This is more of a discussion rather than a question but, it might get thoughts together through everyone elses opinion. Nonetheless, I appreciate it anyways!

I've been dancing around this idea for quite some time now. About 5 months ago, I finally got my first dev job after finishing Fullstack Academy last February. I always thought that without the degree I was going to be stuck in the job hunting phase but, thank goodness its over. However, with the rise of new tech and now a newer, deeper interest in computer science is growing, I feel like trying my hand at going back to college. I have a few friends who has their degrees and they are starting to inspire me. I've been reading research papers but, can never get to understand them well and I feel like I'd need a degree to finally fill in the gaps. Not to mention, the rise in AI has gotten me even more interested in contributing or a great need to do something worth while. Now, it terms of school, I was thinking about University of the People as it was self paced and it would work with my WFM schedule. (And cheaper too) To be honest, I feel like I don't need to chase a higher paying job and thats probably due to the fact that I was told by many of my friends that all I needed to do was get the ONE job to now count as professional experience so I would stay in this job as long as I can, rack up the experience before pursuing something greater. I feel as though I might not need a degree to do this but, one of my best friends told me that "If I want to deeply understand the science to understand rather than pursuing a job, I'd strongly recommended going to college". So, I would like to hear what you guys think and maybe here your experience and opinions on the matter. Even what you guys have done.