> Self-taught does not mean you need to invent everything from first principles.
It does imply lack of access to formal resources, though. Learning from a textbook or an educationally-minded Youtube channel is no more self-taught than sitting through a lecture in college.
It is ultimately a distinction without a difference. Historically, when information was siloed, there was a difference. Self-taught meant something when you couldn't look something up on a whim. But those days are long behind us.
It does imply lack of access to formal resources, though. Learning from a textbook or an educationally-minded Youtube channel is no more self-taught than sitting through a lecture in college.
It is ultimately a distinction without a difference. Historically, when information was siloed, there was a difference. Self-taught meant something when you couldn't look something up on a whim. But those days are long behind us.