This episode from the vault is with Nat Eliason — a writer, founder of Growth Machine, and an all-around, self-described internet thinkboi.
He’s also a massive proponent of self-directed, or non-traditional learning.
His career, while starting from a traditional perspective, took a non-traditional and self-directed turn. He and I explore some of the key components of that journey, such as:
- the far transfer of skills,
- constructing your own curriculum,
- learning out loud, and
- proof of work.
Nat is a popular guy; lots of people that are familiar with his work bring up writing, running an online business, or growing his SEO agency. But not many people have picked his brain on the topic of education. And boy, is he a wellspring of knowledge when it comes to education.
Tune in for an in-depth, unfiltered episode on self-directed learning and the future of education. Topics covered:
- The challenges of change and non-attachment
- The innate human desire for certainty and security
- Embracing uncertainty and self-directed learning
- The importance of creating guardrails
- The value of practical experience versus certifications
- Much, much more.
Without further ado, please sit back, relax, and enjoy my episode with Nat Eliason.
Full Episode
Guest Links
Show Notes
- [02:50-06:09] Nat’s non-traditional approach to education.
- [06:10-12:56] Video gaming and Nat’s strategies applied to work.
- [14:23-18:30] The far transfer of skills.
- [19:06-26:55] Nat’s semantic tree of knowledge.
- [26:55-34:10] On sharing your best ideas with your audience.
- [34:18-36:40] Why building in public is interesting to people.
- [37:53-41:53] Connecting what people want with what Nat believes they need.
- [44:37-50:13] Traditional education is good for training for excellence, not training for genius.
- [50:14-53:55] The push and pull elements of training for genius.
- [55:40-59:40] Hiring for proof of work rather than for degree/certification.
- [01:00:19-01:03:24] Skills Nat seeks when hiring someone.
- [01:03:24-01:07:49] Codifying the skills and behaviors people exhibit.
- [01:10:49-1:16:37] Nat’s take on the privilege gap in obtaining an education.
- [01:20:30-01:24:13] Creating widespread access to education.
- [01:14:17-01:24:54] Kids are the driver for a future of digital education.
Selected Links from the Episode
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