A lot of the learning that I do these days is basically new ways of applying existing stuff I know. It’s the stuff that given enough time and experience I would likely figure it out eventually but is helpful to know anyway. This is the difference between intuitive and learned.
Don’t dismiss the people who teach you something you could have figured out (or have been doing instinctively but without knowing why). They have just saved you some hard lessons while trying to figure out the basics or that it actually was possible. They’ve knocked down future walls for you. There’s value in that. The simple five minute lesson has saved you hours later at near zero cost.
It’s funny how the process of learning new things changes once you transition from school to work. In school, I developed a strong sense of self-reliance. Outside of the classroom, I never wanted anyone to show me the answers. I always wanted to have the satisfaction of learning something entirely on my own. I would always check my math homework problems in the back of the book, but only after I was completely sure that I had arrived at the correct answer through my own understanding.
In a work setting, it’s different. Learning something without asking for help can be very rewarding, but also time consuming. If a colleague is already familiar with a concept or process, it is probably better to accept or ask for their help. I’ve been in the workforce for over 6 years, and this is still something I (and my ego) are adjusting to.
I know what you mean. Life would be so much easier without the ego. I had to spend my first years out of college trying to suppress it and now that I’m moving up I’m supposed to bring it back out!