtube, etc. get recognized, win at sundance film festival, and so on

Yes, with "10,000 hours" and shit tons of effort.

I sincerely wish you the best of luck at whatever it is you intend to pursue.

with the internet you really can learn just about anything. but because youre teaching yourself, as wahrk says, it takes a lot of dedication and much more time then if you had a teacher to guide you. also, as joshuatx points out it sounds like you are thinking more career minded. if you want to get a job like the mechanic example then youd probably be fine teaching yourself. but in the examples you gave (designer, architect, programer), you will most likely will not get those jobs (maybe game designer or programer, but definitely never an architect position) even if you know more it wont really matter if you go up against someone with a degree.

basically, lower skilled jobs youd be fine self taught. but as the skill level increases a degree will become a necessity.

wilderness survival

i suppose you could study architecture as a hobby, travel around seeing awesome architecture and digest all sorts of information but you'll never be an architect. i know it was just an example but if it's something as specialised as that you won't get employed in that capacity.

tell us what it is you want to do?

  On 2/15/2013 at 7:24 AM, Frankie5fingers said:

. if you want to get a job like the mechanic example then youd probably be fine teaching yourself.

don't think so.

Not on new vehicles you won't. There's only so much you can do without having a good knowledge of electronics and computers.

Edit: vehicle computers I mean.

  On 2/15/2013 at 10:57 AM, keltoi said:

 

  On 2/15/2013 at 7:24 AM, Frankie5fingers said:

. if you want to get a job like the mechanic example then youd probably be fine teaching yourself.

 

don't think so.

really? my brother was a mechanic for a little while and he has a degree in English and barely knows a thing about cars. granted they didnt really let him do much but they would teach him along the way.

i agree, you definitely would not be allowed to work on more expensive cars. but you most likely could get a simple job at just a local mechanic shop changing oil, tires, and other simple jobs. and they would probably let you do more advance things as time passed.

but keltoi makes a good point. we cant really give the best advice without knowing what you want to do.

Well honestly, it's nothing to do with a career. Sure maybe freelancing a bit, but not as 8-5 mon thru fri crap. I have another job that I'm content with. Unfortunately I am unable to indicate the field, I have my reasons. That's why I gave those examples, they are somewhat similar. I realize without a teacher and schooling it will be a harder goal to obtain. I am willing like I said to put forth mass devotion and effort toward this. Anyways, if anyone has a similar story of accomplishment like what I'm trying to obtain, do tell.

a few classmates and I started a "non accredited course" in Processing recently... we're all having a lot of fun tbh. There are six of us. It started with two. You don't need to pay for college or even have a teacher to learn things. Just be interested and don't give up.

saylor.org

coursera.org

ocw.mit.edu

codecademy.com

khanacademy.org

that should get you started at least

  On 2/15/2013 at 5:41 PM, Frankie5fingers said:

 

  On 2/15/2013 at 10:57 AM, keltoi said:

 

  On 2/15/2013 at 7:24 AM, Frankie5fingers said:

. if you want to get a job like the mechanic example then youd probably be fine teaching yourself.

 

don't think so.

really? my brother was a mechanic for a little while and he has a degree in English and barely knows a thing about cars. granted they didnt really let him do much but they would teach him along the way.

 

i agree, you definitely would not be allowed to work on more expensive cars. but you most likely could get a simple job at just a local mechanic shop changing oil, tires, and other simple jobs. and they would probably let you do more advance things as time passed.

 

but keltoi makes a good point. we cant really give the best advice without knowing what you want to do.

working in a garage doesn't necessarily make you a mechanic. over here at least, you have to serve your time as an apprentice and be fully competent. otherwise you're just a cowboy.

Maths

  On 2/15/2013 at 6:52 PM, chassis said:

Maths

  On 2/15/2013 at 6:29 PM, keltoi said:

 

  On 2/15/2013 at 5:41 PM, Frankie5fingers said:

 

  On 2/15/2013 at 10:57 AM, keltoi said:

 

  On 2/15/2013 at 7:24 AM, Frankie5fingers said:

. if you want to get a job like the mechanic example then youd probably be fine teaching yourself.

 

don't think so.

really? my brother was a mechanic for a little while and he has a degree in English and barely knows a thing about cars. granted they didnt really let him do much but they would teach him along the way.

 

i agree, you definitely would not be allowed to work on more expensive cars. but you most likely could get a simple job at just a local mechanic shop changing oil, tires, and other simple jobs. and they would probably let you do more advance things as time passed.

 

but keltoi makes a good point. we cant really give the best advice without knowing what you want to do.

 

working in a garage doesn't necessarily make you a mechanic. over here at least, you have to serve your time as an apprentice and be fully competent. otherwise you're just a cowboy.

yeah. thats what i meant, sorry for the confusion. but my point was simply that after working in the garage for awhile theyll eventually make you a mechanic (if you know what your doing of course and they arent dicks) and you would not need the degree.

@SB39: if youre doing freelance work then yeah, you wont need a degree (though ive never heard of a freelance architect). and if you actually take it seriously and are really good at whatever it is you probably would beat out others that do have degrees. but the jobs wont come flowing in, youll need to establish a name for yourself.

So many programming languages are well documented you could teach yourself to code. Plus there are a lot of free dev tools. Just google a language (Java, C++,etc...) and get started.

  On 2/15/2013 at 7:57 PM, ZiggomaticV17 said:

So many programming languages are well documented you could teach yourself to code. Plus there are a lot of free dev tools. Just google a language (Java, C++,etc...) and get started.

Ummm, not sure if that's a suggestion or what you think I talking about, either way not for me, and I wasn't getting into that subject matter. Thanks anyways a tho. For the the rest of u all, pretty good info.

  On 2/16/2013 at 12:25 AM, SB39 said:

 

  On 2/15/2013 at 7:57 PM, ZiggomaticV17 said:

So many programming languages are well documented you could teach yourself to code. Plus there are a lot of free dev tools. Just google a language (Java, C++,etc...) and get started.

Ummm, not sure if that's a suggestion or what you think I talking about, either way not for me, and I wasn't getting into that subject matter. Thanks anyways a tho. For the the rest of u all, pretty good info.

You said...

"Now some examples are game designer, architect, programmer, whatever."

How do you think programmers program? They use a programming language like java or C++.

or jatavee c