Last year, I was accepted into the Information Systems program at Brigham Young University (BYU). Instead of having class the first day of school, the whole ISYS core attended orientation meetings. These meetings were designed to introduce us to the faculty, the curriculum, and the importance of learning things on our own.

Dr. Gary Hansen gave a lecture on how important it is for students to be accountable and take their education into their own hands. Later in the orientation and throughout the semester, the importance of reading and learning was harped on again and again. I recall first listening to these lectures and wondering if I was in the right place.

Very few people have seen me dive into a novel. Harry Potter? I saw the movie. Thoreau? The cost of nails for his house puts me to sleep. However, I have started to appreciate the importance of reading in my life because it allows me learn. Winter semester is long gone, but by reading I’ve been able to expand my horizons, learn and internalize so much information.

Case in point: My current topic of study is on Web design and usability. Anna is probably sick of hearing me talk about usability. [She is nodding her head now, even in her sleep.] From criticizing road signs to scrutinizing commercial Web sites that are broken, I’ve transformed into a usability aficionado. I believe taking our education to a personal level opens so many more doors and an ability to really enjoy topics of our choice in our fields of study.

As much as I have come to love studying and reading about things, especially in the IT world. At times, it can make a person a little deranged. After taking my last final in April, I went onto Amazon looking for books to purchase for studying for the Security+ test. I wasn’t even two hours removed from my last final and I was already looking for more. . . All this knowledge might be great, but it can make you crazy too.

– Bob