Having completed my undergrad degree without attending most lectures by just by reading text books and papers, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the value of a

Having completed my undergrad degree without attending most lectures by just by reading text books and papers, I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the value of a lecture and a clear and concise presentation on a complex topic. Granted at my university, many of the lecturers were un-inspired/English as a second language, but there are presenters which can provide clarity and communicate understanding through lecture. One of my favorite presenters, for example, is David Beazley who has several presentations/examinations on the Python GIL I found very useful. As another Python example, I also found Andrew Montalenti's overview of multi-processing in Python quite enjoyable as well (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVBLF0ohcrE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVBLF0ohcrE). Finally, Sal Khan was such an inspired presenter that he founded Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/ https://www.khanacademy.org/) based on his great success teaching mathematics to his younger relatives and their classmates through YouTube videos.