I've found that I get the most enjoyment and success out of my learning when I am stuck trying to solve some problem where I do not have the required domain kno

I've found that I get the most enjoyment and success out of my learning when I am stuck trying to solve some problem where I do not have the required domain knowledge. By taking on a subject with a specific goal in mind, or even a particular question that I want answers to, there is a concrete reason to stick with the learning and dive deep into it. By taking this approach, it turns the learning process into something that isn't a slog. Education becomes a part of the realm of problem-solving that I find both fun and engaging. I've also noticed that this approach generates more interesting questions related to the subject that otherwise would not have a chance of being explored. As an example, I've been wanting to learn about orbital mechanics because satellites are pretty neat and I wanted to figure out the cost of positioning them in space. I purchased a few textbooks on the subject but got stuck due to some of my math knowledge not being strong enough. This lack of knowledge led me down a path of learning linear algebra and having a ton of fun with it. It has not been a painful process that many students associate with the subject but instead a fascinating journey on how to think about spacial problems and how to apply them to topics like satellite orbits. As another example, I recently took a microbiology class as prerequisites for a program I am applying to, and I wasn't looking forward to it as I heard from others that it was a dull and challenging class. In an attempt to make the course more engaging, I decided to go into it with the goal of answering some harder topic. In my case, it was "How can I use the knowledge from this class to produce better bacteria-killing drugs?". Although I didn't have any plans to become a drug developer, this question gave me a frame of reference to the rest of the topics in the class. I could formulate questions that led to a much greater understanding of the subject matter and a better appreciation for the material. It was interesting to talk to my classmates, many of them did not enjoy the subject or felt it wasn't relevant to their future careers. For many of them, it was just a slog and another hurdle to get over rather than an interesting subject with some highly valuable concepts being presented.