The Art of Learning

My last webinar for the Automation Academy covered a lot of what I want to talk about today, you can check it out here. I spent a lot of the last couple of months studying Ignition, a SCADA programming software platform from Inductive Automation. My goal is to become certified on the platform and use it in my system integration pursuits.
In the video I also discussed the methods I used, which were quite different than those I used when attending college as a 30 year-old freshman more than 30 years ago. I would encourage you to check the video out if you are planning on embarking on a similar journey.
I also mentioned my why, or motivation. You really do have to have a reason for studying something new. Especially if it is going to take a while.
But the thing I really didn’t discuss was the learning aspect of the Automation Academy itself, which I sometimes find a bit depressing.
People sign up and cancel at about the same rate of other subscription-based websites I suppose. The reason I know this is that I was a member of another subscription-based site called the Membership Academy several years ago. This is where I learned about building a learning site in the first place. They talked about churn, engagement, retention and all the associated topics.
What they didn’t talk about much was the actual learning process and what people actually do on the site. From inside the web software I can see how many people actually use the site and how long they spend there.
The Academy has 3 membership levels; $9.99, $29.99 and $99.99 a month respectively. There are different features associated with each, and I’m sure members have different reasons for each.
There are only a few people who have ever joined and studied seriously. Most visit a few times and either forget about it, cancel, or hang around, visiting sporadically and keep paying anyway. I suppose they plan to eventually get serious about upgrading skills but never really find the time or motivation.
I get it, I have been there. I have joined sites and groups myself, such as my local Makerspace, which had all kinds of cool tools and programs. I finally canceled last month, realizing it had been well over a year since I had last visited, at $50/month (Senior rate!)
It takes a lot of internal motivation, just like going to the gym when you don’t feel like it.
What is your Why?