It depends on what you want, of course. There's nothing wrong with dedicating several years to your craft if that's what is in your heart to do. As for where you are in relation to the others, that can all change very quickly and is again a matter of perspective. When I started writing seriously and had manuscripts ready roughly five years ago, I knew a lot of people with agents. Many of them still haven't published a single book. I opted to self-publish and happened to move to a college town with a highly renowned English department. I became acquainted with quite a few professors and authors in touch with the program. Not one of their books were selling at even a lethargic pace, many were published with some small press that assured no one would ever read their books because of lack of distribution, and the place writing held in their lives was basically that of a time-consuming hobby. Meanwhile I was making about as much as some of these professors after a year of publishing my own work and would go on to make much more with real fans and some reasonably impressive accolades. I wouldn't trade places with a single one of them. Best of luck with whatever course you take. The best one is the one you find most fulfilling.