There are two distinctly different paths you can take. You can either maximize your credentials or you can maximize your skills. In some cases both paths woul

There are two distinctly different paths you can take. You can either maximize your credentials or you can maximize your skills. In some cases both paths would lead you to grad school, albeit putting different levels of effort into your school work. In other cases, the skills maximizing path won't lead you through the traditional schooling process. This is especially true in the arts, writing, sales, and certain types of engineering. Taking the credentials path is safer at least up through age 40 or so. You're less likely to end up struggling to get a good job, and you'll likely end up with an above average salary. Taking the skills path is very difficult at the beginning and you can expect to be paid less than more credentialed peers earn for the same work. You'll have a harder time getting your foot in the door. You'll have to have stronger skills. The flip side is that your skills will be stronger in the long run. If you can build a substantial body of work and get "so good they ignore you", then you'll have or even create opportunities that are closed off to even the candidates with the prettiest resumes. What's your risk tolerance and how confident are you in your abilities?