[pacnw]

That being said, there is something for the pressure cooker environment that forces you to consider and learn the hard topics. I have gone back to school twice as an adult, first for a pure math degree, and now for comp sci - machine learning. Both times, the amount of pain it takes is just not something a person with average or above average motivation would go through on their own.

[Zeule]

True, though on the flip side sometimes it is easier to take the time needed for deeper understanding outside the pressure cooker environment of classes. Pressure cooker environments can be motivating to keep moving forward, but sometimes at cost of depth and intuitive understanding.