What I Have Learned vs. What School Can't Teach You

When I made the decision to go back to school I had absolutely no knowledge of DSLR cameras, I didn't know what they meant when pro's talked about "glass", I had no idea why you use umbrellas in the studio, and what's even more embarrassing was that I had no clue about just how a photograph was taken--for all I knew it was some mysterious magic that went *poof* as soon as you pushed the button.  Silly, right?  Well, after less than two years I now know so much about photography that I work part-time as a digital photography and Adobe software tutor while I finish up my degree.  I have come such a long way in a short amount of time; while I owe much of the credit to the Art Institute of Pittsburgh-Online Division for teaching me, there were two things that school never taught me that helped me excel as much as I have.

1. Passion

The textbook definition of passion is " a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something." 

I have always loved taking photos and my dream job, for as long as I can remember, has been to be a National Geographic photographer.  I mention this often in my posts and use it as criteria for many assignments because it is definitely one of my strongest passions.  You can often answer your own questions sometimes by listening to yourself and discovering a passion you had never considered before.  Without these strong feelings of enthusiasm for photography and becoming a photographer, I would not have pursued going back to school nor would I have done so well thus far (I have a 4.0 GPA with four classes left).  When you feel so strongly about something you stop making excuses and "can't" is not an option; and when you have a passion for success, there is nothing that is impossible, no obstacle too difficult to overcome.  School can not teach you passion.  It has to come from within.  Realizing your passion is only half the battle; pursuing it 100% makes it achievable.

2. Curiosity

Like passion, the textbook definition of curiosity is "the desire to learn or know more about something or someone."

Without curiosity it is likely that I would never learn as much as I have.  It takes both passion and curiosity to learn and grow as well as improve.  For example, it takes serious passion to but in 100% effort and it takes just as much curiosity to exceed standards and expectations.  This is because you're not only pushing yourself to do better than what is expected, but you're also challenging your curiosity to "see what else I can learn about this subject." 

So, school will teach you how to shoot in manual mode on a DSLR, but it does not necessarily insert the information into your brain; it takes curiosity to learn what acronyms, such as DSLR, stands for, what exactly "single lens reflex" means, and how you can take what you have learned and use your knowledge to set you apart from your competition.  You may think to yourself, "wait, I need to set myself apart?  How do I establish my own unique brand from what is already out there??"  That curiosity, my friend, will drive you to always do better, always be better, and get you closer to your dreams than only learning the basics. 

The Photography program can teach you the basics and get you to the door of opportunity, but you have to have passion and curiosity within yourself to want to see what's on the other side of that door.

Do you have the passion and curiosity to open that door and see what opportunities are out there?

Tell me about your experiences in school and how curiosity and passion have led you to success!

Works Cited

"A young man mountain climbing the classic north west ridge of Mt." Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 23 Jun 2014.
<http://quest-preview.eb.com/#/search/167_4015375/1/167_4015375/cite>

"Curiosity."  Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, n.d. Web. 23 June 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/curiosity>

"Passion." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, n.d. Web. 23 June 2014. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/passion>

"Show Them the Door." Photograph. ccm. Christ Church Manchester, 12 June 2013. Web. 23 June 2014. <http://www.ccm.org.uk/academy/entry/show_them_the_door/ >