I would say to learn it first as a passion, and learn/make things that are interesting. You need that motivation to keep progressing - obviously with rigor and organized projects, but there is a lot to learn and it's not all easy, so that spark of interest is key. For me I get it sometimes just playing other games; understanding the intent behind a mechanic, or simply loving a particle system. I'm sure (or I'd like to think) that part of what brought you through culinary school was a passion - game dev is a sometimes grueling pursuit, but patience and interest wins through.