You can certainly get part of the big picture from reading Hacker News, but if you're going to learn anything in depth, I seriously suggest taking a class. That

You can certainly get part of the big picture from reading Hacker News, but if you're going to learn anything in depth, I seriously suggest taking a class. That way someone else has already done all the hard work in collecting all the material in easily digestable chunks and even gives his or her valuable time in trying to make you understand it all.