Without answering the rest "this level of investment in CS" is something always worth absorbing. You don't have to do it as a full time course. But having the

Without answering the rest "this level of investment in CS" is something always worth absorbing. You don't have to do it as a full time course. But having the passion for that learning and having those tools in your toolbox is always worthwhile IMO. You never know when the next problem you solve will have an answer in CS theory and algos etc. Now do you need this particular set of books to get you to that goal? Like many others who have never even to touched these master pieces - Hell yeah (if you can afford it). It's like the War and Peace of cs books - may be just much less dry!