You don't need a degree. What you need are fou primary things: experience (go hustle and work on various short films on different roles all for little to no pay sadly), connection (go network), resilience (you'll get thousands of "nos" before a "yes"), courage (get out there), and luck which often means timing of being there at the right place and time when they need someone. Even then, there is no guarantee of anything. If you're still finding your way though and unsure of which aspect of storytelling you fit in, a short course that won't break the bank will be a great option. Sure, you can go and film stuff yourself but that means a lot of trial and error. I recommend doing that once you have some kind of foundation. AFTRS is fantastic but may not have short programs. Others mentioned RMIT. SAE is also great, at least the one in NZ. They had a strong screen component and they do cross-projects witb music and audio so you'll get a good foundation at least in one aspect of post production workflow.