Please don't take what I said as a put down.
I agree it takes a lot of smarts and you can't slough off school, but once you get through, you have a lot of options. A friend of mine did her degree in 6 (a special community college program that fed into a university program that total took her 6 years), but another friend of mine took 8.
The second now works 3 days a week and stays with her kids the other days and completely loves her schedule and that she can work in a small town. It is a great option if you have the aptitude.