You need to be already educated in order to take advantage of Gutenberg. Knowing which books make sense to read requires prior knowledge. Moreover, very little of what is on Guttenberg teaches actual skills you can earn money with.
The most important things you learn good school gives you are a.) ability to distinguish what makes sense to learn and what is waste of time b.) ability to study alone. And judging from what college profs say, even supposedly good high school that produce college students fail to achieve b. all too often. It does not mean it is impossible for all to learn useful things alone the way you suggest, but that is requires much higher abilities then finishing normal college.
Free online college course are great thing when you are already educated (e.g. like me), but:
* they wont give you diploma which is what employers care about,
* are much harder to finish from home when you are doing them alone,
* some courses still require you to buy expensive books.
After work education programs have higher failure rates then full day students - it is just harder to study after you worked 8 hours or more assuming you did not slacked. Being full time student is easier.
Even paid online courses have have higher failure rates then comparable in person courses (e.g. comparable demographic), that might have to do with psychology (motivation) or simply with in-person communication between students being more effective then discussions on forums. Keeping motivation up when you are in daily contact with other students is non-issue, keeping it while alone is harder. Overcoming struggles when friends can give you advice in person is easier then doing it with forums only.
Everybody in HN makes big deal about how working with smart good people is important for you cause you learn from them, well this is the same thing.
Finishing coursera course from home where you can study whenever it suits you, where you can google anytime you struggle with no transport needed is easier then having to do so in library. Of course it is possible form library too, but it is harder, require more commitment and persistence.
The most important things you learn good school gives you are a.) ability to distinguish what makes sense to learn and what is waste of time b.) ability to study alone. And judging from what college profs say, even supposedly good high school that produce college students fail to achieve b. all too often. It does not mean it is impossible for all to learn useful things alone the way you suggest, but that is requires much higher abilities then finishing normal college.
Free online college course are great thing when you are already educated (e.g. like me), but: * they wont give you diploma which is what employers care about, * are much harder to finish from home when you are doing them alone, * some courses still require you to buy expensive books.
After work education programs have higher failure rates then full day students - it is just harder to study after you worked 8 hours or more assuming you did not slacked. Being full time student is easier.
Even paid online courses have have higher failure rates then comparable in person courses (e.g. comparable demographic), that might have to do with psychology (motivation) or simply with in-person communication between students being more effective then discussions on forums. Keeping motivation up when you are in daily contact with other students is non-issue, keeping it while alone is harder. Overcoming struggles when friends can give you advice in person is easier then doing it with forums only.
Everybody in HN makes big deal about how working with smart good people is important for you cause you learn from them, well this is the same thing.
Finishing coursera course from home where you can study whenever it suits you, where you can google anytime you struggle with no transport needed is easier then having to do so in library. Of course it is possible form library too, but it is harder, require more commitment and persistence.