Ask HN: Is it possible to learn chemical engineering from scratch on your own?

I'm itching to delve into some completely new domain and was wondering how realistic is to try tackle chemical engineering.

Is it possible to learn everything from scratch alone? Would lack of laboratory conditions be a problem? Is it possible to get a job in this domain based on knowledge or skills alone, or are courses/certificates/diplomas a must? What are the best resources to learn?

Thanks for all the info!