Do you teach yourself or wait to be taught?

[GoodDaughter]

I read lots of questions on various forums, folks asking how to do this or that. I see a lot of good information given, and I see some not so good information given. Of course a person should do some kind of research on a given project before just jumping in, if for no other reason than it can be much more costly if you just plunge in without having a good idea of what steps you need to take.

A person can ask every question they can think of, they can research every website and read every book on the subject, but they will get to the point they are just going to have to pick up their tools and actually get started.

When I first started doing things myself, it never occured to me to find an 'aprenticeship' or to work some place to learn the skill. I doubt if anyone would even have considered such a thing back in the early 80's when I got my own place, and I seriously doubt it in the particular area I lived. Around there, it was more likely to be some old coot laughing at what they perceived to be a 'silly little girl' wanting to learn something useful. So I just learned what I could on my own, and got started.

I made some mistakes, yes. Fortunately none of them costly, because I didn't have any money to speak of, and certainly none to waste! But the things I have in essence taught myself to do just by reading, observing when possible, and by just making a start on something, has grown to be a pretty useful repertoire of skills.

So far I haven't given myself botulism, caused a chicken to suffer when butchering it, shot myself while hunting, or had my roof or walls fall in on me. I know when to call in an expert (exactly twice) but I would rather learn to to things myself so I'm not at the mercy of someone else.

I guess to a certain extent I don't understand when some people feel they can't get started homesteading without an aprenticeship or something similar. I guess I have always been too independant and hated being told I couldn't do something.

[dkemple1]

There are a lot of things I would like to do, and I always read a lot about it. But I am just scared of failure. I am not very sure of myself when I attempt a project. I just wish I had more confidence in myself. I tend to over think things most of the times and scare myself out of it.

[humbug]

I have always been a kind of jump in with both feet type of person. I don't think you can learn everything by reading a book...trial and error has its place. In some ways I am lucky because I am friends with several people that build houses for a living. I can usually call them up and say this is my problem...and they can usually offer several solutions.

[Shamrock1121]

I'm an information freak and am often heard saying, *"There's a technical manual for nearly everything you want to know."

I've always had a lot of curiosity with an insatiable need-to-know. *A couple nights ago hubby asked what I was working on, I told him Laundry Science; and did he know that if you wash clothes in 60°F or colder water, it didn't matter what kind of detergent you used, they won't get clean because the water is too cold? *According to manufacturers of *laundry products say "cold" water is between 80-85°F. *

It's not enough to have a recipe to make bread, but I needed to know bread science and can tell you most things from planting/harvesting the seeds of wheat to milling them, and everything inbetween. * *

I've purchased lots of how-to books, college textbooks, borrowed books and viewed videos/DVDs from the library for ever and always when it came to gathering information for a project of one kind or another. *

I've kept files of information for as long as I can remember. *As I type this, I can see a stack of files that need to be refiled on: *Home Storage, Drying Food, Solar Cooking, Clear Jel Recipes, Natural Cleaning Products, Home Milling..... *

I even keep a small notebook I've called "ODD KNOWLEDGE". *Odds and ends of things I may or may not ever need, but I found it interesting enough to write it in this book.

Examples:
- Gluten levels in spelt flour - 5,000 parts per milion. *Compared to wheat which BEGINS at 50,000 parts per million and go up.

- 200 times more micro-organisms in whole wheat flour than white flour (which is why it's best for making sourdough starter, over white (bleached) flour)

- Lard has large fat crystals and butter has small ones. *This has a lot to do with the texture of the fat when used in pastry.

-Room temperature fat/butter is 65-67°F when measured with an Instant Read Thermometer

- When oven spills occur, mix 1-part cinnamon and 6-parts salt together. *Sprinkle to absorb the spill and remove burnt food odor. *Wipe when oven cools.

- cinnamon fights E. coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices

The Internet was made for a person like me. *;) *Search engines are my friends... 8)

But I've also taken LOTS of classes, workshops and seminars over the years as well. *Many of these classes have brought me full circle where I also teach what I learned. *When I became a Master Crocheter (2-weeks of intensive training), I taught hundreds more and worked in 2 yarn shops. *

Find an "expert". *I've always picked their brain for information when I've found them. *

My mother-in-law always said it's not what you know, it's who you know. *I've added... it's who you know that can teach you what you need to know. * *

I've watched the original "reality" shows, THIS OLD HOUSE, The New Yankee Workshop, and the Woodwrights' Shop since they were made available on PBS. *You can pick up all kinds of hints and tips from those guys. *This came in handy when hubby asked me if I thought I could help shingle the roof when he was running out of time to get it done. *Heck yes, I'd seen enough episodes on TV about shingling - NO PROBLEM!

I also had a friend who said knowledge wasn't knowledge until you shared it with someone else. *So share I do... *I'm a natural-born teacher, as well. * :D

-Karen

[GoodDaughter]

Oh yeah, I have to know how things work too, down to the molecular and atomic level. Which is fortunate because of my educational background.

Thomas Jefferson once said 'Not a blade of grass springs uninteresting to me'. I like that!

[Shamrock1121]

Oh yeah, I have to know how things work too, down to the molecular and atomic level. Which is fortunate because of my educational background.

Thomas Jefferson once said 'Not a blade of grass springs uninteresting to me'. *I like that!

Great quote! I bet those of us who are self-taught, self-educated and continuing education types are also the "answer people" for others.

I had a dear elderly friend who was a walking encyclopedia. She was very well read, and I think that's a big key. I get calls from friends who ask me all kinds of things and then say they knew I'd know....

Or my idiot SIL who hasn't cracked a book open since she graduated from high school in 1968. She'll ask a question, I'll answer, then always asks "how did you know THAT"! Well, how did I know ANYTHING? I read, saw, heard, or figured it out for myself somewhere in my 56-years of always learning.

But more important, I tuck that information away like a squirrel hiding nuts. You never know when you'll have a "McGiver" moment and you'll need those little bits of formerly useless information. ;)

-Karen

[pcrowder]

I read like crazy, and then teach myself! I have taught myself canning, knitting, crochet, quilting, butchering, livestock rearing, and just about everything else I've wanted to learn. My mom was the typical 1950's mom (dinners were TV dinners, automatic appliances, and NO do-it-yourself on anything), daddy worked all the time, so if I wanted to learn something, I had to wait until I grew up and left home to do it. And, I'm STILL learning something new every week!

[flatwater]

I have more self satisfaction by doing things from scratch. First I read about it then do it with a flatwater twist to it. That way I'm learning by sight and hands on. granted it may not look like the oridginal but heck that's what makes for and interesting adventure.
flatwater

[jebrown]

I too jump in with both feet. Yes sometimes I falter but that is part of life. So what. the smart person learns from their failures. If you check out anybody who is successful at anything you will find that they had failures too. They just kept going until the had success. Failures teach you, no on knows how to do anything at the first try. Do not let fear cripple you from trying.
The biggest failure in life is not trying.
I too am a information junkie.I love to learn about most everything. Too me learning is is a high second only to sex.
I love to jump in with both feet as see what happens. Doing so helps keep life interesting. I just refuse to let failure take over and move on until I get it right.

[Cil]

For some things I can read and get it, like cooking. But for some things I have to be shown how. I'm a visual learner with a learning disablility.

[LeatherneckPA]

*Failures teach you, no on knows how to do anything at the first try.

One of my favorite commercials of all time, but nobody ever seems to recall seeing it, has this guy walking down a darkened tunnel. It flashes how many foul shots his missed, how many lay-ups he's missed, how many jump shots he's missed, how many 3-pointers he's missed. Well, by now you're thinking "Why in the world would anybody play this guy?" Then he steps out of the tunnel into the light and it's Michael Jordan. His voice-over comes in and says something about how he wouldn't be where he is today if he had been afraid to fail on those shots. It was a wonderful commercial. And I always thought he was a class act. As jeb says, nobody knows how to do it perfect the first time.

Me, I am a voracious reader. I will read and research a new idea to death. Then I gather up my courage and have at it. Take our homestead for instance. First I'm attending a timber-framing school in TN next spring to learn how to make the mortises and tenons I already use to make furniture in BIG sizes for the house.

Then, provided the purchase goes through, I'm going to build a 16'x24' workshop/prototype of the central portion of the house Cindy and I want to build. That will give me the experience and the confidence to do even better work on building our house.

[WileyCoyote]

Both. I have attended college 3 times in three different areas for three different disciplines, and never graduated... just learned what I wanted to. If someone offers a class I try to take it - even if I'm not sure if I want to or need to. WHY for example did I want to go with my friend to her ceramics class 25 years ago? I am NOT an artist, I am not talented, and I'd been told that since I was tiny. Well, I not only ended up with my own shop, but teaching others as well! I can make anything with 'stickymud' and a little fire... grin. I stood for hours and watched the 'old time' potters make and glaze and fire their ceramics in Williamsburg; DH and the kids had to drag me away.

Mother was the typical 50's wife too; couldn't cook, wouldn't learn how. So I not only taught myself how, I started gardening so I would have the 'fresh spices' and 'fresh vegetables' they talked about in the cookbooks. I learned how to make pasta and bake bread by watching others and listening.

Like ol' Yoda says, "Do. Do not "try"." I plunge into every new thing as a new learning experience, with a kindergartener's joy of learning. Fail? Of course I fail! But then I find out why I failed and do it better the next time.

[leera]

When you jump in with both feet you have a 50/50 chance of getting it right. ;D

If you sit around and wait for someone to teach you,first you have to find someone who knows how to do what it is that you want to learn......

Kinda of like trying to find someone who knits or crochets left handed,shoots left handed,etc.......you gotta just go out there and do it!

[TNDadx4]

I have a similar approach as a lot of you. I am a voracious reader. I read a lot, then I ask questions and get answers (when I can). Then, I jump right in and do it, I don;t wait to be taught, per se. :)

There are some people that you can get certain questions answered. Our local hardware store has people that seem like they are dying to share information. I've picked up electrical advice (even helping me engineer the solution) as well as general carpentry advice.

[MHinFox]

Both like to find classes and seminars of things I like to learn and attend them . Many I already know about like to attend more to learn more. If that is not possible I will find a book read and apply...being an ex teacher i find it pretty easy to learn on my own. It is not to rough to find experts to ask questions of. Also sometimes will offer free labor to learn from folks who know something. Also big believer in free trade goods or services for knowledge about somethng I need or want to know.

[jen_in_southtexas]

I have always liked to read stuff on how-to's since i was a kid. *I will take any information i can get and study it, research it some more and I will ask questions if the opportunity presents itself. *You just gotta jump in and do it or you will beat yourself to death everyday when you think about it here and now or years from now. *Im one of those people that does not like depending on others to do something for me. *If i want it, im gonna figure a way toget it/ build it rather than pay someone to do it. *It means so much more this way and you will realize and will be conservative of your material because YOU bought it with YOUR money. *You will realize the value of even one nail or one screw that you dont have and you really needed it. *

This 16' x 16' cabin project that i am slowly working on is the biggest project i have ever worked on. *I researched on it alot and still question myself. *The mistakes have presented themselves many times over but i fix 'em best i can, make mental notes for future projects, and move on. * *When you see your progress and it makes you smile and say "oh my gosh, i did all this"....its all worth it. *

I was nervous to start this project and if you fail at it once, twice so what....cut your losses, disassemble and start over and most important have fun with it. *Its not a race and its YOUR project.

Now, I am not saying that we will be able to fix/repair/build everything. That is when we may need someone who knows about it to help. And some people really like to share knowledge.

I think it was Henry Ford that once said: *"Failure is the opportunity to learn again more intelligently." *So true and such powerful words!

~jen
el Chiquito Ranch
Deep South Texas Brush Country :)

[shadowwalker]

I'm real bad about reading up on something, maybe talking to people that do it. And proceeding.