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Don't Go Back to School: A Handbook for Learning Anything

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Here is a radical truth: school doesn’t have a monopoly on learning. More and more people are declining traditional education and college degrees. Instead they’re getting the knowledge, training, and inspiration they need outside of the classroom. Drawing on extensive research and over 100 interviews with independent learners, Kio Stark offers the ultimate guide to learning without school. Don’t Go Back to School provides models and methods for taking a new kind of path through learning, and transforming that alternative education into an exciting career path. This inspiring, practical guide provides concrete strategies and resources for getting started as an independent learner. If you’re debating whether college, trade school, or independent learning will get you where you want to be, Don’t Go Back to School is essential reading.

212 pages

First published January 1, 2013

82 people are currently reading
3545 people want to read

About the author

Kio Stark

4 books149 followers
I'm a writer, teacher, researcher, and passionate activist for independent learning. I currently coordinate the Knight-Mozilla OpenNews Learning initiative. I also write fiction, my first novel is Follow Me Down (2011).

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5 stars
130 (22%)
4 stars
194 (34%)
3 stars
181 (31%)
2 stars
47 (8%)
1 star
14 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
Profile Image for Heriberto Cantú.
16 reviews6 followers
April 29, 2013
So, in recent years I've been thinking and reading about education and learning. I'm on my last year at college and I've been incredibly disillusioned by the system and by my education. Every subject that I find incredibly interesting has been brutally murdered and butchered by my university. Making it as dull and as boring as intellectually possible. In contrast at work I'm constantly challenging myself to learn new things and more things that I thought I was able to. And there comes this book.

The best thing about this book is that you don't need my review. You can just read the book and hear my brain speaking through the author's words and through the interviewed.

That is all.
Profile Image for Rosie Nguyễn.
Author 7 books6,422 followers
November 13, 2014
Five star, because I'm an autodidact, and I'm into that area.

Initially I thought that I wouldn't learn anything new from this book since I already practiced my independent learning long enough. But it turned out that the author did a throughout research, digging deep and searching wide enough to include the profound ideas over a broad range of key areas. The great things are the summarized guideline of how to be an independent learner and the lists of resources to learn outside of school.

Reading the book, I feel like I'm among my peers and most of the ideas in it are relevant to my experience. I've gained more confidence and knowledge and reinforcement to step strongly on the path I chose.
Profile Image for John.
29 reviews6 followers
June 16, 2013
This is a smart, smart book. While the target audience appears to be those who are on the fence about the value of college or grad school, I think the subtitle ("a handbook for learning anything") is closer to the mark. I'm one of those people who went to college and grad school, and I still find this to be filled with provocative ideas and practical suggestions.

It's dense, and I expect that I will go back to reread it more than once. That is not a bad thing, mind you -- it's actually very readable, and 'density' just refers to the sheer number of things for me to think about. I'm very impressed.
Profile Image for Ellen Chisa.
Author 1 book471 followers
June 2, 2013
I'm a little bit split on this book - I think it depends on who you are, how you learn, and what you're looking for (which actually completely agrees with the premise of the book!)

It's a really good start if you're looking to figure out how to teach yourself something for the first time. If you're looking for the practical, I'd start at the end (all the techniques) and then read all the anecdotes at the beginning to see how people applied them differently. Plus, then you can get to the end and re-read to see if you get something new out of it, or see the methods in a new light.

If you've already spent a lot of time thinking about education in formal and informal ways, you probably won't learn too much from the section at the end. It is a nice summary if you're looking for a refresher. The highlight is that case is really all the anecdotes about how different people have learned. Unexpectedly, I ended up being more fascinated with each of their individual areas than I did about the learning process - and kept hoping for more essays on every topic. In that way, it could be a catalyst for trying to learn something new in particular.

Plus it's a really nice, fun read that works well for short bursts (like being on the subway).

The reason I say I'm a bit split is that I finished the book and felt like I hadn't really started yet. I wanted a clearer "next step" (perhaps that's the linear learner coming out in me!) It could have come in advice about "well, how do I figure out what I want to learn?" because that's a big question on it's own. It could have come in some specific ways to reinforce what I'd just learned about learning, too. I haven't quite figured out what it was that was lacking, but I definitely got to the end and thought "okay, and?" (If you feel the same way and manage to put your finger on it better than I have, please let me know!)

ANYWAY. Despite my reservations with the end, I really enjoyed reading this. I think it will be a five-star experience if you haven't already spent tons of time on pedagogy, and refreshing/interesting if you have.
23 reviews6 followers
December 31, 2013
This book was ok. I'm not sure if I was the target audience (which seems like people on the fence about dropping mad resources to go to learn at an institution). This book felt mostly like a motivational poster about learning: "You can do it!"

The anecdotes were fun to read, and I like that this book exists. It seems to be another data point of the value drift towards self mastery and unschooling and learning beyond the walls of the ivory tower. I like its message that it's ok to learn on your own and that you're NOT giving up status points and stuff to do that. There wasn't much data to support this thesis, but I agree with the general arguments.

Sometimes Stark feels like she's being an iconoclast just for the same of being an iconoclast: for example, she harps on MOOCs as being shitty but her main criticism is that they don't have a good community of learners.

I liked Harper Reed's advice on contacting experts.

I'm not sure if people will get much actionable advice from this book, or if reading is is mostly an instance of confirmation bias. It's a fun read though, I just didn't find it very valuable.
Profile Image for Mark Bao.
29 reviews238 followers
July 11, 2015
Not bad. This is a collection of short essays contributed by self-learners that talk about what they did. The actual essays themselves were somewhat lackluster, and I felt like they were missing the actual "how" people did their self-learning, like what kind of structure they used. It talked more about the "what" that they did. In addition, there were only two interviews with self-learned scientists, which was extremely disappointing.

Nonetheless, it was good to get a sense of structure for how to do self-learning. First is deciding whether you want to go for a knowledge-directed learning process or a project-directed learning process. Next, you decide whether you want to do a linear process of learning, like a textbook, or an associative process, which is more random. Then, get a community of people around you to support your learning, which is essential for learning itself as well as staying motivated. That's a good structure.

And to hear that these people were able to be independent learners and gain knowledge as well or even better than others, and go on to be successful in their fields—it's inspiring to hear that.

A few more gems:

• Independent learning != learning alone; just independent of schools. Independent learning is best done with others, and most of the people she interviewed talked about how important community and connections to others was.
• Much as I suspected, the research suggests that intrinsic motivation leads to better learning.
• You can get some of the same benefit of having professors by asking them specific questions or taking them out for lunch. Some will actually respond to this.
• Self-learners have a different view of things than people who went through the traditional process, and thus are creative in a different way versus the traditional folks.
• Read the fuck out of review articles.
• Education, especially for art-based stuff, tries to teach unteachable things or things that are obvious that you could teach yourself.
• To get access to people, a) work in the media, b) have something you can offer them, or c) both.
• Know where to get access to people. Mailing lists are great for this.
• Project-based learning lets you gain mastery *and* a feeling of competence/confidence at the same time. You need a "feedback loop that confirms your work is worth it and keeps you moving forward." (14)
Profile Image for Billimarie.
22 reviews1 follower
May 15, 2013
backed this book on Kickstarter a while back and its been one of my favorite Kickstarter projects. very inspiring, some great interviews. pretty repetitive advice, which is good in a way because now we'll all know what's "tired and true" when it comes to independent learning. demographics are diversified in gender, not so much racially (if that matters to anyone besides me). overall i would recommend to others, just as an eye-opening alternative to institutionalized learning and as a cool reference for awesome stories about people's lives.
Profile Image for Tara.
Author 2 books75 followers
Want to read
May 20, 2013
Based on this: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.ph...
This looks so good! Even though I loved college, I am all about the self-learning...and I deeply believe that it's your responsibility, no matter your education, to learn how to teach yourself.
Profile Image for Jeremy Beasley.
24 reviews
September 18, 2014
I read this book a year ago and was reminded of this book after reading Karen Cheng's article on GOOD.is, "How to Become a Designer Without Going to Design School".

I revisited the book to use as inspiration for crafting a personal/professional development plan. I'm making a shift the focus in my career away from business/strategy and back to more technical and design. Very curious about how I could do this without having to go back to school.

After skimming through my scribbled annotations and highlights, I'm reminded how practical this book is. Full of tips to get your started and inspiring stories from others self-taught learners who have walked the path.

The only downside to the book (and all "self-help" books) is that there's no 100% guarantee of success. This is less of a criticism of the book and more a caution to readers. You won't find any "Top 5 Things to Do" lists or oversimplified philosophies.

If you're game to experiment and push yourself, then I highly recommend the book.
Profile Image for Tara Brabazon.
Author 41 books503 followers
March 14, 2016
I am sick to bloody death of supposed consultants and self-appointed experts slamming schools and universities. This book is absolutely ridiculous. If the argument is to be believed, schools have failed. Universities have failed. Qualifications are not longer required in the workplace. Self-directed learning can provide a guide through life, work and leisure.

There is only one problem. How do we know what we do not know?

There is some attention to MOOCs here. But this is such a disingenuous turn of argument. Public funding - public intellectuals - created the knowledge used in MOOCs. So - for example - my videos and podcasts have been used in MOOCs around the world. That is great. But the Australian and British taxpayer paid for my time to develop those resources. Supposedly 'entrepreneurial' startups did not.

Public education has value. It enables intellectual discipline and intellectual generosity. The time has come to value the history of education as much as the trajectory of digitization.
Profile Image for Logan.
188 reviews45 followers
December 18, 2022
Was not really a fan of this. I'm not really sure what the point was? The entire message at the beginning was that independent learning is a good alternative to institutional learning, and a series of interviews 'backing that up'. But liike, all the interviews felt the same. Some had interesting stories I guess but after the first couple, I found myself not really caring. Plus, it seemed there were no listed 'downsides' to it. It just felt like the book was just full of aggrandizing positive reinforcement.
Profile Image for Adnan.
22 reviews39 followers
October 6, 2013
I've always been a believer of life-long learning so not only did I enjoy the personal success stories in the book by self starters who've achieved in their respective domains without having to go to school for it, but it also gave me the proverbial kick to keep ploughing on in my area of interest. Highly recommended read.
57 reviews1 follower
June 15, 2019
Though feeling a little dated, this does offer both the inspiration and the techniques for how one might tackle independent learning outside of a classroom environment - and, by extension, it also acts as a critique on pedagogical practices in school and also the structure of academia. Much of that critique is similar to what I see in my current education studies, and the state of academia is well addressed in any adjunct’s twitter feed. The interviews were at turns engrossing, hilarious, passionate ... but also, sometimes, controversial and biased. The book really excels in the last section when it gives practical advice, resources, and a roadmap for how one might tackle their own learning. More of a 3.5 star rating but I struggle with the star system anyway. ;)
Profile Image for Huong Pham.
147 reviews40 followers
March 6, 2016
Highly recommended book, especially for those who are about to embark on the self-taught road or just thinking of it.

An excellent practical book with real-life stories of autodidacts, useful how-to guides and sources for independent learning.

I would like to add some of my favorite websites as sources to learn and exchange knowledge:

-https://www.quora.com/ : a question and answer website with unlimited topics and groups (You make it!)
- https://www.englishclub.com/: learn English, make friends around the worlds...share to be shared ( You name it)
- Google +: like Facebook, Twitter or other social networks (My priority)
- https://www.goodreads.com : Should I mention it? :)
Profile Image for Hiep Le.
11 reviews
February 6, 2015
I was hoping for more structured theories about self learning. Instead, the author directly give us opinions of talented people who have gone through the education path without schools. While some conclusions I can make by myself, like most of independent learners have a curiosity for knowlegde, or people need a community to learn effectively, I think it would be better if the author can have some kind of anlysis or statistic on people she interviewed, saving me the time to find all the similarities and making comparisions between interviews.

One thing I learned is that there are many ways of learning, and we have to make experiments and find out which one is suitable for us.
7 reviews2 followers
November 11, 2015
I gave it 2 stars. It wasn't great in any way. The morale of this book is basically "Tell them you can do it, and then figure out how to do it". In other words, just lie and figure it out later. That, and take advantage of the internet and local college libraries, and learn as much as you can on your own.
Profile Image for Ngọc Vũ Thị.
17 reviews3 followers
Want to read
July 17, 2017
tương tự quyển 40 alternatives to college. người nào muốn giỏi phải có năng lực tự học và sự chủ động, sáng tạo trong việc tích lũy kiến thức
Profile Image for Ethereal Amorist.
460 reviews2 followers
January 25, 2024
Don't Go Back To School is a guide to independent learning, showing that getting formal education is not the only way to thrive in any profession. Kio Stark has wonderfully compiled interviews of several independent learners who are quite successful in their field even without degrees. The interviewees are from a variety of industries, such as journalism, science, art, film, technology, etc. It is an inspiring and eye-opening book which you should read with an open mind.

Nowadays, certifications are made necessary to enter a job, but this book guides on how to build your credibility without sitting for hours in classes which may not provide value. It speaks about the importance of practical skills and how to develop them.

Some important lessons it preaches are:
- Discover your style of learning. Discover how you understand better. It might be linear learning, like the way they teach in schools, or your own method which you find comfortable.
- Don't be afraid of failures and rejections. Don't get discouraged if you hit a wall. Find another way that is suitable for you.
- Connect with people who have similar interests and with experts. Communities can help a lot in reaching your goals and objectives.
- Find resources in any way comfortable to you. Online blogs, research papers, lectures, library books, textbooks, newsletters - whatever you find useful to learn.
- Build a portfolio. It can be a substitute for certifications in almost all fields.

Kio Stark has also provided a number of resources at the end of the book - online platforms to meet people, online sites to search for books and research papers, books similar to this one, and websites of the interviewees.

I am very grateful that I decided to read it. This is a book everyone should read - those who are passionate about learning and achieving the goals of their lives.
Profile Image for Madelyne.
232 reviews43 followers
January 8, 2018
True rating 3.5.

This is a solid read. It is chalked full of words I wanted to write down, to keep always at my call for those times I need some words. I had high expectations for the book and it didn't live up to them entirely. I didn't go to college/university, but I seek to always be active in my journey through self-education in this world. I was hoping to hear more from people who went entirely unconventional in their path by not receiving a higher education from the public forum. While many in this book didn't seek out a normal career path they did still go to college of some sort. I wanted encouragement in that realm more, perhaps selfishly, for my own life. Please don't be swayed from reading this because while it didn't completely fit for what I looking for, it has so much information! I will be keeping it for sure and referencing it. I'm hoping to pass it on to others in my circle too.
Profile Image for MCW77.
3 reviews
October 14, 2025
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Profile Image for Valerie K. Flynn.
Author 1 book5 followers
February 25, 2024
This is an older book, but I was able to glean quite a bit from it. The resources in the back are still good, expect a few to be dead sites.

I actually really liked reading from the various people she interviewed. It gave me validation and new information sometimes.

The bookends, beginning and end are good.
I sometimes wish more interviews were included, but realize that for most folks 20 was a lot.

Even though it's a bit old, it's still a decent read. Glad I bought it. It was encouraging to see that this book was successfully crowdfunded with the donors names/online aliasas in the back. Well done.
Profile Image for Michele  Rios Petrelli.
264 reviews11 followers
August 22, 2024
Informative and reassuring with thoughts on formal education, however I didn't realize this was copyrighted in 2013 so some of the resources offered weren't available any longer. The people were easier to find once I Googled their names. I spent years trying to obtain a two-year degree while raising two children and working full-time. I gave up when I realized after ten years that my interests not only changed but perspective on learning.

I've been in a writing group while taking classes and writing workshops and between all of these I've grown a lot with my skillset. This read was very life-affirming for me.

1 review9 followers
March 13, 2021
in the book the author provide that school isn't the only way to learn .by interviewing some self taught people in different field (journalism,art...) she describe their chaotic path from a novice to an expert "the fundamental problem with school learning it motivates students with external demands and rewards(grades,prize,evaluation test)while learning outside of th escchool motivates students with internal demands (curiosity ,they know what they like to do and when and they are forced to swic classes" she said . so we musn't rely on school as it our source of knowledge .
Profile Image for Tor.
77 reviews8 followers
September 23, 2017
Love the subject. Personally, I did a BSc and MSc after high school in the field of business and economics. In my first job as a business consultant I quickly realized that I needed way more IT and engineering compentence that what is tought in business schools, to stay competitive. Is the solution to go back to school and get a new degree? Oh hell no. This book covers a way more effective and cheaper solution.
Profile Image for Wendy Zhou.
29 reviews1 follower
January 26, 2023
Should be called “How to teach yourself anything” instead! This book is filled with inspirational stories of creatives who have taught themselves skills, abilities, knowledges, and become successful by following their own interests and passions.

As a person who enjoys academic education though, the title of the book is somewhat off putting, but seeing past that, the content is really valuable.
Profile Image for Nada Al-Karmi.
472 reviews47 followers
October 26, 2025
I like this book as I always thought if I wanted to learn something, I needed a class to do so. However, this books showed me that I can pursue knowledge or learn a skill through sheer will, determination and an independent learning strategy of my choice. I think project based learning will be the one that will best suit me, as I enjoy learning by doing.
Profile Image for Jay Cruz.
163 reviews17 followers
April 17, 2018
Reading this book was just confirmation bias to me, even though I went back to school as an adult. With the exception of some careers that require licensing and certifications, you really don't need "higher learning" to learn.
61 reviews1 follower
June 2, 2019
I liked this, in learning several areas of interest right now. Spanish, reading Music and understanding eCommerce and reselling....the information in the book helped me in those areas. Glad I got the book.
Profile Image for Giorgia G.
124 reviews
August 6, 2019
I very much appreciated that this book provided so much insightful information on indipendent learning without disregarding public schools and institutionalised education. Useful and thought provoking, and also quite motivational.
494 reviews
July 2, 2022
We all keep learning well after school, so ignoring the school aspect it still has value. Good reminder of different frameworks for independent learning.

I was amused to find that I played dodgeball against one of the interviewees in undergrad.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews

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