I similarly independently re-discover things, such as recently when I re-discovered the Fermat primality test. Years ago I remember independently deriving the

I similarly independently re-discover things, such as recently when I re-discovered the Fermat primality test. Years ago I remember independently deriving the Black-Sholes pricing formula. These things tend to happen when you are intellectually exploring in a previously explored area. It is much easier to explore the Grand Canyon when travelling through northern Arizona by modern roads than it was when John Wesley Powell led his expedition. In the same way, it is much faster and easier for those of us who benefit from the work of those before us to find important intellectual landmarks. The path has been cleared, so to speak. But hard problems exist. There are problems where the path is still quite thorny, as no one has gone there yet. There is a word for the trait you have: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autodidacticism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autodidacticism You may find it helpful to google to find advice for how to handle your way of learning and fill the holes you will have in your knowledge that you end up with by exploring rather than following the canon.