The word education should be familiar to everyone. There's even a sort of subtle taboo-ness if you try to dissect it and see it for what it really is. It's similar to other fields where intellectuals shape the flimsy sphere of public opinion. Politics for example, is taken as a universal given. There is never any need to question the underlying assumptions why political power exists.

The 18th century, Prussian-based, compulsory education model has been adopted throughout the world especially in developed countries. It's essentially State based educational system which encourages collectivist thought in order to spit out soldiers/cops or good employees for the economy. So for most people who been under this indoctrination, education and general learning is either a function of social engineers or whatever an authority tells them it is.

Still, the meaning can mean a lot of different things for people. It's the subject of heavy debate among teachers, students, and policymakers. One wonders whether perhaps our understanding of what education means is actually limited or superficial. Gauging how society is doing is a good measure of our intents and final results of the "education process". And not just in terms of material success.

Since the early days of schooling kids have been lectured on the importance and value of being educated. We're fragilely aware of this truth and further questioning is deemed superfluous. But of course, why wouldn't it be? Even Mr. Jefferson the founding father of the US made it explicit that universal learning was essential for society to prosper.

Educational theorists have tried to understand the role of education since ancient times. Plato remarked how education was about seeing the world as it is. Being educated meant having the formative knowledge to view things plainly, without the ambition of a proselytizer, naivety of a moralist, or the narrow focus of a pedantic. Interestingly, this goes against a lot of our contemporary ideas on idealism and normative ethics.

How do we become educated?

Pursuing self-education in its most open form, doesn't necessarily have restrictions on how it's done. You as the individual choose what you want to learn, when and where it takes place, and what information is needed to be retained or forgotten. What's important is individual initiative and a desire to see things for they are. Everything will then follow.

You don't necessarily need to worry about tests, grades, or other standardized measures of performance, these are all secondary. Certainly you could still have teachers and go after credentials if you think it helps in any way. For some, they can align and structure your educational journey.

So you could still be in university or undergoing some training program, yet still put in more on your own time. I remember during schooling I would go ahead of and work on future assignments just for the sake of my own interest. Self-education offers this flexibility. Anyone whose temperament aligns with these ideas can try to pursue it. You might even end up finding out that all education is indeed self-education.