A lot depends on how much you want to learn. I wrote a post about depth of knowledge in March (http://williambswift.blogspot.com/2009/03/learning-journal-and-r

A lot depends on how much you want to learn. I wrote a post about depth of knowledge in March (http://williambswift.blogspot.com/2009/03/learning-journal-and-record.html http://williambswift.blogspot.com/2009/03/learning-journal-a...) - lowest is recognition where you can remember things about it when you come across it again, usually just reading about something is enough for me to reach this level. Progressively more difficult, and requiring more work, are being able to recall information from memory without an immediate stimulus, understanding the subject matter, and being able to use what you have learned to make things or do original research in the field. I have several other posts in March and April about independent learning that you may find useful.