This place had a great game dev community when I first joined here, I need to get some more to show for this game done soon.
I've been making good progress on getting the base engine for the game together so I can start getting some content added into it! I've put a lot of time into writing and imp world building lately and I'm eager to get it actually in the game lol. #GameDev#GameMaker
From my experience a strong portfolio is what matters most, and the piece of paper can help give you great things to put in that portfolio, but it's not mandatory for making great things. I would probably start with trying to make some things on your own first, and think about formal classes after.
I'd start by just picking up something like GMS2 or Godot and give it a try, they are free to start. Maybe see if there are any local game jams you can join too. Stuff like RPG Maker can be a good way to give it a try without getting too deep in coding. Though other 'no code' engines are not great.