Of course. I hate the higher ed situation in the US as much as the next guy and wish we could move closer to the systems available in much of Europe, especially

Of course. I hate the higher ed situation in the US as much as the next guy and wish we could move closer to the systems available in much of Europe, especially Germany (perhaps without the pre-high school bifurcation). I interpreted this thread as being about advice to a typical person interested in learning math who exists in the society we (specifically, Americans) live in today. For the exceptional, the appropriate advice is of course different.