| I was once given the advice that if you truly want to | | | | learning, because it is interesting, because they are |
| succeed in life, you need to become an activist. I | | | | passionate about it, and because they know it will |
| wasn't sure what she meant at first. I thought being | | | | help them succeed above all others. |
| an activist meant staging protests, and organizing | | | | Don't stop learning, ever. |
| fund raising campaigns and ballot initiatives. But the | | | | An activist never stops learning. In this day and age, |
| further I went along in school and especially after I | | | | knowledge, job skills, technology, and just about |
| entered the workforce, I learned just how important | | | | everything else becomes outdated and obsolete in a |
| it is to be an activist in your education, in your | | | | matter of months or years. It is important to never |
| career, and in your life. | | | | stop learning. An activist will constantly seek out new |
| You Are In Charge Of Your Own Learning | | | | knowledge, new skills, and new experience. An |
| As an activist, you need to put yourself in charge of | | | | activist is always asking "Why?", "How?", "I wonder |
| your learning. If you think about all there is to know | | | | if...?", and "What else?" |
| about a subject, any one course, teacher, or | | | | Experiment |
| textbook will only teach you a very limited subset. | | | | The key to really learning any skill or subject is to |
| Their goal is to introduce you to specific list of facts | | | | use what you learn and experiment with it. Many |
| and concepts in a fixed period of time. Most students | | | | people prefer to wait until they feel comfortable and |
| will passively listen to the teacher, study the key | | | | secure in their knowledge before attempting to use |
| points for the exam, and leave the course assuming | | | | it. |
| they learned something. | | | | The opposite is true for an activist. For an activist, |
| An activist, however, does not sit by and accept the | | | | experimenting, trying, failing, and retrying is an |
| passive learning of a fixed curriculum. An activist will | | | | essential part of the learning process. Take what you |
| enthusiastically embrace the material, ask questions, | | | | learn and try it out right away. Experiment with it. |
| test his/her understanding, and seek out new | | | | See what works and what doesn't. Then go back |
| sources of information. | | | | and try to figure out why. |
| Go beyond the classroom. | | | | Adopting the attitude of an activist will take you far |
| An activist will go beyond the classroom. Most | | | | in your learning and in your career. The ultimate |
| students sit through class, do their homework, and | | | | advantage of being an activist is that you will quickly |
| consider themselves done. However, the most | | | | rise above all the others. You will know more and be |
| successful students in any class or training program | | | | able to do more. You will quickly earn admiration and |
| are also the same ones who spend the most time | | | | recognition from your supervisors and colleagues. In |
| investigating the material outside of class. A true | | | | any project or work environment, the activists are |
| activist will seek out information for the sake of | | | | the ones who stand out and truly excel. |