| It is of course logically possible. That doesn't mean it is practically possible for you (this is not a moral judgement). It is a question of your actual motivation. If you are attracted to the work of learning CS from books, that's one thing. If being a-person-who-knows-CS-without-formal-training is the important thing, that's another thing. It can be hard to recognize that obtaining an identity is the motivating factor in one's self. Anyway, if you want to learn CS from books, buy a boxed set of Knuth and get started. He's been working on the TAoCP since 1962, so expect a long haul. If you just want to learn CS, going to school is probably a more straight forward way to start. And it's not one or the other, you can go to school and learn from books. The advantage of school is it provides a kind of legitimacy that only comes from formal education. Know if what you want is legitimacy. Good luck. --- Things I did not say: 1. Knuth is easy. 2. Knuth is the only or best book. 3. Formal education is the only form of legitimacy. 4. The legitimacy through formal education is a good thing. Just letting the whole internet to know. |