More power to those friends. I've tried that road personally and it's brutally hard. If you have the financial runway and can get credits for GE classes, a bachelors in CS could be done quickly like you said. No payoff is guaranteed, but the stats are skewed heavily in favor of it being a good idea. By the time you get through it the hiring downturn should be in the rearview mirror. Pursuing the degree is a very structured way to make sure you're on the right learning track and probably a worthwhile distraction from the personal stuff. If you go that route, get internships, have side projects, and grind leetcode a little bit each day. You can do it.