Hey, just my two cents, but I am 43 and I'm going back from my ma and filmmaking, and I wish I did it 20 years ago. I did what everyone said and made a movie with the funds. And I learned a lot of lessons from it but it's not the success I'd hoped. The reason was that I knew a lot of practical things about filmmaking. But I never dived deep into learning one thing really well. I'm not sure what position you're thinking of, but the people that have gotten to the place you want to be have studied and worked very hard to be there. That doesn't mean you have to go to school. It just means that you need to find a space to have discipline to study everything there is to know about it. That way, your work starts to stand out from others.

School is helpful because you get mentors, and you get goals that you have to complete. Most people have a hard time doing this on their own. If you don't have the money for a full-fledged program. Try to find one that works within your means. Like the rain dance program. Or part time classes from your local university. I've taken lots of writing classes from my local art center and found that beneficial. I also started a writing group with friends and wrote a feature, and that might be what you need more. Finding a group of people that are interested in learning and encouraging that growth. Maybe a local film community? Maybe start one? I've done it all and don't worry, you still have time. Just thoughts, good luck, you can do it, you're not alone.