I know this is a very subjective question, but after struggling on my own for a while I figured I might as well ask it.
I did all the normal math classes in college (LinAlg, MultiVariable Calc, etc... - I was a CS major). I'm now trying to get back into math and have had trouble trying to get an initial foothold.
Basically, my question is whether it would be better to pick a topic area and try to study it, or to go through things that interest me and try to learn what I need to along the way? I've tried both to some degree - I tried to find a few good sources on Category Theory and blaze on ahead but quickly found myself having to grind quite hard and so losing interest to some degree, I also tried to pick up papers off of arXiv and read them while looking up things when I didn't know them, but this path also became pretty tedious as I found myself wandering off on new tangents constantly, moving further and further away from my original goal.
I know the answer undoubtedly has to do with how I learn best and forcing myself through the initial hard parts, but I would be extremely thankful if anyone could help color these paths with their own personal experiences so I could get a feel for them?
Thanks!