Formal education is something nobody can ever take away from you. It's the best investment you can make. The quotation Harvard Professor Derek Bok is usually credited with, "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance," is as valid today as ever. You can lose your medical in a heartbeat (or lack thereof) driving home if an idiot runs into you - God forbid. And without a medical, a pilot's worth is meager. Will you have anything to fall back on? I know it's probably the last thing on your mind right now, but keep on the back burner the reality that adversity doesn't know sympathy, let alone compassion. So it's always better to be prepared for it, than to hope it won't come. A degree will open more doors for you, plus you'll have an edge over those who don't have one no matter what you'll end up doing. If you give college an honest shot and it doesn't work out, you'll always have the satisfaction knowing that at least you tried. Here's another piece of wisdom, this time from an ancient Chinese warrior: "More engagements are lost in the minds of commanders than on the fields of battle" (Sun Tzu).