Analyzed is experience of distance education in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. In the context of education quality problems, attention is drawn to the inability of most students to organize their independent work and low motivation for independent mastering of the specialty. Meanwhile, under conditions of rapid development of technologies, rapidly changing economic conditions, flexible and timely planning in the context of overcoming the production crisis, specialists, who possess modern technologies in a narrow field, programming languages and the skills of working on specific equipment, are required. But, at the same time, employers are interested in well-educated and big-minded professionals, for example, crisis managers. Graduates should have broad knowledge that allows them to quickly adapt to new requirements, independently choose and master new professions in the future, receiving necessary education, navigate growing flows of information, strive for self-education and self-development, which should be based on the motivation of independent learning. The article focuses on the role of humanitarian knowledge, mastery of which is the basis for self-education and self-development. The definition of the concept of “philosophy of personal education” as a system of thinking in which the principles of philosophy of education are projected onto a personal assessment of one’s own physical, intellectual, spiritual, moral and ethical potential as a foundation for self-education and self-development is given. On the basis of philosophy of personal education, abilities, intellectual and creative potential of the individual are realized and a clear motivation for the need to master a particular specialty and self-improvement in this area is determined.