Ask HN: Best way to gain dev experience - 'AppAcademy' or self-study?

What does HN recommend for people trying to become serious software developers as far as how to gain experience?

Are CodeSchool's/AppAcademy's worth it? Usually like 5-10k tutition for several weeks up to 3 months of class.

Or is self-study, with pet projects left behind in github, the better way to spend your time and money?

Thanks