I didn't go to college for a number of reasons some of which i stand by to this day and others are the result of being a arrogant teenager. I want to go back f

I didn't go to college for a number of reasons some of which i stand by to this day and others are the result of being a arrogant teenager. I want to go back for a career change, I feel, at least from an education and career perspective I could get more from it than I would had I chose to go at 17/18, though I'd only get a fraction of the social benefits. The thing is, I still am incredibly on the fence about the ROI. The problem is that no matter what, at this age (still pretty young) going back to school will suck my two most valuable resources: time and money significantly. The bureaucracy surrounding higher education (US context) is basically unhackable in my experience and the way its set up, the longer I wait, the higher the time cost, but if I try to go back ASAP the monetary cost is too heavy. Going back would probably use up the rest of my "youth" (not that I'm doing much with it either way) and almost certainly lead to a lower lifetime earning amount (though by what degree is dependent on a number of things) which are both fine, if things work out ideally. If not, the ROI is ridiculously low.