For me at least, the "slog" is not the work (I absolutely love writing code and learning CS), it's the organizational side: showing up to scheduled events (grou

For me at least, the "slog" is not the work (I absolutely love writing code and learning CS), it's the organizational side: showing up to scheduled events (group meetings, I take online classes), completing designated assignments with little to no room for creativity, etc. That's a bit different than assuming a Coursera/edX path is a free ride. You just get a lot more autonomy.