Nice thread and breadth of responses.
@BMAN what was the outcome?
@Chris my thoughts apply to anyone on the fence about school or looking to consider going back. My thoughts are ABSOLUTELY clouded by my personal experiences... sorry in advanced for the jumbled and biased opinions & information!
I think college starts too early in life, or at least it did for me. I went to a top 30 school, 800 miles from home, and did a lot of drinking and sex. We simply weren't all made to study - and I have a double major in Math and Psychology. The former is puzzles and the latter for me is intuitive - and I mention this because without my passion for those things, I'd have failed out of the math and maybe even not graduated. That said, if you feel a newfound motivation to actually engage in the classroom, I think you'll find any type of school relatively easy, and as you've all alluded to, the outcome of the grades is just a portion of how to capture the most value of your most precious commodity, time, and your money (or someone else's money).
I test well. Got a 93 on the series 7, so it's not like I am not advocating for more school, it's just that I've seen people go to escape and people go back in mid life, truly motivated, and absolutely crush it. I tell anyone studying for the 7, the GMAT, or the CFP/CPA, I've met plenty of idiots who have done well on these tests, and that's a great thing. It's about wanting it - and I consider that the most necessary ingredient. And if/when you commit, that's it - no second guessing, no pessimism - stay vectored: have direction and magnitude.
Now as far as school goes as it pertains to this thread, really step back and consider yourself a business. This thread has been great in helping anyone pro/con such matters. If you can get it paid for and you don't have kids, fucking do it regardless. It'll make your mental world a little bigger, your skills a bit sharper, your web (network) a little larger, AND you'll be more marketable. Plus your hobbies are probably pretty lame anyway, unless you like to cook. But stepping back, start your analysis by how your business is going - and contentedness is your currency, although to some degree fiat currency will influence your decisions as well. And write your shit out bros & bras. Type it out or write it out. I type b/c it's so much faster for me... Now write out an end of 2018 ideal situation that's realistic but can be unlike what's happening now. Write it as if it's 12/31/2018 and you are looking back on your decisions and changes. There's a cost to get to that end of year vision, in the form of time, stress, money, whatever. Now determine whether you are willing to pay it, and if not, please write down why for your own future reference.
I think the reason this post sucks is b/c I am ambivalent on the MBA and extremely bullish on all things computer science and all things blue collar (trade school related). I like the idea of a night MBA on someone else's dime, but not an all-day school thing that prevents full-time work or advancement, unless you are talking top 50 university with clear path afterward. I love computer science's future - I don't think the field gets saturated or obsolete any time soon. Also, regarding trade schools, this is just an excellent idea - I believe it was
@Maximus but there are also several published articles (FWIW) commenting on how there's actually a labor shortage for blue collar jobs. This is such a "zig when they zag" move meaning there's an overabundance of education but everyone is chasing the same white collar jobs while your HVAC guy is clearing $110K.
I would advocate for entrepreneurship the most heavily of all, but I think it'd be a bit... irresponsible?... of me to do so. I think that's for a certain personality type and I don't know you guys well enough to steer you that way.
Just recognize that you have a lot going for you - you are young and have time to do these things. That's a tremendous advantage of people like me - 1 full time job, 2 part time jobs, and a family with 3 kids under 6. You should be eating my lunch. Which brings me to what I think
@col63onel had to say - it's really hard to find time to spend on your "business's" state of affairs. You've got to make that happen. Take your lunch at a local starbucks every friday (or every day if possible) and just reflect, make your battle plan, manage projects by making them into small steps, find mentors (huge one, almost forgot), and forge forward.
And to paraphrase the only good thing to ever come out of Johnny Manziel's mouth - don't let it come to you, TAKE IT.