I completely agree, two that come to mind are;
Bill Gates- High School (Microsoft)
Bill Lear- 8th grade (invented the Lear Jet)
And 1,000s if not 10s of 1,000s of other great talents that never went past High school,
They did however continue their education for the rest of their lives even though it may not have been formal.
My suggestions (Opinions) just suggest the shortest distance between two points.
Canute, My suggestions are meant as a consideration that will "Fast Track" you to break into the business.
A four year (or less) commitment is indeed a small investment for the rest of your life.
Please read John Huntington "Control Systems for Live Entertainment" (Third Edition) Focal Press.
It should give you insight into the direction you might consider.
This will give you an idea of what may be required in the future in this field.
Also there are people on this forum with decades working in the live entertainment field that know where things may be going and are very, very sharp, and people with limited (Years) of experience, that work on modern equipment that are also very, very sharp.
My comments are based on teaching classes in Multi-Media Production to young children and recognizing
which disciplines will help in the future should they decide to pursue a technical career.
We also invite working professionals as guest speakers to offer opinions about (include other things) future education. (Middle School, High School, College and beyond)
Bottom line; an EE will never hurt you, nor will learning Spanish.
Again, just my thoughts on taking "Short Cuts".
Regards, John
P.S., Added this;
The Automated Lighting Programmer’s Handbook, 2nd Edition
http://www.plsnbookshelf.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=28