[prsimp]

Exactly. All of the points made about free or semi-free education can just as easily be applied to the 'harder' subjects, and while there are plenty of examples of well-versed, successful, self-trained members of all disciplines, they are generally the exception and not the rule.

[argv_empty]

Not quite as easily. First, learning those subjects often requires access to specialized equipment and facilities. Second, depending on your threshold for "successful," a liberal arts degree may not be much more helpful than self-study. The typical result of a liberal arts degree seems to be that the student has spent a lot of time learning about the field in question but still has little chance of being employed in that area. By comparison, a degree in engineering brings a huge improvement in employability as an engineer.