> I will say there’s pretty much nothing they taught me that I couldn’t have learned myself. That said, school focused my attention in ways I wouldn’t have alone, and provided pressure to keep going.

I have a masters degree in computer science and took a fair share of ML graduate courses. That pretty much summed up what I was thinking. They basically forced me to sit and learn something I wouldn't have alone.

Now-- I'm not saying you need to go to grad school. You could buy some ML textbooks and force yourself through them and go from there... but how many people have that grit? I wouldn't have been one of them :)