Life Situations

• One barrier to becoming a self-directed learner is balancing current life situations. For example, if one wants to study more about art or art history, the person needs to find time in their busy day to read and structure critical thinking on the subject. This may difficult if the person has responsibilities such as a family and children, a strenuous working schedule, or financial burdens that prevent the person from accessing educational resources, such as buying books.
  
  

Access to Resources

• Students enrolled in an university or college usually have access to various resources, such as computers, libraries, copyrighted material, and unique research materials, such as those found at a university's academic collections or research institutes. If a self-directed learner has a difficult time accessing a computer regularly, especially a computer with Internet access, the learner will not be able to access the resources needed for a well-rounded curriculum.
  
  

Intellectual Coaching

• Academics and professors are professionals that help tone the critical thinking skills of a student. Although a self-directed learner can communicate with academics or intellectuals through correspondences, communications with these professionals can lack the relationship an enrolled student enjoys with a university professor. Therefore, although a self-directed learner may be reading and structuring an academically fruitful curriculum, without the consistent coaching and discussions with a professor, the learning experience may be lacking.
  
  

Attitude

• Even though a person might expect a self-directed learner to be full of motivation, maintaining a consistent positive attitude is a barrier to overcome in learning. When you're guiding your own learning structure, any frustrations to learning the material could derail a learner's attitude and desire to continue self-directed learning. People with a strong drive to learn may succeed better at self-directed learning more so than those who might require more intellectual or emotional support.
  
  

Age

• As a person ages, accumulating facts and figures may become more difficult. Cognitive processes tend to slow down as a person ages, especially nearer to their 70s. At the same time, when a person is much older, it may be difficult for that person to access resources. For example, an 80-year-old may find it harder to go to the library every day or find it difficult to navigate the Internet on a computer. However, not every 70-year-old will experience cognitive or physical difficulties learning new materials.