Both paths are valid and they are often intertwined. But be clear Learning happens under 3 conditions 1. A good environment - low/no distraction 2. Mentors -

Both paths are valid and they are often intertwined. But be clear Learning happens under 3 conditions 1. A good environment - low/no distraction 2. Mentors - people who know more AND know how to teach 3. Repetition. The brain has 200 billion neurons with a trillion connections. Nothing is static about that network. The connnections are constantly changing depending on what gets fed in. So if you want to understand something its all about Repeating the same input again and again until connections solidify