Good for you Carl. Many seem to view the "self taught' route with fear and loathing. I however have always admired such qualities as self reliance, determination, and patience, all tempered by a modicum of caution.
Between the ages of about ten through nineteen I was an ardent builder, flier and competitor of control line and freeflight models. I then left the hobby completely for about 15 years before deciding to try RC (and discovering that things like iron-on covering and CYA had been invented). I built and flew first a Dynaflite "Butterfly", a large powered glidr type and then a Sig Kadet. I flew alone thus putting no innocents in jeopardy. I learned to fly both models with little drama and moved on to many others.
Many warn of the folly of flying alone because of the risk of injury. One needs to be aware of this. I have also taken solitary week long horseback hunting trips into remote areas, lone fishing trips, and ridden dirt bikes alone far from civilization. On the other hand I once ventured to an exotic, far away land accompanied bu a large number of fellow Marines nd landed in the hospital for two years. Ya pays yer money and takes yer chance.
Choose your own path, Carl, and have fun!
jess