Scott Young, author and renowned for completing an MIT computer science degree in under a year, shares his groundbreaking approach to ultralearning. He discusses how to master skills efficiently without traditional education. Key strategies include active learning, effective feedback, and planning. Young emphasizes the importance of self-directed study in today's job market and the personal growth that comes from pursuing passion-driven projects. Dive into techniques for skill mastery and discover how to navigate challenges in your learning journey!
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question_answer ANECDOTE
The MIT Challenge
Scott Young completed all MIT computer science coursework in under a year, independently and for free.
This sparked his interest in "ultralearning."
question_answer ANECDOTE
Other Ultralearners
Scott found others mastering skills quickly, like Benny Lewis learning languages in three months.
Others included Roger Craig mastering trivia and Eric Barone creating a successful video game.
insights INSIGHT
Ultralearning: Mastery Over Time
Ultralearning involves mastering skills quickly, not just superficial learning.
It's crucial in the 21st century due to economic shifts and the increasing need for specialized skills.
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Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career
Scott Young
James Clear
In 'Ultralearning,' Scott H. Young presents a strategy for acquiring skills and knowledge in a self-directed and intense manner. The book incorporates the latest research on effective learning methods and includes stories of other ultralearners such as Benjamin Franklin, Judit Polgár, and Richard Feynman. Young outlines nine key principles for successful ultralearning projects, including metalearning, focus, directness, drilling, testing, retrieval, intuition, and experimentation. These principles help readers learn efficiently, concentrate on their goals, and convert knowledge into practical skills. The book is designed to help anyone improve their career, studies, and life by mastering new skills quickly and effectively.
Many of us want to learn a new skill or master a new area of expertise, either to further or change our career or simply for the sake of personal fulfillment. But going deep in a subject seems like it would take a long time, and even require going back to school, something most of us don't have the time, money, and desire to do.
My guest today says there's another way. His name is Scott Young and he's the author of Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career. We begin our conversation with Scott's successful experiment of doing all the course work for a computer science degree from MIT in less than a year and for free and how this opened Scott up to the idea of "ultralearning." We then discuss the economic benefits of learning how to learn, as well as the personal benefits that come from mastering new skills as adults. In the second half of our conversation, we get into the practical techniques of the ultralearning method, including creating a plan for your learning project, choosing active over passive learning, and drilling effectively. Scott and I end our discussion with how to figure out what feedback to listen to and what to ignore as you're learning a new project.
The Art of Manliness 