There's quite a few degree programs nowadays where you get access to not only the theoretical foundations but also the possibility to work on projects on actual

There's quite a few degree programs nowadays where you get access to not only the theoretical foundations but also the possibility to work on projects on actual industry hardware, as well as improving that hardware if that's more your vibe. I feel like the DIY route wouldn't really transfer all that well into industry applications. If you're not in the research arm of a company those robots are more work horses that come with their own stack and ways to put them to use. Robotics programming is not something that will suddenly be relevant for the general programmer. It's more likely to stay relevant for people with engineering backgrounds (since that's their primary application) or people that dedicated a few years on learning the intersectional topics. Other than that, if your interest is just in "machine with actuators" kind of robotics it's pretty much more approachable than ever. You can get quasi professional sensors and actuators relatively cheaply, entry level microprocessor development and single board computers have become super easy and capable enough for complex signal processing, the mechanical parts can (mostly) be substituted by a bit of off the shelf parts and 3D printing. What you should do heavily depends on your goal. Do you want to get into robotics to tinker, to work with them or to professionally develop them? The first one is pretty approachable, the latter are rather dedicated functions that have their own learning curve and education requirements just like any non-trivial job.