“Don’t let schooling interfere with your education.”
Mark Twain
My father used to say this quote. He often said it anytime I couldn’t respond to a question of his on a topic of mathematics. Though I still hear this quote to this day, I’ve slowly began to adopt this idea of thought.
I went through a decade of education. When I look back at it, I realize I did so without a thorough understanding in any topic matter. I learned what I needed to learn in order to graduate and attend higher education. You ask, what’s wrong with this? Nothing is wrong with this, but now sitting in college, I’m torn between what I should study.
I say this as throughout my life, I never had the curiosity to learn further than the surface material. This is common. Approximately 75% of students switch their major at least once. They do so throughout their time in college.
Let me say though, there is nothing negative about this. People discover themselves at different times throughout their life, and for most, it does not happen throughout the teenage years. I write this post to encourage curiosity during these years. If you have passed them, start as soon as you can.
Your aspiration for a certain field or hobby will not last if you lack curiosity. You need to be curious to learn more about it. The reason why aspirations die is curiosity takes work. There is no curiosity without spending hours of research, struggle to understand, and practice, practice, practice.
For instance, the story of Rick Beato resonated with me deeply. It shows how work ties hand in hand with curiosity. This combination led him to the person he is today. While he was a bad student and faced rejection throughout his musical career. However, his resilience allowed him to continue with music. It also helped him escape his comfort zone in the art.
Now, you don’t have to be curious about all that you learn about. Beato himself states he was a bad student, and his real work was all rooted in music. Find what you resonate with. Instead of stating that you are passionate about that field, work to improve in it. Dedicate time to enrich your skills. This will help you ascertain whether it is truly the right path for you.
Unfortunately, it is difficult. Nowadays in my own life, I already am fading in my curiosity in chess. I haven’t been studying the openings and material I promised myself. As I write this, those textbooks collect thicker layers of dust on my desk. I barely participated in any tournaments throughout the first half of this year. Overall, I lost a part of my strength in the game, a part I worked so hard to achieve.
Although, whatever you seem curious about, take pride in it. Share your curiosity with others. It is something meant to be shared. Seeing others work hard at what they are into motivates us to work at what we relish. Take that motivation and run with it, continue to learn, and always continue to stay curious.