As a professional software developer who also teaches CS at a university, my experience with successful engineers all comes down to interest and passion. Self-taught engineers are obviously interested in the subject, but among engineers with a degree, you have a mixed bag. Some of them have no interest whatsoever in the field other than a diploma, but they are familiar with the terms of the art, which makes it difficult to separate the good ones from the bad.
> Somebody who is self taught is _by design_ somebody who's extremely motivated and interested in the subject.
How so? I've self-taught myself plenty of things that I don't have an interest in. I dare say I even despised some of it.
It seems fair to say that motivation is necessary, however often the only motivation is a means to an end, not the endeavour into the subject itself. But motivation is always necessary. That is not limited to self-teaching. I am not sure that bit is actually additive.
I agree that passion and interest are key, but they don't always line up with what people studied or do for work and sometimes people outgrow what initially excited them on the job. Switching paths is tough once you've invested years. But I think when someone puts serious effort into their PAssion-INterest outside work and endures the PA-IN of self-study, they're more likely to succeed long-term because that extra drive really matters.
