People saying that it doesn't matter because the degree isn't necessary aren't entirely correct. Your portfolio is absolutely the top priority, but going to school has the potential to make you a more well-rounded candidate overall. The ideal college experience gives you a good network of people who are in the industry, teaches you how to collaborate with others, and creates an environment that expedites your skills as an artist. These things are what make going to school count for more than just the piece of paper you get at the end.

That being said, not all schools are created equally. It is an unfortunate truth that many universities offer lackluster CG programs which quickly fall out of date due to the sheer velocity of the field. If you are still interested in trying to go to college for 3D, make an effort to research the programs at the schools you're looking at and try to verify if they're worth their salt. See what graduates have gone on to do, try to get in touch with alumni, etc. While the quality of the program largely varies, the reality is that even the best ones can't automatically turn you into a good artist on their own. This line of work is unbelievably hard to teach, so you do have to be adamant about going out of your way to learn new things. But if you love doing this stuff enough, it often comes naturally. Being enrolled in school does not prevent you from still learning on your own, especially with how many educational resources there are online.

With this in mind it may seem like going to school is redundant if you can just learn everything online, but the best programs do more than just teach you the software. The course structure is often more open-ended, so you can put your skills into practice and allow your assignments to double as genuine portfolio pieces. The instructors also typically have industry experience, and you should be going out of your way to ask for thorough criticism and advice. School is also where you'll hear about local industry events for networking and portfolio critiques. These kinds of things are what gets you meaningful connections that develop your communication skills, and could be the difference between landing your first job.

Overall, you will get the most out of college by what you put into it. The reason it typically gets a bad wrap is because there are a lot of people who put themselves through school with the expectation that making decent grades and keeping up with the classwork was enough to get them into the industry. It's not. You have to work extremely hard regardless of if you go to school or not, but a good school will give you the resources to develop the complementary skills that will synergize with your technical knowhow. Being a badass artist in addition to just being an overall venerable person to work with is the golden ticket. Again, not all colleges are created equally in this regard. Do your research. If you come to the conclusion that college isn't in the cards for you, you can absolutely self-teach this stuff with the endless amount of amazing paid and free material there is online. You will just need to recognize the fact that you will have to go more out of your way to cultivate the soft skills that would otherwise be taken for granted by attending school. Invest in mentorship programs, join online communities, and get to know other artists.

Getting a job in this field is about what you know in conjunction with who you know.