For me the problem really is this: I want or need to do X, and to do that I need to know Y, which is a subset of knowledge domain Z, and I only really have time

For me the problem really is this: I want or need to do X, and to do that I need to know Y, which is a subset of knowledge domain Z, and I only really have time to learn Y. Sometimes I can get away with learning only Y, but most of the time not spending all that time learning Z means I've only thought I've learned Y, and as soon as something doesn't work as expected, I'm stuck. What I miss is what I (almost) had in college: the chance to learn in depth not tied to a particular instrumental outcome.