I never thought about it that way. I was able to make huge strides in learning. All the time to myself coupled with a desire to prove that "a degree doesn't mat

I never thought about it that way. I was able to make huge strides in learning. All the time to myself coupled with a desire to prove that "a degree doesn't matter for me" was a great recipe for my self-education. I look back and was not a happy person, but boy was I ever productive when it came to learning stuff. That period of my life is when I discovered Paul Graham's essays, became a much better programmer, stumbled upon the Getting Things Done methodology (way before it went mainstream), and seemed to have made all the right choices when it comes to choosing technologies to study. My big regret is that there probably was a way for me to accomplish the same thing without being a hermit. I spent a considerable amount of time procrastinating on IRC and forums when I could have been exercising (which would have yielded more energy) and having a better social life. I happen to have a great set of friends, they didn't let me be a complete hermit but I would do social things maybe 2 times a month, 3 if I was lucky.