Although I suppose I shouldn't be, I am continually amazed by the depth and breadth of high quality learning material that is available for free online.
Let me take a step backwards. One of my favorite (and as usual, cancelled) television shows was American Gothic. This quirky, superbly written CBS series was created by Shaun Cassidy. Yes, the Shaun Cassidy of Hardy Boys and Teen Beat fame. CBS, being CBS, killed the show after less than a year on the air.
Aside from the high quality and uniqueness of the show was the fact that a teen-idol had created it. I mean, how surprised would you be in 10 years if you found that Britney Spears or [insert random pop star here] had created a critically acclaimed TV series? Maybe I'm being shallow, but that's something I just don't expect from a teen idol.
I got to wondering what was different about Cassidy that led him down this path. Turns out that, instead of going to college, he wrote to Columbia University and asked them for their reading list. Then he read all the books on that reading list.
So, with available information, and a healthy dose of motivation, you can learn anything you want.
Which brings me to my point: Whether you want to go to school or not, everyone should *want* to learn more about the world around them. And in the 21st century, lack or accessibility of information is not a valid reason for not doing this.
Got an interest? Google it. Don't trust the internet for accuracy? Limit your results to colleges or government web sites. Better yet, why not formulate a study plan using actual college course lists and syllabi? Many schools have free lectures online, so you still get a lot of that instructor vibe if you follow along. Some schools, like MIT, have a web presence dedicated to free courseware. Use your local library for supplemental reference texts, and Just Do It.
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