Granted, this is anecdotal, but I definitely found that there were some things that I could learn on my own, and others that I needed to learn in a classroom. T

Granted, this is anecdotal, but I definitely found that there were some things that I could learn on my own, and others that I needed to learn in a classroom. The latter were in fact math and physics. I was considered to have good aptitude in those areas, yet I still needed that structure for whatever reason. On the other hand, I easily taught myself programming and electronics, after an "intro" course in both subjects. One problem is that both classroom and self learning of physics are almost entirely confined to theory, but physics is an experimental discipline. In fact most laypeople are unaware that experimental physicists outnumber theoreticians. In grad school, there was a noticeable distinction, that the students who went into theory were scary smart. With a few exceptions, the experimental students including myself were considered to be the lesser intellects. I barely survived the coursework, and owe my degree to my work in the lab. In physics, we do have tests. Mother nature provides them.