The hardest part of learning a new skillset is deciding that you can do it and then finding the motivation to do it. The rest is just work. But it requires a ce

The hardest part of learning a new skillset is deciding that you can do it and then finding the motivation to do it. The rest is just work. But it requires a certain attitude of "Of how hard could this be? Let's do it.". A lot of people chicken out of doing that work with some lame excuses about how they have better things to do, they are not good enough, etc. Too many people self select themselves out of things they could be doing by simply deciding that they could never do it. I studied computer science. I've taught myself lots of other stuff over the years including a lot of things that have nothing to do with computers. I'm a decent photographer. I can bake some nice sourdough breads. I'm not a bad cook and I definitely like eating my own food. I can repair stuff. Etc. Nobody ever taught me any of these things. I just started doing them and then figured out how to do them better. If I'm interested in it, I'll find a way. Professionally, anything you put your mind to you can be the world's leading expert in just a few years. But you have to dedicate yourself. That's a bit of wisdom my professor gave me when I started my phd. He was not wrong.