I won't say that you can't approximate what you get from a liberal arts education without actually going, but it will be far more difficult than working at a fe

I won't say that you can't approximate what you get from a liberal arts education without actually going, but it will be far more difficult than working at a few companies and traveling, it will require an incredible amount of determination, and you won't be able to do it alone. For several years you spend the bulk of your time reading, writing, and perhaps most importantly: having very smart people critique your writing. All of this follows a program designed and honed over time to make you a capable and well balanced person. Where else are you going to find this?