I went the direct route and got the quick degree (in comp sci). I landed a job programming when I was at a similar spot even though I could have snapped up a higher level degree within 12 months. 17 years later, I have never interviewed for a job where it would matter. I stayed with one company for 7 years and have worked for myself ever since. Though, a programmer I managed at that one company was denied a higher salary since he had no degree.

In moments of weakness, I've looked through job listings and ones with higher salaries seem to require the "right" degree or the "right" experience. Those are usually corporate or headhunter jobs I assume I'd hate. It might be nice to make 3-4x as much money and program for myself at home. Though I might never have had some of the experiences I value most in my life.

Side note: a few times I've jumped the queue and had to go back and fulfill a requirement that seemed like a step back. Invariably, I learned something of great value that I used later in life.

However, if you have gaps in your CS knowledge, it may be easier to fill them in school. Once you're coding full-time, it can be hard to find the time and motivation to explore as diverse a set of languages, data structures/algorithms, and tools as you are (hopefully) exposed to in a solid CS program.