Find How This Unschooler Went On To Pursue Her Dream Career?

I met Jessica on Twitter and I always love her theories on education and learning. It is always a great opportunity for me to connect with young people like her who left school to pursue their own learning journey. She is an example of how anyone can go out and become a lifelong learner, by taking control of their education and exploring the world around them.

Not happy with School

When Jessica was 10 she left school when her mom felt that the school was not serving their learning purpose.  Jessica's mom chose to unschool her and give her freedom to learn things she wanted.

Exploring Self-learning

Jessica started exploring the world around her, reading online books and articles. She learned how to code and make websites on her own. She was aware of her learning.  She taught herself mathematical concepts when it was necessary for things she wanted to pursue.

Learning led by needs

She took a factory job where she ended up talking about chemistry to her colleagues which ended up getting her a job in the research and development department. She became an international student in Canada and had to teach herself high school mathematics to pass the entrance exam into an engineering subject. Her interest in engineering also led her to get a job she loves.

On hard work

Jessica says working hard is not a bad thing and that pursuing something you like is not necessarily easy.

Need of a teacher

She says kids should be given space to figure out what they want to learn and that sometimes it doesn't require a teacher. She says schools are slow at adapting to changing times and that kids should have the freedom to explore education on their own terms. Schools don't teach kids how to learn, instead, they force them to memorize material and follow instructions.

Challenges

Jessica feels she could have done more if she was pushed harder, or if she had someone to guide her.

She also misses being outdoors much as a child as her family was not traveling much

Advice for young Self-learners

She says young people shouldn't be afraid to try new things and one way to make their learning prominent is to make projects.  She suggests finding somebody who is interested in the same things and talking to them.

She says young people should create things, and solve problems and that's one of the ways to create skills that will get you to work in the future.

Interest-based learning will have its own sets of problems, she says but it is worth the effort, and that one should never give up.

It's not easy to maintain habits when no one is around so making atomic habits and breaking it down into achievable goals is the way to go.

Advice for parents

She says parents should support their kids,  motivate them, and help them in the process of learning new things.  

They should guide their kids to explore different subjects, technologies, and cultures.

She says parents should give them the freedom to make choices about what they want to learn and how they want to pursue it.

She says kids are not self-aware but parents can give them the confidence to learn new things.

Conclusion

Jessica's journey proves that unschooling doesn't mean not learning—it just means taking control of your own education and learning in a way that works best for you. Jessica is an inspiration and serves as a reminder that everyone can benefit from taking the time to learn independently. With hard work, dedication, and passion for learning, anyone can take control of their own education and pursue meaningful knowledge.  Jessica's successes show that unschooling is a viable way to gain skills and knowledge that will be applicable in the real world. Her story is an inspiring example of what you can achieve when given the opportunity to learn outside of traditional schooling methods.

Giving back

Jessica wants to give back by helping people learn independently and make their own choices about what they want to do with their lives.

She tweets here- https://twitter.com/JessicaFrayne

She writes here- https://jessicafraynewrites.com/