Born on November 25, 1968,[2] Self received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in 1990 from The Citadel, graduating 9th out of his class of 516.

[4] In the summer of 1990 he was a laborer for his father's construction business and in 1996 he was a research assistant to professor Ronald D. Carlson at the University of Georgia School of Law.

[14] On March 1, 2018, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by an 85–12 vote.

[17] In February 2022, Self issued an injunction forbidding the Air Force from requiring an officer to be vaccinated against COVID-19, as against her religious objections.

This is especially curious given the number of people who have been and continue to be infected after becoming fully vaccinated and receiving a booster.