Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar - How Self-Education and the Pursuit of Passion Can Lead to a Lifetime of Success

"A Buccaneer-Scholar is anyone whose love of learning is not muzzled or shackled by any institution or authority; whose mind is driven to wander and find its own place in the world." The volatility of the job market and the limitless opportunities afforded by the internet have forever changed people's attitudes about schooling. In this world of rapid technological development, people are becoming successful, making money and finding personal satisfaction through non-traditional means. Ideas have become more important than training; innovation is more important than credentials. The ability to educate oneself — to learn how to learn — is crucial. James Bach, the son of bestselling author Richard Bach ( Jonathan Livingston Seagull ,) understands that. Like so many young people, James struggled in school, eventually dropping out at age sixteen. A few years later, he was leading a team at Apple Computer. Now an internationally recognized expert in the field of computer software testing, James has written Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar : a groundbreaking book that shows how anyone can create their own education on their own terms. It is nurturing our individual curiosities and relishing the learning process that will lead anyone — from children struggling in school to professionals looking to jumpstart their careers — to success. In his unique pithy and anecdotal style, and combining his personal story with proven methodologies, James describes the relentless, whimsical, low-intensity learning process he calls "buccaneering." Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar demonstrates that it is the people who chart their own course, who never stop learning, who will come to dominate this new world. Like so many young people, James Bach, the son of the famous author Richard Bach (Jonathan Livingston Seagull) struggled in school. While he excelled in subjects that interested him, he barely passed the courses that didn't. By the time he was sixteen he had dropped out. He taught himself computer programming and software design and started working as a manager at Apple Computers only four years later - and he never looked back. With The Secrets of a Buccaneer Scholar, James shows us how he developed his own education on his own terms, how that unorthodox education brought him success, and how the reader can do it too. In his uniquely pithy and anecdotal style James uses the metaphor of a buccaneer to describe anyone whose love of learning and pursuit of knowledge is not bound by institutions or authorities. James outlines the eleven elements of his self-education method and shows how every reader - simply investing time and passion into educating themselves about the things that really interest them - can develop a method for acquiring knowledge and expertise that fits their temperaments and showcases their unique abilities and skills. Particularly well-suited for an audience grappling with the challenges posed by the internet, but also appropriate for parents looking to help and school their children or employees hoping to jumpstart their careers, The Secrets of a Buccaneer Scholar is a groundbreaking and uplifting work that empowers and inspires its readers.

Like many young people, James Bach struggled in school. While he excelled in some subjects—earning A’s in physics and calculus—he barely passed the courses that didn’t interest him. By the time he was sixteen, he dropped out. After teaching himself computer programming and software design, he started working as a manager at Apple Computer—and he never looked back. Now, in Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar, James shares with readers how he acquired his own education on his own terms, and how that unorthodox education brought him success.

James uses the metaphor of a buccaneer to convey a love of learning and pursuit of knowledge that is not bound by institutions or authorities. He shows how every reader can develop a method for acquiring knowledge and expertise that showcases their unique abilities.

This unique and insightful book challenges our prevailing and often fallacious attitudes about schooling. In today's volatile job market, ideas are more important than training, innovation is more important than credentials; traditional schooling may no longer be necessary or even useful. The ability to educate oneself 'to learn how to learn' is crucial. In Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar James Bach demonstrates how to nurture one's natural curiosities and passions through the whimsical learning process he calls 'buccaneering' demonstrating that those who understand this fundamental principle will come to dominate this new world. Bach's smart and empowering guide to self-education shows how leading a life in pursuit of passion can result in fulfillment and success. Anyone looking for an instruction manual on how to get a high-quality education without having to show up for classes will find all they need here.--"Publishers Weekly." James Bach's smart and empowering guide to self-education, which shows how leading a life in pursuit of passion can lead to fulfillment and success A groundbreaking narrative advice book on self-education and the pursuit of passion; Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance meets The Secret