I disagree with the common advice that before you study math you should try to develop love for it or find an application you care about. If you don’t know any math, how can you know what you like or want?
What I think one should do, initially, is try to be better than other people in some way. That’s a motivation everyone has accessible. One way is what you’re doing already — trying to learn math on your own. That’s pretty cool.
From there I’d use Reddit and Quora to build yourself a curriculum. Most people start with calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, and real analysis. Look for textbooks that are known to be pedagogically well-written for self-study (rather than intended to be used as a manual in conjunction with lectures). Skim the table of contents and the first chapter of several books to get a feel for which ones you’ll be able to stand going through. I like Spivak, Arnol’d, Axler, and Pugh.
In each subject, find a book full of problems, and do the hardest ones in each section.
What I think one should do, initially, is try to be better than other people in some way. That’s a motivation everyone has accessible. One way is what you’re doing already — trying to learn math on your own. That’s pretty cool.
From there I’d use Reddit and Quora to build yourself a curriculum. Most people start with calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, and real analysis. Look for textbooks that are known to be pedagogically well-written for self-study (rather than intended to be used as a manual in conjunction with lectures). Skim the table of contents and the first chapter of several books to get a feel for which ones you’ll be able to stand going through. I like Spivak, Arnol’d, Axler, and Pugh.
In each subject, find a book full of problems, and do the hardest ones in each section.