That's a good point. As with most things in life, it's always a balance. I'll admit I'm more toward the introverted side of the spectrum, which probably leads me to take more solitary time than someone like you. But it doesn't have to take too much out of your life—the benefit of self-directed learning is that since there's (typically) no deadline, you can take it at your own pace. If that means the learning stretches on for months on end, that's ok. And you can choose to go only as deep as you need to—the goal is not necessarily to get a super-deep understanding of the topic, but to get enough of a taste of it to demystify it. After you've touched on it, you can decide whether it's worth it to go deeper. In my case, when I was studying typography and design[0], I learned just enough that I could come up with a simple, functional design for my website that I was satisfied with, and then I mostly stopped.
It also helps if you can pick a topic that doesn't require large bursts of uninterrupted time, something you can read up on when you have a spare moment and are bored. Bayesian networks might not fit that mold, but things like personal finance and Chinese can—the former I learned mostly from short articles and looking up things I was unfamiliar with, and the latter is mostly involving continued repetition of the vocabulary I have to memorize, in short but frequent bursts. It can be powerful if you can make it a part of the background radiation of your life.
Lastly, I do want to mention that the two don't have to be mutually exclusive. Part of the reason I've been learning Chinese is for the sake of coming closer to those around me.
In the end, it's your life. You get to choose how you spend your time. But it's definitely not a black-and-white choice.
Comments
That's a good point. As with most things in life, it's always a balance. I'll admit I'm more toward the introverted side of the spectrum, which probably leads me to take more solitary time than someone like you. But it doesn't have to take too much out of your life—the benefit of self-directed learning is that since there's (typically) no deadline, you can take it at your own pace. If that means the learning stretches on for months on end, that's ok. And you can choose to go only as deep as you need to—the goal is not necessarily to get a super-deep understanding of the topic, but to get enough of a taste of it to demystify it. After you've touched on it, you can decide whether it's worth it to go deeper. In my case, when I was studying typography and design[0], I learned just enough that I could come up with a simple, functional design for my website that I was satisfied with, and then I mostly stopped.
It also helps if you can pick a topic that doesn't require large bursts of uninterrupted time, something you can read up on when you have a spare moment and are bored. Bayesian networks might not fit that mold, but things like personal finance and Chinese can—the former I learned mostly from short articles and looking up things I was unfamiliar with, and the latter is mostly involving continued repetition of the vocabulary I have to memorize, in short but frequent bursts. It can be powerful if you can make it a part of the background radiation of your life.
Lastly, I do want to mention that the two don't have to be mutually exclusive. Part of the reason I've been learning Chinese is for the sake of coming closer to those around me.
In the end, it's your life. You get to choose how you spend your time. But it's definitely not a black-and-white choice.
[0] Mostly from http://practicaltypography.com/ and assorted blog posts.