In Chapter 3 of 20 of his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview with host Erik Michielsen, author and writer Scott Gold answers "How Has Experiential and Self-Directed Learning Shaped Your Ambition and Development?" Gold learns from his father that "Experience is the hardest teacher" as the test comes before the lesson. He shares the experiential lesson learned of Hurricane Katrina and its affect on his family's Louisiana home. He compares experiential learning with self-directed learning, which emphasizes initiative and failure as an educational process. Scott Gold is an author and writer based in New York City. When not writing, Gold moonlights as a bartender at Char no. 4 restaurant in Brooklyn. He earned a BA in Philosophy from Washington University in St. Louis.