I did follow the syllabus. Almost everything I learned is useless to me. I don't even work in the field I graduated in anymore. If what you want to be narrowly

I did follow the syllabus. Almost everything I learned is useless to me. I don't even work in the field I graduated in anymore. If what you want to be narrowly fits into a single definition, and that syllabus is precisely formulated to get you there, and you are 100% certain that you will never change paths in life, then sure, maybe following the syllabus is the right way for you to self study. My experience, however, is that people that like learning things rarely stick to the straight line.