7 Tips for Successful Self-Learning Monday, April 19, 2010 at 11:02AM No matter what, you're going to have to learn most everything on your own anyway. Self-learning is hard. Regardless of where, when or how you learn - being a good self-learner will maximize your potential. In this post, Hamilton Ulmer (an almost-done Stanford stats masters student) and I, will explore seven ways to become a great self-learner. [ photo: flickr commons ] 1. The longest path is the shortest and the shortest path is the longest The shortest route to learning the craft of a field is the one that, at first glance, appears the longest. To really learn something, you must understand the basic concepts of your field. If you try to skip, y ou may end up spending more time figuring out concepts than if you had started with learning basics. Have you ever wanted to take up a new subject, bought a book, only to make ...