I'm definitely of the opinion that education is one of the most important things a person can do for themselves and I always thought that I would want to go to college for as long as possible, grad school and all. Now that I'm a little older (and I have a roommate in grad school) I can't think of much I'd rather not do with the next few years of my life. I guess now I just don't equate education with a degree as much as I used to.
I just read an interview with Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs about this, and there was definitely a quote or two that resonated with me.
"There is nothing wrong with working in an office. There is nothing wrong with getting a college degree. The flaw in our character is our insistence on separating blue-collar jobs from white-collar jobs, and encouraging one form of education over another. Why do we value one above the other, when our future depends upon both? That’s our blind spot." - Mike Rowe
College is expensive. It provides good networking opportunities. BUT you can use that college money to create something for yourself as long as you work hard at leveling that gap. What i mean is you should stay on top of "updates in the fields" and go to seminars, go to fairs and make good efforts to become part of a community of like-minded individuals, similar to what college creates. Find out what you do best and what only you do best (which i think is your animal integrations, and cute, awkward things) and slowly create a niche even though you might need to do something more mainstream to start off your income. Volunteering at that place where they paint pottery, or somewhere that teaches knitting. Getting to know the instructors and owners of places like that as something other than a student can help get you onto new networks.
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lau