As a guy who was born in Southern California and lived there during the heyday of early west coast rap, I feel comfortable using the “Straight Outta Compton” reference.
After all, I lived miles away from the heart of South Central LA and personally witnessed some really bad things.
While I’d love to go into detail about said situations, I’d rather turn this into the direction that my life took when I dropped out of college instead.
When Most of My Friends Were Getting Degrees…
I’m not very proud of the fact that I never graduated, but I can look back and say that, for me, it really wasn’t a terrible thing.
When I got back home, I took a job an entry level job as a project manager for an architectural firm that designed and built laboratory space for schools and universities, hospitals and industrial companies.
While I was there, I started to really enjoy the idea of computers and what not. Ultimately this led to my curiosity in blogging and web design – which immediately turned me onto WordPress.
Being Self-Taught and Doing it Yourself
A lot of people ask me for my recommendations on how to learn WordPress and build websites with the Genesis Framework.
While I do see a lot of value in reading books on such matters, I’m an advocate of someone rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty.
When I started out building WordPress themes and websites, I literally learned everything by trial and error. In fact, everything that I know about technology and social media has been accomplished that way.
Whether it involves DNS and nameservers or hacking an htaccess file, the know-how about these things was a result of Googling for things I didn’t understand.
Why “Hands-on” is the Better Approach
You can learn a lot from reading college textbooks and listening to professors ramble about the what’s and why’s of a particular subject.
But when you have an attention deficit disorder, most of that stuff feels like white noise and is easily forgettable. At least it was for me.
So when I rolled up my sleeves and started dabbling with PHP and CSS code, I found that I was able to retain the knowledge I acquired.
It was relevant and practical.
It made sense to me, and I could apply what I learned on a daily basis. It wasn’t something that I “might need to know” at some point in time.
What it Really Comes Down To
In the end, it’s really about the style of learning that one has.
Don’t get me wrong – I fully understand the value of college in today’s society and why it’s crucial that folks go to college and pick up a degree.
I’m not saying that you should skip it, drop out or take it lightly.
Maybe I consider my situation an anomaly, and that it was luck or a fluke that I took my boredom at work and built a software company with the skills I developed.
Whatever it was, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Here’s My Challenge to You
I strongly encourage you to roll up your sleeves and find something to play with.
Perhaps that means getting your hands dirty by tinkering with the engine of your car. Or it means that you pick up a guitar and start strumming.
Maybe it means you pick up a hammer and a wrench and do some renovations in your home or at your office.
Open up your WordPress files, like I did, make changes and see what happens.
No books. No lessons. Just hit the streets and see what you can learn.
I totally agree with this. I had a bit of a head start because I did go to college and had the advantage of taking a bunch of computer science classes that gave me a good foundation, but no matter what level of experience you have, there is absolutely no replacement for diving head first into something, breaking everything, and learning how to put it back together again (just don’t do it in production). I still do that on a near daily basis, as I’m continually biting off more than I can chew. But that’s how you learn.
There are a lot of really helpful communities on the internet (I often rely on the StudioPress forums and StackOverflow to get me out of binds when I’ve run out of ideas). Learning this stuff has never been easier — there are no excuses anymore!
Kevin, I’m sure we’re not the only people who can lay claim to this. Will Hunting is another. He’s wicked smart, ya know?
When I was in college, I hated it – reading books, listening to lectures – all of it. For me, I had such a hard time absorbing information.
My wife, on the other hand is a sponge – she’s hardcore “book smart” so we balance each other out well that way.
Excellent Brian, that rings a loud Bell, and makes me proud I am rolling up my sleeves with Genesis and weaver, thank you… Hmm a Degree, I will have to Google that one!
Good stuff Stephen, I love hearing about folks rolling up their sleeves with Genesis.
I try to encourage them to hang with it, because when that “ah-hah” moment takes place, it’s the start of something beautiful
I love this. I personally never even started college and studied some graphic design and printing in high school. When I became interested in web design I started learning the basics of HTML and CSS and soon thereafter discovered WordPress. Shortly thereafter again I discovered Genesis. I’m thankful I was able to teach myself what I needed to know in order to have a career that many go to college to get. I have nothing against college but it was just never for me. Jumping into things and getting your hands dirty is great advice. That’s where the best learning takes place because it’s all incredibly practical. Great post, Brian!
It’s amazing how many people in the software and technology space are self-taught and what not. Not everyone (cough, Zuckerberg) has that “I went to Harvard or MIT and have a degree in computer science” kind of story.
The proof is here in the comments.
Awesome advice. That is exactly how I have learned what I know about web programming, markup and CSS.
I do have a college degree, but one I have never used to get a job or in my job. However, I have never stopped trying to learn new things.
Now I am on tract to change careers at middle age. It’s like the Love Boat… Exciting and New.
That’s so awesome to hear Bradley.
College is great, but if one has the (what I call “gift”) to learn things on their own, they can use that in all of life. Not just in the field they studied.
I don’t think I could have said this any better! I have the exact sentiment and was in almost the exact same situation as you – the only difference for me was I ended up graduating (but that was a tough stretch). I began teaching myself web development and WordPress while in college as a way to earn some extra money, and lo and behold it turned out to be quite a nice job.
I think your “it wasn’t something that I ‘might need to know’” comment sums up how I felt about college vs. web development. Too much was abstract theory or stuff that would work in a perfect world, but teaching myself and getting my hands dirty taught me practical, real-world, money-making skills, stuff that I NEVER would have learned in college.
Experience is the best teacher in my opinion, and the best experience comes when you have to figure out how to do it yourself.
Even if I finished my 4 year at college, I would have ended up with a degree in Geography or Meteorology which would have done nothing for me when it came down to computers and what not.
Like I said, I wouldn’t change things for the world.
The “Do It Yourself” method is how I’ve learn about technology. Rolling up my sleeves and diving in head first with the attitude “I’ll do whatever it takes” to figure it out has paid off. Although, I’ve a long ways to go but it sure is fun. With the continued hard work I’ll keep learning adding to my knowledge.
Good for you Frankie. That kind of mentality keeps folks going and helps them succeed.
I agree, and think it’s a great article. I had never built a website in my life or studied how to do it until a year and a half ago, I couldn’t afford to have a website built for a business built that I had started, so I created my own using WordPress and Genesis. The business failed and with no income and christmas with kids on the way, I picked up the phone and took the skills (albeit very slight) and started ringing small to medium sized businesses selling websites. I am now in my second year and getting more and more enquiries literally by the day.
Of course I wouldnt have got this far without the fantastic StudioPress forum team helping me along the way.
Hi Brian, I’m with you on this one. I have a BBA in marketing from UT Austin which I’m quite proud of, but the cost of education is getting out of control. I’d much rather put my head down and get to work on my own learning more about marketing, business, and whatever else than I would to go back to school to get an MBA. Sure, there are benefits to that, but you learn a whole lot more when you are immediately applying what you’re learning. That’s my take, anyway.
I completely hear you on this, but one thing we need to be careful about as parents (or as friends) is to blow off the importance of a good education.
While I have a success story, and it sounds like many others here do as well, we can’t paint the picture that college isn’t required because you can just toy with something and it’ll work.
I’d be willing to be that especially now with all of the stuff happening in technology and Silicon Valley (thank you once again Zuck) many kids just go right into bootstraps and startups hoping they’ll create the next Facebook or Groupon.
You know, this is how I learned as well. I’ve never read a book on this stuff… I just dug in. I actually felt like all help would cost hundreds of dollars, so I just Googled things. Before I knew it, I was self-sufficient.
I dropped out of college as well. However, it doesn’t bother me at all. I dropped out as a junior and the US Army was paying for every dime after serving 9 years active duty. I could have stayed. But I hated it… every day. And if I wanted to do something I hated, I could just take a few more trips to war.
Hands on is the best way to learn. Any time someone asks me how to code, I tell them to start a web project they don’t know how to complete… period. I want to get better at PHP. So, I have a project I’m about to start working on that will require tons of PHP I don’t know how to write. I’ll learn on the way. That’s the best way.
Good read.
When people ask how to learn WordPress or how to work with Genesis, I continue to encourage them to go hands on.
Sometimes books have too much information, and it actually confuses people more than helps.
@Sean,
Same here, I tried DeVry for about a year on the post 911 GI bill. I hated it and dropped out.
While I do plan on finishing my schooling at a later date, I’m also digging into php, jquery, wordpress etc.
I just started using the theme options framework and coding my first WP theme. It’s exciting and I’m learning a lot. Stuff that I’m actually interested in.
@Brian,
Thanks for the inspiration. I’ve been following you for a while now (since 08).
It’s cool to witness the success you’ve had and it inspires me to do the same. To take action on goals that I have set.
Thanks again!
P.S. I’m in L.A. too, however, I choose “to live and die in L.A.” lol.
Heh, “To Live and Die in LA” vs “Boyz in the Hood”.
As a SoCal alum, I’ve also had the fortune of watching my childhood idol Christian Hosoi turn his life around. Good stuff.
Oh my goodness! Christian Hosoi! Loved him back in the day and how he has turned his life around today. I also loved Tommy Guerrero and Natas Kaupas! Okay, I get a bit giddy when there’s speak of old time skaters. Back to the topic at hand…
Thanks for the inspiration Brian! I’m one who did finish college, but not without a fight. I was miserable the entire time. I pushed through, and I’m glad I did. But, I feel that I am using more of what I have learned since college than what I learned while I was in college. Thanks to WordPress and Genesis, my world has been opened up to new opportunities these last couple of years.
Yes, yes and YES! I did the same thing, jumped in and got my hands dirty.
I also dropped out of college but it was Computer Programming. Got a husband though, so there’s that.
People aks me if that background helped in my WordPress work today. I can honestly say no, it did not. Anything i was taught then was obsolete in 5 years. You have to be able to dig in and learn new things.
The 16 years between then and my WordPress work? I was “just” a housewife and mom.
Then I dug in and got my hands dirty with WordPress.
Computer Programming/Science from 15 years ago is a completely different language (or beast) than it is now.
Heck, how we did things 3-5 years ago is much different.
Great post Brian.
I have a graduate degree and while its not in my field of work currently, the main benefit I believe it gave me was I learned how to read, evaluate, study and research which is invaluable in the internet world. The debt I’m still paying off is not however…
I’ve often thought how I will advise my kids when they graduate high school. Community college and getting a basic degree seems like a really good option while you’re still trying to figure out what it is you want to do. The last thing I want for my kids is owe thousands of dollars for something they’ll never use.
Graduate degree. Overachiever.
I’m sure the benefits you got from completing that are invaluable, as I’m sure they are for others.
This really does boil down to a “different strokes for different folks” kind of thing – as neither way is better than the other. It’s more a matter of what works for each person.
As for post high school, I’m right there with you Josh. As parents we’ll want to control the situation, but ultimately we’l need to back down and let them decide.
After all, that’s what I wanted from my parents when I got out of high school.
Although I don’t openly voice this option in my house with 3 young kids, (8,10 & 12),.. I totally agree.
I did not finish college either and on my profiles, it says “been there done that,.. I’ve learned way more since leaving” I’m self taught in everything I currently do.
I must admit though, I wouldn’t mind going back for a few things.
Whenever the college subject comes up, I usually recommend taking business & marketing. I think those can be used in anything a person my decides to do.
WordPress & the StudioPress community has changed how I do business and even help reate a completly new one as well.
I don’t know if was your intent, but this idea of “rolling up their sleeves and getting their hands dirty.” is encouraged & MUCH appreciated in your support community. Thank You!
It’s hard to knock a good education, but I’m glad to have learned the things I needed to, when I needed to, much the same way you described–first with graphic design (after dropping out of Art Center) using old-fashioned stat cameras and literal cut and paste on art boards–and then with computers and then web design and WordPress. I’ve always been self-taught. Real-world experience is where the rubber meets the road and the last agency I worked at before going out on my own, I was the person they assigned the new interns to in order to teach them real-world production skills of which they had next to none coming out of school.
Bottom line, your work speaks for itself–not your degree(s). One thing I am really thankful for having not finished my degree is the mountain of debt I would have had. I was able to work side-by-side with Art Center (and equivalent schools) grads without having that debt burden but enjoying the same benefits.
Really appreciate your article and willingness to be honest and real. Keep it up.
I graduated college with a degree in Marketing. Not once did I have to take a class that involved web development. Some of my advertising classes required us to use Photoshop, but for the most part it was “hitting the books”.
I had a need for a website while in college and came across WordPress. Then Genesis! Everything that I have learned was through the StudioPress forum, and Googling.
What started out as me getting comfortable customizing existing themes has turned into creating themes. And it never would have happened if I didn’t “roll up my sleeves and get my hands dirty”.
Have I seen my fair share of “Fatal error:” SURE! But I’ve learned from it.
I am very much like you in that respect – hands on. While books are very important, they merely lay the groundwork. The way to actually learn is by doing.
Most of the friends I went to school with went on to become engineers, architects etc. They also achieved degrees in something. I chose a different path. I couldn’t envision myself sitting in an office for the rest of my life. I enjoyed working outdoors. That, coupled with the fact I always wanted to be an entrepreneur led me to where I am now.
I work in construction. Like you, I learned by rolling up the sleeves. Like you, I learned the business end by rolling up the sleeves. And like you, I build stuff, albeit physical things.
Although there are things I may do differently, given what I now know, I’m generally pleased with the way things have unfolded.
Hi Brian
“…being “street smart” has its advantages over being “book smart”.
Can’t disagree with that, but if you find the right teacher / resource… you can really cut down that learning curve.
My guess is that with or without a degree you would have made a success of something, software company or whatever, but my advice to any young person would be to get a solid education and qualifications and then you can start looking at other things.
As to learning from books, I love learning from books.
Bought a great CSS book and learnt CSS.
I have to refer back to the book now and then, but I understand CSS and I understand that it evolves.
Looks as though we disagree on how to acquire new information, but we both agree that you have to constantly learn new skills.
A quote that would fit your standpoint is…
“Some things can be learnt, but not taught.”
Interesting post Brian, time to see what the other commenters have said.
I’ve literally learned everything the same way you describe. I first rolled up my sleeves with classic ASP, then on to PHP, and WordPress, and then Genesis. Much of my experience comes from being challenged with new things and just adapting and learning as I go, as needed. Booksmart is great, but there are some real world challenges that are typically not in books.
Great post!
For what it’s worth, this is why I encourage my students to take at least one year at a jr. college. It is cheeper for your gen ed stuff. You get to try different classes to see what interests you, and if you finish the year and decide “college isn’t for me” you don’t feel bad because you don’t have $10-20k invested in a learning experience that shows you think/learn differently. From there they can do a lot of other things, go onto full time work, go on to college, go on to votech or even do another year or so of Jr College and get their associates degree before making another decision.
We put a lot on kids right out of HS with the “you have to do college now or get a full time job that you will work the rest of your career life.” That just isn’t the age we live in.
Nice job, great post as usual, Brian.
Abraham Lincoln !
Christopher Gardner !
Mary Kay Ash !
OPRAH !
Steve Jobs !
Michael Dell !
Walt Disney !
Ralph Lauren !
Bill Gates !
Need I say more?
And of course, Brian Gardner
In the end, whether it is something you don’t need a degree or something you do, you’re dead on that you need to get your hands dirty to learn & discover. My original major in college was something that I loved the book work, but hated the lab work. If I waited to try research, who knows when I would have realized that.
Hey, Brian!
We preach this to our kids. We don’t tell them they are required to attend college and/or obtain a degree. Why spend the money if you can learn and apply without? We make sure they know there are degrees required for some career fields.
I gained some great editing skills through the bachelor’s portion of my nursing degree, so reading your post about not having gotten a college degree, I thought you spelled “architectural” wrong and I thought it was funny. I looked back at it and it’s not spelled wrong. You do have great grammar and spelling skills. I pay attention to that stuff.
I like reading your posts, although I wish I knew what you are talking about. HTML- hyper text, something, something, something… CSS- whaaaaaaaaat?
Great advise to go ahead and look it up, use it, learn it. I think I will. Either that or have my teenage daughter who is technically minded learn it and have her transform my WordPress blog.
Thanks.
Brian,
Couldn’t agree more! In practice it seems that about 99% of what I implement in any given day comes from self-taught skills; learned by “rolling up my sleeves” and banging it out.
I enjoy woodworking and have often been asked, “How did you learn to do that?”. I’ve shortened my long, verbose answer to simply, “I learned to do it by doing it.”
Learning from others is so valuable to accelerate a project and avoid obstacles. But sometime it’s best to just discover for yourself what you need to know.
Thanks,
Archie
While it’s going slow, I am learning CSS/HTML through trial and error. Learning I enjoy it very much too! When I couldn’t afford a designer for my site, I decided to do it myself. So each step is a lesson. I love it!
Not to mention, since hooking up with Studiopress, I’ve learned more. It’s so nice to be able to get a better understanding of the code from such a nice place to learn from. 
You are an inspiration, I had no idea you learned all this through trial and error.
I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree about 17 years ago and have been working in my field of study ever since. However, I have always been a person who learns better with hands on experience. Much of my education was clinical application and learning on-the-job…maybe that’s why I was so successful at it.
However, I really enjoy web design and get a sense of satisfaction when I create something using what I’ve learned. Google is great, but I get the greatest inspiration from generous individuals who want to share what they’ve learned. I’ve found what’s important is the ‘trial and error’ part you spoke about. It is real easy to jump on the forums and ask how to do something, but I have been surprised at what I’ve been able to accomplish by just trying. If I get stuck, there are people out there who are willing to help.
I hope that one day I can give back and share what I’ve learned.
Degree. Yes. Fun. Yes. Using it? Nope.
I never did. And, now, I am rolling up my sleeves…amazed at what I’ve been able to learn and retain in a few short months. I makes sense in a way that my Major never did.
But I must say, it can get overwhelming and frustrating having to Google everything…searching for not only HOW to do something that sticks it’s claws in my brain, but discerning the BEST way to do something!
But that’s why I love Genesis and the Forum Community {and lynda.com}. Nuff said.
Gwen … “retain” you retain? What’s your secret? LOL !!!
Seems like my brain has a continual leak when it comes to this stuff, but I will say that everything I have managed to learn, I’ve done with no formal training. From my real estate, to my web site building even my singing. Yes Brian … you have struck a huge nerve here. There is nothing like the good old school of hard knocks.
I love Genesis too. Still learning that though. Switching From Thesis to Genesis.
I can’t believe you didn’t use my name in this article anywhere.
You clearly wrote it for me!
Like so many others in the comments, I LOVE this post. I have been able to get over my worry I didn’t get a graphic design and/or computer science degree, but every once in a while that pang will hit me.
Whereas, the degrees I did get–in philosophy, biology, and English–though interesting and beautiful in their way, don’t have much to do with my current line of work. Though to be fair, my English degree IS something I use everyday. I wish I had know then what I know now–one CAN make a living at creating beautiful things for other people to use! Not only make a living, but love their job, too.
Street smarts vs. Book Smarts. I will take street smarts any day. I respect the Ivy League grads, but I went to a University that wasn’t well known and people make judgements about me before they see my work.
I am now a teacher in the inner city of Baltimore and some of the people with many degrees can’t think there way out of paper-bag. I learned a lot in college, but I have learned how to live, and thrive on my own.
I went to college and finished, but all the web design I was taught was basic HTML, Javascript and PHP. The one day this friend finds me doing a system in dreamweaver-he then challenged me to join wordpress. I’d learnt joomla! earlier on, but was disheartened by the learning curve.
Today I run majorly on wordpress. And I love the flexibility of Genesis too. You guys at Studiopress are doing a nice job…
To cap it all, I agree that being your own pointman tunes better than the classroom instruction
That’s the approach I am taking, We’ll see how it will go… Good to see posts like this.
I agree Angela. I have a leaky brain too. Not to mention almost no patience.
As a fellow Southern California college dropout and full-time, self-taught web developer, I agree 100% that the best way to learn is to get right into it with your hands. The great thing about web design and development is that you really don’t need anything but a computer to learn. Completely sufficient tutorials are available for free online, the software is open source and if you freelance, nobody cares whether or not you have a degree.
But of course it’s risky dropping out of college and never to be recommended – you could end up a real bum. My suggestion is for high school and college students to experiment with web design/development while going to school. Learn it, get good at it and do some freelance work or develop an online business – see where that takes you!
Great topic Brian, I can relate to this only because I started learning how to design using a Webtv box back in 1999. Of course I out grew out of it and was craving even more knowledge. So I moved on to PC’S and the rest was history.
While on Webtv I meet some very interesting people that was kind enough to show me all I needed to know about HTML, along with Java, PHP and a few other sources….Designing comes kinda of easy for me I guess because I love doing it. There things we learn on our own but sometimes need help and that’s when educations comes in handy. I truly feel hands on is the only way to learn something because you are right in the mix……Nice post my friend
Just one quote from Aristotle
“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.”
I totally agree that, in some cases, practice can beat theory.
I didn’t go to college when I left High School; I managed to do okay in life without a degree, and I got to the point where I didn’t see the value in a degree – unless I studied medicine or became a lawyer, I wasn’t going to earn more money by getting a degree. Having said that, however, I did start college (at almost 50 years of age) a couple of years ago, because my company pays for it, and I figured I’d like to be able to lay claim to the title “first one in my family to earn a degree”.
But, I agree with everything you’ve written in this post – I believe in learning by just diving in, which is why I’m loving the new StudioPress forums – I’m learning so much by diving in there, and answering users questions. Yes, I’ve given some wrong answers, but thankfully, someone has jumped in behind me to help…
Haha. I grew up listening to NWA. I’m white and from the Midwest. And so I ended up in college. Eventually. My first two years were a waste, so I went and worked for a while. When I decided I knew what I wanted to do, I went back and completed college. I went to a glorified community college, but it was a superb investment. It’s what you put in that matters, and I invested a ton. That was ten years ago. Prices have skyrocketed since (and they were high then). No doubt higher education is overvalued. I use to toy with graduate school (seminary to boot), but then I realized I can learn everything they are teaching by borrowing their syllabus and reading like a mad man. I like to learn. And there are so many great alternatives to higher education. The resourceful are having a heyday.
This does’t fit everyone’s lifestyle, though. Some people need structure. Need that external discipline that comes from a teacher. I’d go back to school in a heart beat if someone offered to pay my way. I love to learn.
And just hitting the streets you aren’t going to learn without a teacher–experience can be a mentor, but only when someone makes sense of it for us. For example, I’m learning to play chess after countless games in which I got beat bad–and I couldn’t figure out why.
I think you struck a chord with this one Brian. Great discussion. Now I’m off to listen to “Dopeman.”
Looks like you’re getting a lot of what I’m about to say:
Incredibly inspiring blog from someone I’ve gained an incredible amount of learning from. I build primarily in Genesis and probably spend a good portion of each day learning from you, Nick, and the rest of the team.
A good friend of mine quit her web designer job to take dev Bootcamp; in the middle of it she said the primary lesson she learned is to have confidence when saying yes to a request knowing full well she’s going to have to go home and figure it out FAST – because design changes and evolves so fast.
Thank you for the inspiration as I finish my 2013 business plan to quadruple revenue.
I’m so glad I read this. Thanks for sharing your experience–I’m certain it validates the experience of others and encourages the rest.