Secrets of a Buccaneer - Scholar by James Marcus Bach
"Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar: How Self-Education and the Pursuit of Passion Can Lead to a Lifetime of Success" by James Marcus Bach is an interesting read about one person's education outside of the school system that also contains some practical wisdom regarding learning in a nontraditional manner.
I liked the book, even tough I am still in favor of traditional education and degrees.
It was part autobiography in regards to the path Bach chose, and part "how to learn.
" Dropping out of high school worked for Bach, and he's had a successful career with computer programs, designing and then testing.
The testing field is where he found success.
I don't advocate dropping out of school, but it is refreshing to see that for at least Bach, he was able to achieve success without a traditional education.
I do wonder how many people would learn the way he did, and if others that drop out without the discipline to work and learn like he did would end up completely opposite of how Bach turned out.
Regardless, there are some pearls of wisdom here, and it is a quick enjoyable read.
The whole "Buccaneer" thing is because he took an outside take on education, and compared his route to that of the Buccaneers.
The book would have been good without this metaphor, but I think it worked for this text.
A few of the things I liked the most about this book were Bach's message that you must take responsibility for your own thinking and education, Bach's explanation of why he no longer minds losing, and Bach's competitive advantages that included a habit of self-education, eagerness to question traditional ideas, diversity of studies, and ambition.
Bottom line, I thought this was an interesting and entertaining account of how one person acquired an education in a nontraditional manner, and a book that you can borrow some of the strategies in your own pursuit of intelligence and learning.
I liked the book, even tough I am still in favor of traditional education and degrees.
It was part autobiography in regards to the path Bach chose, and part "how to learn.
" Dropping out of high school worked for Bach, and he's had a successful career with computer programs, designing and then testing.
The testing field is where he found success.
I don't advocate dropping out of school, but it is refreshing to see that for at least Bach, he was able to achieve success without a traditional education.
I do wonder how many people would learn the way he did, and if others that drop out without the discipline to work and learn like he did would end up completely opposite of how Bach turned out.
Regardless, there are some pearls of wisdom here, and it is a quick enjoyable read.
The whole "Buccaneer" thing is because he took an outside take on education, and compared his route to that of the Buccaneers.
The book would have been good without this metaphor, but I think it worked for this text.
A few of the things I liked the most about this book were Bach's message that you must take responsibility for your own thinking and education, Bach's explanation of why he no longer minds losing, and Bach's competitive advantages that included a habit of self-education, eagerness to question traditional ideas, diversity of studies, and ambition.
Bottom line, I thought this was an interesting and entertaining account of how one person acquired an education in a nontraditional manner, and a book that you can borrow some of the strategies in your own pursuit of intelligence and learning.