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Learning a new skill - the first step?

Visionary96

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So of course the general consensus on here is learning new skills and having something of value which is critical to success I imagine and this is not a post asking for specific help but more of a nudge to get my ball rolling.

So basically, I'm 23, no degree, no manual trade and no real useful valuable skill that I can use in the real world. I am not feeling sorry for myself, im actually happy to have realised this before its too late and ready to make a drastic change. I'm wondering, when one wants to learn a skill completely from scratch, what is the best first step to implement that has worked for others? Are paid courses the logical step or do some of you guys do it from say youtube/books/podcasts/actual real life workshops?

Again, not asking for a step by step guide, just experiences people have had with taking that first step and possibly how to keep at it without burning out/how to deal with burnouts?

Any responses sincerely appreciated, cheers!
 
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Andy Black

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So of course the general consensus on here is learning new skills and having something of value which is critical to success I imagine and this is not a post asking for specific help but more of a nudge to get my ball rolling.

So basically, I'm 23, no degree, no manual trade and no real useful valuable skill that I can use in the real world. I am not feeling sorry for myself, im actually happy to have realised this before its too late and ready to make a drastic change. I'm wondering, when one wants to learn a skill completely from scratch, what is the best first step to implement that has worked for others? Are paid courses the logical step or do some of you guys do it from say youtube/books/podcasts/actual real life workshops?

Again, not asking for a step by step guide, just experiences people have had with taking that first step and possibly how to keep at it without burning out/how to deal with burnouts?

Any responses sincerely appreciated, cheers!
I’d say the first step is to find someone who needs help, and go help them. You’ll learn what you need to get the job done.

It’s how I started in my current business:

Your goal isn’t to learn per se, but to add value and get paid.

I didn’t spend money on expensive courses to learn the skills I have, I picked them up by solving problems. I also got paid to do so along the way.

Take for instance YouTube advertising. I’m trying to figure that out by doing. I spoke to someone yesterday about what I’d done to date and they wanted me to use them as their guinea pig. I don’t get paid, but they will pay the ad spend. If/when I get results then I’ll charge for this as a service, while still figuring it out myself with a €5/day spend.

Here’s an example of me figuring something out. I’m documenting it so people can see how I go about it.
 

Nick M.

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One way I've learned several skills is by freelancing on UpWork and other platforms.

Because people post hundreds of gigs every day, you can easily see demand. Pick a need, learn to craft an amazing proposal, and get paid to learn the skill. All valuable skills you can use later in growing your business.

If you're going to learn a new skill, it's always a good idea to find a way to get paid to do so.
 

Andy Black

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If you're going to learn a new skill, it's always a good idea to find a way to get paid to do so.
Exactly. Pay thousands to consume, or earn thousands producing.

(I’m not knocking courses, training, or coaching. I’m just suggesting that if we want to join team producer then it might be worth seeing first if we can produce rather than consume our way out of problems.)
 
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loop101

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So of course the general consensus on here is learning new skills and having something of value which is critical to success I imagine and this is not a post asking for specific help but more of a nudge to get my ball rolling.

So basically, I'm 23, no degree, no manual trade and no real useful valuable skill that I can use in the real world. I am not feeling sorry for myself, im actually happy to have realised this before its too late and ready to make a drastic change. I'm wondering, when one wants to learn a skill completely from scratch, what is the best first step to implement that has worked for others? Are paid courses the logical step or do some of you guys do it from say youtube/books/podcasts/actual real life workshops?

Again, not asking for a step by step guide, just experiences people have had with taking that first step and possibly how to keep at it without burning out/how to deal with burnouts?

Any responses sincerely appreciated, cheers!

It sounds like you just need a skill to pay the bills, so you can work on your Fastlane business. If that skill can help you help others, it will also be a useful Fastlane skill.

This guy wanted to be a dancer, so he studied Youtube videos and taught himself to dance, now he teaches others to dance.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TS0ExVO1Kg
 
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Clueless Newbie

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I personally would not take any paid courses when starting out.

In the past i've used these FREE resources:
- I learned a ton of stuff just by watching YouTube videos.
- By taking courses at: Coursera | Online Courses & Credentials by Top Educators. Join for Free
- Looked at a couple of lectures at MIT OpenCourseWare: MIT OpenCourseWare | Free Online Course Materials

This course about learning how to learn was very useful: Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects | Coursera
 
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Nick M.

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I personally would not take any paid courses when starting out.

In the past i've used these FREE resources:
- I learned a ton of stuff just by watching YouTube videos.
- By taking courses at: Coursera | Online Courses & Credentials by Top Educators. Join for Free
- Looked at a couple of lectures at MIT OpenCourseWare: MIT OpenCourseWare | Free Online Course Materials

This course about learning how to learn was very useful: Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects | Coursera

There are pros and cons of free courses to watch out for.

Pros
  • There're free
  • Some have lots of valuable content
  • Often there's a community around the content
Cons
  • Many people use free courses only to sell paid courses or build email lists
  • Anyone can create a free course, you'll find lots of misinformation if you don't due your diligence
  • Often, creators will prioritize quantity over quality (e.g. a 10-hour course with 30 minutes of information repeated 20 times)
Most importantly, don't confuse taking a course with taking action. Using a course (free or paid) to learn a skill is only taking action when it is a necessary and direct step towards achieving a goal. If there's not a reason to learn the specific skill, then the course is action faking.

Not saying you're doing any of this or that free courses are not valuable (I've used them), just that there isn't a hard or fast rule to free vs. paid, or learn a skill vs. not learn a skill. I've made these mistakes myself.

Ultimately, it still comes down to one basic "formula"
  1. Find a problem
  2. Validate demand
  3. Create value
  4. Get paid
If taking a course or learning a skill is the direct path to getting paid, then, by all means, do it. However, if you're taking a course or learning a skill without first finding a problem and validating demand, you're setting yourself up to not earn any money.

Value is decided by your customers, not you. No customers, no value. No value, no profits.
 

Andy Black

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Clueless Newbie

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If taking a course or learning a skill is the direct path to getting paid, then, by all means, do it.

100% agree here. I don't read/learn anything that doesn't immediately solve my problems anymore. I also found majority of books to be BS. They take 100s of pages to describe few concepts.
 
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Visionary96

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100% agree here. I don't read/learn anything that doesn't immediately solve my problems anymore. I also found majority of books to be BS. They take 100s of pages to describe few concepts.

Sometimes its good as you get really familiar with certain concepts and its gets drilled in your head more but yeah a lot of books just drag it out big time.
 

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