Yeah, don't worry about being great, just mess about and have fun. Tutorials are great for the basics, sometimes though they won't cover what you want to accomplish, thats why experimenting is always the best way forward, and coming up with your own conclusions.
Check out this thread: http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89972 There are plenty of examples of people who did it without school. It could take years, sure, but then again so does school doesn't it? I know people who graduated in 4 years, and I know people who did it in 7 years. Bottom line, who cares? If…