Learn How To Teach Yourself

In personal and professional circles, I hear people say they don’t know how or “can’t” do something all. the. time. It’s probably one of my biggest pet peeves, but more so when it comes from someone in the digital marketing industry. 

But First, a Disclaimer

I want to begin with full transparency here, though. I am biased towards individuals taking their education into their own hands. This doesn’t mean I believe you need to “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” and get through school, though. In many cases, it means quite the opposite.

I went to school for a bachelor’s degree (and honestly will likely go back for my MBA in the future). But I don’t think you have to have a college education in order to be successful — especially in the digital marketing field. From Zuckerberg to Gates to Jobs and beyond, the tech and marketing industry is inundated with highly successful people who dropped out of college. 

Side note: This also isn’t a post to discourage you from going to school or give you permission to quit school. Do whatever is best for you! 

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No One Else Knew, Either.

I think it’s likely true in any industry, but especially within the digital marketing and tech industries, whoever is “best” at what they do likely had no idea what they were doing at the start. They knew they enjoyed the general aspects of the industry, and took that pleasure and turned it into a passion. They decided they wanted to do something, so they did it. 

It took a lot of dedication, determination, and hard. freaking. work.

Access Changes Everything.

Especially in today’s world, with easy access to YouTube videos, online courses, and so much more, the information you’re looking for most likely already exists online. And for free. 

If you have some extra cash, you can even take a course on Udemy, Lynda.com, or other online learning academy. In most cases, you’ll get a certificate of completion for all of your hard work. 

One of my favorite online learning tools beyond YouTube is the Google Ads Academy. There’s no denying that Google controls the search world, so what better place to learn about search than from the source itself?! Within the last couple of years, Google has improved their training academy and added interactive courses with check-in quizzes to prep for the certification test. Whether you want to become an expert in Google Analytics, Google Ads, Android Enterprise, or any other Google-owned platform, this is the resource for you. 

If Not Now, When?

If you’re in the digital marketing industry professionally or as a consumer, you know tech changes fast. From new iPhone models each year to Google algorithm updates, nothing stays the same for long. So why not start learning how to teach yourself now? 

This is one of the biggest lessons I learned in my university program. They taught us how to learn to use new tools as well as how to stay up to speed on the latest tech trends. I’ve brought these skills with me into my professional career and they’ve helped me remain adaptable, versatile, and well-informed.

The ability to teach myself how to perform certain tasks positions me as a valuable player to the rest of my marketing team. By leveraging the company’s existing knowledge base, we’re able to give each other a competitive advantage. 

Never Stop Learning.

In the end, whether you’re intentionally teaching yourself something new or just going about your day-to-day life, chances are you do know how to teach yourself something new. You just may not know that yet.

With that, what will you learn today? I encourage you to take these tips and resources and truly push yourself to learn something new. You never know what the outcome could be!

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