Hi, there is always an open space on the web where you can start again. At least, that is what I think. And, to be honest, I need to think that way, because if I wouldn’t, I couldn’t change myself in any way.
And what I need to start again, is to simulate my own graphic design study. I say simulate because I already have a degree for my thesis about how one could structure symbols and semiotics in space for living on Mars. One of my wilder things I have been up to in the past years.
So, it did take me around six years to actually get my degree, due to what turned out were physical, rather than psychological health issues, and I actually wonder about how I even got a degree in the first place (looking back, I didn’t feel precisely conscious at the time).
Why I am telling you this? Because I have been building a system for myself to go beyond what I have actually learned (and still recall) in my graphic design study, and in order to do that, I sort of need to “simulate” a study I did not have in the first place. Well-rested, not distracted, that sort of foundational situation, a foundation I did not have between 2017 and 2023. So, if you should have health issues, you should get help if you can, health seems to be a holistic state, a broken part affects the whole, as well as all the other parts, if you can get that.
The system I came up with is really simple: you take ECTS and GURPS as your basis, add in the Dreyfus Model of Skill Acquisition, Bloom’s (revised) taxonomy, and deliberate practice research by Ericsson et al.
And, what you might end up with, can sort of look like this: something sort of an RPG system for skill advancement.
Level 0: Novice
Cognitive & Behavioral Profile (Dreyfus/Bloom)
No systematic knowledge; relies on rules or external guidance
Typical Practice Focus
Orientation, following instructions, foundational knowledge
Typical Hours for Breakthrough*
0–20 hrs
Level 1: Advanced Beginner
Cognitive & Behavioral Profile (Dreyfus/Bloom)
Recognizes patterns; starts applying basic principles; low situational judgment
Typical Practice Focus
Guided exercises, rote practice, structured examples
Typical Hours for Breakthrough*
20–100 hrs
Level 2: Competent
Cognitive & Behavioral Profile (Dreyfus/Bloom)
Can plan and troubleshoot; applies knowledge with some independence; moderate judgment
Typical Practice Focus
Deliberate practice on specific skills; small projects; self-correction
Typical Hours for Breakthrough*
100–300 hrs
Level 3: Proficient
Cognitive & Behavioral Profile (Dreyfus/Bloom)
Holistic understanding; intuitive decision-making; adapts principles to context
Typical Practice Focus
Stretch projects, problem-solving in novel contexts; reflective practice
Typical Hours for Breakthrough*
300–700 hrs
Level 4: Expert
Cognitive & Behavioral Profile (Dreyfus/Bloom)
Deep tacit understanding; high adaptability; can innovate; self-directed
Typical Practice Focus
Advanced deliberate practice, cross-domain integration, mentoring others
Typical Hours for Breakthrough*
700–1500 hrs
Level 5: Master, or Authority
Cognitive & Behavioral Profile (Dreyfus/Bloom)
Recognized innovator; internalized skill; creates new paradigms
Typical Practice Focus
Leading projects, high-level synthesis, research/teaching others
Typical Hours for Breakthrough*
1500+ hrs
*Hours indicate target deliberate practice hours; total invested time may be higher due to passive learning, casual exposure, or repetition.
If you check out what I have written about that before, I was musing about how you can get a bachelor’s degree in the same amount of time it took me, using self-study, you can see what the flaw was, or rather is: that just putting in the hours does not guarantee progress.
You need deliberate practice, DP for short. But how much?
Well, way I figured it, for each level you are looking at the following target deliberate practice hours, and monthly DP goals, as a rough guide for everyone, especially the people stuck in /beg/ hell, like me:
Level 0: Novice
Cognitive Shift (Bloom + Dreyfus)
Remember/Understand; follows instructions
Deliberate Practice Focus
Foundational rules, definitions
Stretch Task Focus
Simple guided tasks
Target DP Hours
0–20
Monthly DP Goal
2–4 hrs
Level 1: Advanced Beginner
Cognitive Shift (Bloom + Dreyfus)
Apply/Analyze; begins pattern recognition
Deliberate Practice Focus
Structured exercises, error correction
Stretch Task Focus
Small independent projects
Target DP Hours
20–100
Monthly DP Goal
5–10 hrs
Level 2: Competent
Cognitive Shift (Bloom + Dreyfus)
Apply/Analyze/Synthesize; plans work
Deliberate Practice Focus
Targeted practice, self-correction
Stretch Task Focus
Moderate independent projects
Target DP Hours
100–300
Monthly DP Goal
10–15 hrs
Level 3: Proficient
Cognitive Shift (Bloom + Dreyfus)
Analyze/Synthesize/Evaluate; intuitive problem solving
Deliberate Practice Focus
Complex projects, deliberate reflection
Stretch Task Focus
Novel, high-risk projects
Target DP Hours
300–700
Monthly DP Goal
15–25 hrs
Level 4: Expert
Cognitive Shift (Bloom + Dreyfus)
Evaluate/Create; deep tacit knowledge
Deliberate Practice Focus
Advanced skill integration
Stretch Task Focus
Cross-domain innovation, mentoring
Target DP Hours
700–1500
Monthly DP Goal
20–35 hrs
Level 5: Master, or Authority
Cognitive Shift (Bloom + Dreyfus)
Create; paradigm-shifting
Deliberate Practice Focus
Leadership, teaching, R&D
Stretch Task Focus
High-level innovation
Target DP Hours
1500+
Monthly DP Goal
25-35+ hrs
This is a community project, so you absolutely can add your own ideas, comment whichever way you like, use or not use this system. I even added double spaces so that copying is easier, lol.
Below is essential reading material, if you want to read for yourself:
- A Five-Stage Model of the Mental Activities Involved in Directed Skill Acquisition
- A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy: An Overview on JSTOR
- Deliberate Practice and Acquisition of Expert Performance: A General Overview
- ECTS User’s Guide 2015
- Mechanisms of Skill Acquisition and the Law of Practice
- Repealing the power law: The case for an exponential law of practice
- The European Qualifications Framework: supporting learning, work and cross-border mobility, take special note of the spread on pages 18 & 19
- The Influence of Experience and Deliberate Practice on the Development of Superior Expert Performance
- The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance
- Why expert performance is special and cannot be extrapolated from studies of performance in the general population: A response to criticisms
So, that’s what I’m going to do now. Better six years late than not, if you ask me, life-long learning and all 😉
I better update my journal now.
Quelle: Code & Canvas
