I'm entirely self-taught and can entirely understand wanting that belief to be true, but it just isn't. A university can give you so much more than just learning some programming language. At the very least, it's going to force you to dabble in some languages you wouldn't ordinarily touch. The same obviously goes for theory.
Assuming there are at least some things that require a minimum effort that is uncomfortable before allowing you to see their benefits, you will discover more guided by qualified people and well-designed curricula than on your own.
Then, there are the people: from my experience especially with Ivy-League faculty, these schools seem to do something right. Remember that one teacher from school that really got you into (reading shakespeare/track/organic chemistry)? Yeah, they aren't all like that, but a rather significant number seems to be.
Assuming there are at least some things that require a minimum effort that is uncomfortable before allowing you to see their benefits, you will discover more guided by qualified people and well-designed curricula than on your own.
Then, there are the people: from my experience especially with Ivy-League faculty, these schools seem to do something right. Remember that one teacher from school that really got you into (reading shakespeare/track/organic chemistry)? Yeah, they aren't all like that, but a rather significant number seems to be.