I think what OP is trying to say is that there are some things that he would never bother trying to learn on his own because they're just so random, _but_ thank

I think what OP is trying to say is that there are some things that he would never bother trying to learn on his own because they're just so random, _but_ thanks to what he learned getting his degree, he was able to recall and apply a small concept which really made a big difference. In my humble opinion anyone can learn to program in any language and most people can produce quite a few examples, but good programers know how to apply theory which helps them produce faster and more reliable code.