I dropped out of school in 2015 and went back in January. I did my last 3 years of school online, tried to go back to an actual school and lasted about a month. When I went back to school in January it was also online. I really suggest looking into online further. Fear of not having enough self-discipline is a really common one, and it is difficult at first, but it is also easy to get into a routine. After that routine is set up, it becomes a lot less difficult and pretty much like second nature. I personally think the pros outweigh the cons by far.

As for the stigma, that can be pretty much completely avoided by going to a large school with an online program rather than one of the schools who are entirely online. For example, I go to Penn State. When I get that degree its going to say "The Pennsylvania State University" not, "The Pennsylvania State University - Online". 99% of the professors I have had are teaching courses online and at a Penn State campus as well, so the quality of the education is no different. It is definitely something to look further into.

I just think with big decisions like these, we are always going to have 100 more reasons why now is not the right time to go back to school vs why it is the right time. Not at all saying your reasons aren't valid because they 100% are. I just think it is worth the chance. If anything, start small. Take an online course through your local community college and see how that goes. And if you have any questions about taking classes online, feel free to message me!