Books I've Read | Becoming A Learner

            This book was recommended to me by a great friend. He told me that it changes your perspective on what college is all about. Becoming A Learner tells you that college isn’t all just about getting through classes and achieving grades, it’s about changing who you are and being able to understand the world and the big picture in life. The author is Matthew L. Sanders. He is assistant professor at Utah State University, with communication studies. Published in 2012, this book was meant to empower students; give them a perspective on leadership skills, success, and social change.

            I loved this book. Simple, small, and a quick read. It has powerful messages and it makes great points about certain stereotypes against college education. It is something that I feel all students, especially upcoming freshman, to read this book. Change the way you do college now. Get ready for the future and enjoy the next few years of your college experience!

I’ll share a few strong points that really stuck out to me in the book. 

There were plenty I wrote down, but I’ll just list a few!

·         When you put your focus on whom you will become, you will view college as a way of preparation, how you manage time and take on opportunities can have a factor into your future.

·         The 3 Important Realities of the World… 1, your degree doesn’t guarantee you a good job. 2, you are going to forget much of what you learn. 3, many of the job skills you learn in college will become obsolete.

• Try not to focus on the technical skills; those will change rapidly over time. Instead, learn communication skills; how to have an efficient conversation, gain a global perspective or learn a new language. Still learn the technical skills, just don’t overdo it.
• Be creative and work on your own original work, you must be creative in the working field and in your career. Your value in society will go up.
• Critical thinking isn’t just coming up with the right answers, it’s also being able to come up with the right questions and improve circumstances. Look at the problem from multiple perspectives.
• Learn how to work with others and maintain trusting relationships. You will learn how to work with others during your college years
•  You are the most important outcome of college.