You do not need fancy schools to learn new things.
The one exception to that as I pointed out in my comment, are fields which are subject to regulations and actually do need formal training and licensing, like, as I also pointed out, you're not getting a CDL through a free course if you want to get into driving semis, for example.
I didn't because I just wasn't interested at the time, and now with how far universities in my country have fallen in the last 14 years, I feel pretty vindicated in that decision.