Came across this article: http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/10/to-school-or-not-to-school/
The author talks about the pros and cons of going to school for design. The pros are basically that you get a degree that says you know what you are doing, however, the cons outweigh that. No matter what, you have to constantly self-educate yourself while in and out of school. The design field changes constantly, there are new tricks, software updates and techniques released nearly daily. Colleges are not able to keep their classes up to date with this constant change.
He stated his friend, an Art Director for a firm, only looks at an applicants portfolio when hiring, not their schooling. This makes complete sense. I can tell you I went to a technical college and learned to work on cars, but you wouldn’t believe me if I couldn’t tell you the type of engine, oil and gas were in my car, right?
I believe this just fortifies my decision to self-educate. With unlimited resources online and plenty of books available, as well, I think I will be just fine.