J, 1K+ workshops?
For example, it took me 10+ years to discover screenwriting. So professionally, I've always been a decade behind my peers. Certainly, that…
J, 1K+ workshops? Wow! Only 2 geniuses. Sounds about right! The thing about film school is it's similar to the Pixar approach to the story-crafting process: "Be wrong as fast as you can" and "Fail early and fail fast." In real life, someone may spend years heading down this or that creative path, or making myriad wrong decisions with this script or that. In the context of a school with faculty members and fellow writers (cohort), you can discover mistakes with your stories and your own as a writer much more quickly ... which can save a person valuable time in their creative lives.
For example, it took me 10+ years to discover screenwriting. So professionally, I've always been a decade behind my peers. Certainly, that was the path I needed to take, however, had I gone to a university with a film program (UVA did not), I may have jumped ahead 10 years as a screenwriter.
Of course, I may not have discovered Joseph Campbell ... or Aristotle ... or Carl Jung ... or all of my theological training which -- oddly -- I use in my writing and teaching all the time.
Each person needs to chart their own path. College ... film school ... or not ... do what you feel like you need to do, then do it. Even if it does involve 1K+ workshops!