Program VS Self Study

I’ve seen a lot of posts saying a program is better bc obviously you’re going to get hands on training there & an externship. But I’ve also seen some people who study on their own, pass the test & then look for their externship site for hours ( I didn’t know that was possible?). Unfortunately the programs I want to do are 3-4 hours away from where I live. ( no clinics are hiring atm for non certified crcst ) Anyone have advice if you’ve been in the same situation? Is an online, self paced program a better fit? I know there’s some issues with that due to pricing & some places don’t grantee a placement for extern. TIA! btw i am in SouthTX!