I consider myself completely self-taught, I started with BASIC learning a bit from my Dad + books / magazines when I was a kid. I progressed on to HTML and Jav

I consider myself completely self-taught, I started with BASIC learning a bit from my Dad + books / magazines when I was a kid. I progressed on to HTML and JavaScript in my early teens, learned mostly from websites. Naturally that progressed on to PHP/MySQL, and now I mostly do Ruby. I did do a CS degree (Computer Games Development) which taught me some C++ and Assembler, but most of that was learning in my own time, and a lot of it felt like applying what I already knew onto different technologies. After Uni I started freelancing, and 5 years on I'm still doing it :) I think like you say no one is really "self-taught", and I think it is mostly down to how you like to learn. I've always preferred to teach my self things, it's how I learned to play instruments, as well as recording and music production. I've just never really got on being taught by others.