Nothing is impossible - but that doesn't mean that there aren't things that are very, very difficult, and fraught with dangerous pitfalls. Whenever someone talks about studying "by themselves", it raises the need for some clarification. Do you mean working entirely in a vacuum, on one's own, trusting wholly in one's own individual capacity to understand the material they're studying and their ability to identify their own mistakes, without feedback? Or do you just mean, relying on those resources and seeking feedback from online communities? 'Cause that's a pretty big distinction. I would *never* recommend anyone work in a vacuum, completely on their own. There's no good reason for it, and it leaves one susceptible to misunderstanding the material they're studying, and working for long stretches off those misunderstandings. Now if you mean going the no-school route, working with a community of people pursuing the same kind of goals, critiquing each others' work, and basically making your own school - then sure, you can get there. The structure school offers does help, but it really isn't the end-all be-all, and it has its own pitfalls along the way. What matters most is that you're open to feedback, that you're highly disciplined and self-motivated, and that you DON'T just obsess over your weaknesses. So many students - especially those who like to think themselves to be particularly driven - will focus entirely on their weaknesses, and leave no room to acknowledge their strengths. It's a great way to lead to burnout. The biggest thing with self-taught students is that a lot of them go out of their way to make things harder than it needs to be. I feel like it might be the whole "suffering artist" nonsense - but hopefully it'll fade away into the cultural irrelevancy it deserves.