Should I get a degree or start working and learning on my own instead?

Both paths require the same thing: disciplined practice over time. The difference is structure and mentorship. Patanjali understood that learning requires more than willingness—it requires a *method*, a teacher, and accountability. A formal program gives you all three. You get exposure to frameworks you wouldn't discover alone, mentors who've mastered their field, peers pushing you to think deeper, and the discipline of deadlines and rigor. Self-learning is powerful. You can move at your own pace, focus on what matters to you, avoid debt. But here's where it gets hard: without external structure, most people drift. They consume information instead of practicing transformation. They mistake reading about something for understanding it. The honest answer: if you're the kind of person who thrives with self-direction and can sustain deep practice without external accountability, self-learning works. Most people aren't. If you're uncertain about your own discipline, or if you need mentorship to accelerate your learning, a program is worth it. Consider a hybrid: begin with formal education to build foundational mastery and study habits, then pursue self-directed learning afterward. You'll be far more effective at it. The question isn't degree or self-learning. It's where you'll actually practice most rigorously.