As for my own experience, it is as follows. I got a guitar at age 8, and played in my room until about age 11. Learned a few licks, never took lessons, and thought I was amazing. It was from age 11-14 that I put the guitar away in an attempt to fit in at school and to listen to more rap and pop music. It wasn't until I started a band with my two best friends that I got it back out at age 14 and from there it was the dominating force in my life. From age 14-23, I took a total of 6 months of guitar lessons from 3 different teachers. Beyond that, I was completely self taught and by the time I went to music school, I had taught 10x the amount of guitar lessons that I had ever taken. I was obsessed with music, and completely motivated myself to be a better player, songwriter, producer, etc. I was able to take music theory in college and studied independently on my own to prepare for my hopeful future in the professional music world. In 2005 I moved to LA from Kokomo, IN to study at Musicians Institute (GIT), where I graduated with honors in 2007. It was there that I studied non-stop with many world class instructors. After graduating, I took a few private lessons from Dean Brown (guitarist for Marcus Miller, Billy Cobham) and Tim Brown (guitarist for Wayne Horovitz, Matt Chamberlin.) I still study all the time and try and take lessons every year to better myself and to expand my knowledge of the instrument.
That being said in a nutshell, I can attribute my dedication to the guitar to one solid thing; playing with others. I started a band at a young age where none of us could even play at all. It was from that experience that spawned 13 years now of the most rewarding points of my life. Find those who inspire you and spend time around them, regardless of how nervous you are about it. Self-learning is possible, but you have to have a drive that far exceeds what anyone could ever teach you.
Douglas Showalter