This was me in 1998. I ended up halfway around the world, in New Zealand. Getting paid well, enjoying what I'm working on. You won't really have more free tim

This was me in 1998. I ended up halfway around the world, in New Zealand. Getting paid well, enjoying what I'm working on. You won't really have more free time than you have now, your life starts filling up with things that demand your time. So studying will be harder to pick up later. But doable, I'm studying on the side, inching my way to finishing my degree. I don't earn less than college graduated peers. And in the job, if anything, I'm probably more inclined to delve deeper and get a more in-depth understanding because I'm curious as hell and have always had a bit of an inclination to try prove myself vs those who had the benefit of a college education :) I just lucked out that I was able to get a job doing this, and that programming as a career is so amenable to self-learning, otherwise I'd probably have ended up a lawyer or accountant, or some other job requiring degree study. Good luck!