Education
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
Ask teachers and professionals for help with things you are still learning.
It is their job to assist you, and asking them does them a favor.
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Do not expect free online MBA-equivalent courses to provide the full value of an MBA.
You can't get a true MBA online and won't be getting what most MBAs offer.
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Watch the 'Learn Like a Pro' video series by Barb Oakley on YouTube to improve learning.
It is great and can be finished in one evening.
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Do not study subjects you dislike solely to obtain a certification.
In the long run, this leads to misery and is a waste of time.
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Focus on finishing a community college degree.
It opens up more doors and is helpful on a resume when job hunting.
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Step away from Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitter.
Do not rely on institutions to educate you; instead, learn by leading and doing rather than following.
Curricula are often outdated or broken by the time they are built, and leading earns respect.
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Pretend to enjoy boring classes until you actually do.
Soon enough you will start enjoying them.
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Pay attention in class and value education over popular kids and parties.
You may eventually realize you do not know enough and wish you had learned more.
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Take notes while reading if you struggle to remember what you read.
Note-taking helps compensate for poor retention of reading material.
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Develop academic discipline and boundaries by defining how and when to study and eliminating distractions.
This is cited as the number one thing that helps at this age.
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Use audiobooks to stay engaged with books, especially if you have ADHD or difficulty focusing.
Audiobooks can be a godsend for those with ADHD, provided the book captures attention quickly.
- If a book does not capture you quickly, you may not get hooked.
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Use a 'For Dummies' book for a concise, straightforward refresher on math concepts like calculus.
It provides clear info that really helped.
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Gain customer service experience to break into the IT industry.
It is the most appealing soft skill in the IT industry; hiring managers want to know you won't wilt after dealing with a problem customer.
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Look into grade replacement policies, such as retaking two classes to replace previous grades, or reverse transfer options for general education credits at a community college.
These options can help improve a GPA if a class was failed or performed poorly.
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Finish your degree rather than dropping out with debt.
It prevents wasting credits and investment, and demonstrates discipline.
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Consistently read difficult free online textbooks and search for answers to things you don't understand.
You get better through consistency and searching for gaps in understanding.
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Use your university's free therapy services.
They are free for students.
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Attend additional university classes or ask a lecturer for weekly help sessions.
One person reported this truly made a difference.
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Read books about advice for early adulthood and self-help material.
so you are already prepared for what is going to come in life
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Start with small study targets and build up stamina gradually rather than attempting long cram sessions close to exams.
Building up stamina is necessary for effective studying.
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Protect your educational opportunities; one person regrets neglecting theirs.
Education is important.
- Based on one person's regret
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Check the credibility of list compilers, as they may not have tried the resources they recommend.
Compilers may list items they have never used.
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Volunteer in a department at a local college if you are eager to learn.
Hungry learners can find ways to be utilized if they connect with the right people in an academic environment.
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Study the material directly rather than relying on external answer keys like Chegg.
This approach helps immensely.
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Contact course administrators to explain your situation and ask for help; they can signpost you to support resources.
They are accustomed to helping students in similar situations.
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Ensure clickable links on websites are visually implied to be clickable to avoid usability issues.
Nothing about the page implying a click creates a severe usability issue.
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Keep websites incredibly basic and unbloated to ensure accessibility for people with slow internet.
Using as few bytes as possible allows people with slow internet to access it easily.
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Verify if listed 'free' resources actually require payment.
Some items labeled as free are not.
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Listen to podcast episodes discussing the 'mask' of narcissism to gain insight into hidden behaviors.
One person found it very helpful.
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Read 'Humanity', a cultural anthropology textbook.
It can change your perspective on many topics.
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Read ebooks, listen to podcasts, and read long-form blogs to nurture a lifelong learning attitude and appreciate intellectual discussions.
These activities nurture a lifelong learning attitude and an appreciation for knowledge and intellectual discussions.
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Read philosophy and psychology to better understand your emotions and moral compass.
It helps clarify your ethical framework and emotional responses.
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Verify citation formatting generated by automated tools before submission.
Errors can cost points.
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Focus on understanding concepts rather than memorizing facts.
Understanding core ideas makes related details make sense later.
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Take classes even if forced, as the structure can make you feel productive.
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Pick a country on Wikipedia, read its article, and click linked tabs to learn its history and geography.
Reading several linked articles provides a general idea of the country's history and geography.
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Leverage your maturity to attract serious peers who are focused on learning and doing the work.
Maturity can cause others who are serious about learning to gravitate toward you.
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Step away from Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, and Twitter.
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Listen to university lectures while doing chores or eating, pausing when the task ends and resuming later.
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Push past boundaries but regularly loop back to review earlier information until understanding becomes instinctual.
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Use Khan Academy for videos and questions to ensure understanding of a subject.
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Read 'Dopamine Nation' by Anna Lembke to understand dopamine dynamics.
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online, courses6
Avoid paid subscription brain-training sites like Lumosity.
They are likely swindles not backed by proper research.
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Consider independent contracting to set your own rates based on local pay scales, rather than expecting wages from high-cost areas while living elsewhere.
Employers are aware of local pay scales, so remote workers cannot expect high-cost area wages.
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Watch Wharton MBA classes online.
They are considered good quality content.
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List online courses in the 'other' section of your resume to signal willingness to learn, rather than relying on certificates for skill verification.
Assessments for these courses often lack rigor, making them poor proof of specific skills.
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- List online courses on LinkedIn as accomplishments rather than buying certificates, since employers rarely ask for evidence.1
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Choose a major based on the desired lifestyle, pay, hours, vacation, travel, and working environment of the resulting career, rather than just whether studying the topic is fun.
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