It’s getting close to graduation for many students, and the timing on a couple of essays from Scott Berkun couldn’t be better. The former project manager from Microsoft has learned some interesting lessons in his days since school.

I can’t recommend highly enough his two part essay from UIWEB.COM: What they didn’t teach me in Design & Usability School and (Part 2) What they didn’t teach me in Design & Usability School.

One thing I’ve learned in my days after school is that it’s possible to keep on learning long after you take off your cap and gown. You don’t need a classroom to get an education, and you don’t need a degree to be an expert on a subject.

Another thing I’ve learned is that it’s necessary to keep on learning, because there keep on being things to learn.

Sometimes you even find yourself in the role of a teacher, without the benefit of knowing a thing about how to teach people. A recent Boxes and Arrows article titled Focus on the Student: How to Use Learning Objectives to Improve Learning contains some excellent suggestions should you find yourself in that situation.

I’ve taken train the trainer classes, and they emphasize trying to engage as many senses as possible with your students. Lectures by themselves can be boring. Demonstrations, exercises, and discussions can be more fulfilling. Forums tend to be great places to learn because you can get involved in discussions with people who have wide ranges of educational and experience backgrounds.

Blogging is also a useful way of learning something new. Take some ideas that interest you. Do some research on the subjects, and try to explain them to other people. After you’re done, do it again the next day. Then the day after that. And the day after that. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself learning.

So, what do you want to learn today?