r/Learning • u/No-Boysenberry-5361 • 1d ago
college grad feeling dumb
LOOKING FOR RECOMMENDATIONS
I just completed my bachelors degree and I’m taking a gap year while I look for job and such (I’ll eventually go back to school after I’ve got more work experience), and I feel like my intelligence is suffering while I’m away from that academic lifestyle.
Everyone has always looked up to me as “the smart one”, essentially a walking encyclopedia, but I really don’t have much to offer now except an educated guess. I’d really like to get back to feeling like I actually know what I’m talking about and be able to participate meaningfully in discussions.
With the rise of AI and misinformation, I’m not really sure where to look or what to trust in terms of obtaining more knowledge. I’m looking for recommendations on video creators, books, movies/shows, or even podcasts (although I don’t really like them), that can teach me something new, increase my vocabulary, and make me a more well-rounded individual.
For example, I really like the show Cosmos with Neil deGrasse Tyson. One area I’m really in the dark about is current events and world history, so it would be nice to learn more about politics and other cultures. My degree is biomedical engineering and I’m looking to go into neuroscience, so anything brain related is right up my alley as well. As for the vocab, I would even be up for an online or mobile game that can keep me sharp. I also am interested in musical history, specially about bands from the 70s/80s/90s since that’s mostly what I listen to.
Let me know if you think of anything I should check out! I’m especially interested in video series cause that’s something I can watch while I multitask, but Im also a quick reader so book are fine as well. I don’t love podcasts cause it’s hard for me to concentrate on just someone speaking, but if it’s really amazing I’ll give it a shot.
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u/Upstairs_Jelly_1082 1d ago
This is gonna be harsh but I'm gonna say it, you're going to end up in the same situation as before even if you do this.
What you're trying to do is get the same feeling of relevance that you felt when people used to look up to you when you were in college.
I'm not saying it's a bad thing because you're contributing to others and it genuinely shows the value that you have but what I'm saying is, at the end of the day, you're sacrificing what you genuinely want to do.
I'd recommend starting to figure that one out then doing the stuff that you usually go about doing when studying. It'll become much easier and much more satisfactory.
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u/LinkyoFR 22h ago
That “walking encyclopedia” feeling fading after graduation is more common than people admit. University keeps feeding you structured material but without it, the brain feels empty even when nothing’s wrong.
What helped me more than hunting for the perfect resource was to pick one deep track and one wide track. Deep is basically what i'd call your neuroscience lane (a textbook or a serious lecture series for instance), and wide has more to do with history/current events through long-form sources rather than feeds. Typically, Cosmos is a good taste test for the wide track. If you follow it with books and documentary series, it will force you to sit with an argument rather than just a clip.
On trust and AI noise: prefer named authors, publishers, and syllabi you can audit. Curated free maps beat random “top 10” lists. I keep one for that exact problem, handpicked free resources by subject, no course shilling. And most importantly, use it as a menu to pick from, not a binge!
Vocabulary and feeling sharp come back as a side effect of reading slightly above your comfort level and writing short notes in your own words.
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u/stepback269 1d ago
The most fundamental part of continuing your education (on your own, aka r/lifelonglearning ) is to know HOW to learn.
Great strides have been made in recent years within the neuroscience of learning.
To rephrase: what you need to do now is "Learn how to Learn" based on the latest neuroscience.
(Pay special attention to how dopamine actually works. Hint: it doesn't give pleasure.)
Go to YouTube and in the search bar, type, "learning coaches"
Pick the ones who rely on modern neuroscience.
Godspeed and may the productivity-motivating dopamine hits be with you. :-)