#Learning Map
Learning for me is a by-product of a project or end goal.
When I have a project that I am working on where there are skills that I don’t know, I try and learn those skills. Sometimes, when I feel like learning something ( a software or a tool ) just for the sake of learning, I try to come up with an end goal or mini-project that requires that skill.
The reason for this style of learning is simply the fear of feeling that what I am learning is not useful. So when I have a final project in mind, I feel like it definitely has a use. For this reason, I don’t learn well if I am made to do a set of ten tutorials which result in no solid end product/result.
So once I have a project in mind, I begin to break it down into much smaller pieces to see what I know and what I don't.
Once I isolate what I don't know, I start to learn those skills using video tutorials, blogs and books. While I enjoy learning from other people, I like to try on my own first. That way I make a lot of fumbles and mistakes along the way which help me understand what I'm learning. However, when I'm stuck for a long time, I seek out help and guidance from a subject matter expert.
After this, I begin to work on the project itself. While doing this, I get a chance to assess and see for myself if I'm actually learning!
While writing this essay, I was not sure how right I was about my learning style, so I decided to learn some Adobe Illustrator by making the map to go with this blurb. Now I do feel like I have learnt some more of Illustrator :)