This post is part of a series of essays I will be posting.

“Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ‘em, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.”

–Theodore Roosevelt

As far back as I can remember, the thrill of learning has excited me. To gain new insight, to take two juxtaposed concepts and fuse them into one, to discover what had been previously unknown to me (and then to share it!)–these are the pleasures I seek. At the same time, I am fascinated by how so many people do not seek knowledge.

Early on, I found joy in learning. I can clearly remember, for instance, in the first hours after I learned to read, ecstatically gazing from the car window at shapes that suddenly had further meaning. Now I had the skill I needed to begin my journeys in earnest.

With the new millennium, I became a news junkie. I followed science, technology, business, and world news daily from that point forward. I discovered Tom Clancy novels, finishing the whole series within a year. I began to read national and international newspapers with my parents and discuss articles, first for content, then for criticism. I relished my new perspectives on the world.

Over time, I became more interested in technology. I would spend hours on the web, learning ever more about how our modern world works. At first, my interest stemmed from curiosity; as I matured, my interest evolved into a quest to discover how all the new things I was learning could be utilized.

In 2003, I discovered my artistic media–digital video, audio, and image–and started my video production business, PAMI Productions, to capitalize upon my technical interests and hone my skills. PAMI has been the commercial outlet for the application of much of the technical knowledge I have collected.

Over the next few years, I invested time in better understanding how I could create useful web-based tools. In 2005, I conceptualized and then designed with my high school’s student government an online hub for clubs and student groups to organize their activities. In 2006, I launched EmeryCentral.com. The site has only seen moderate success, but the lessons I learned in managing and marketing the project and building the system, not to mention the services it has provided for student leaders to manage their clubs, have been invaluable.

In spring 2008, I started working on my next web application, a tool that would put the power of users to work collecting data to help economists calculate the amount of carbon used in food and product life-cycles.

In fall 2008, I began exploring the potential use of wikis (collaboratively editable websites such as Wikipedia) to preserve the institutional memory of groups in which I am active, such as my high school’s student government and the local chapter of the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, the Jewish youth group in which I am active. A recurring problem has been how to best preserve the mountains of work put into planning events and projects, as well as the evaluations of their success, for those that follow. Collaborative, open wikis seem to be a compelling solution.

As a result of these experiences, I discovered in myself a passion for applying my abstract interests and technical skills to everyday problems faced by the communities of which I am a part. It is my curiosity that drives me to learn so that I can create. To me, it is natural and exciting to stitch together technology and my management and leadership roles to build more productive organizations.

An all too common behavior that confounds me is not seeking out knowledge, whether in daily life or outside of school. I cannot understand why some do not search for knowledge, why some are not curious, when there is so much to be gained. To inspire others to learn and to educate, I organized mock presidential and vice-presidential debates and elections for the primaries and the general election. I started blogging in 2008 and focused on writing educational, yet accessible posts. Ultimately, I aim to utilize and share my knowledge to improve the communities of which I am a part.

Whenever another person teaches me, I feel compelled to pass it along. I love sharing what I know for others’ benefit. Along these lines, I spent years in Scouting focusing not only on advancing in rank, but on educating younger Scouts in the skills that older members had taught me just a few years before. In giving back to the Scout troop, I hope to repay my debt to those who did so much in helping me earn the Eagle Scout Award. As I continue as an adult leader in Boy Scouts, I hope to inspire a desire for learning in others.

My love of learning is what has directed all the activities I have pursued, and it is part of why I look forward to school each day. My transition from consuming to applying, creating, and sharing knowledge has been enjoyable and fascinating. Learning how to learn has been the most important skill that I have worked to master. My pursuit of knowledge, along with the goal of sharing it with others, makes every day brighter. To that end, I intend to continue seeking out ways to improve organizations and effectively leverage the potentials of the amazing technology of our time.

From Adam Feldman's blog, blog.pamiproductions.com.