Giving yourself permission to get a degree...permission to live your actual values...permission to make yourself happy...those are the hard part. Good luck.
I don't think that "paying $80k" and "finding the time to actually get the degree while maintaining a full-time job" are the "least hard" parts.
The author could work part time for less money.
They are not giving themselves permission.
If he truly wanted a degree, he'd already be doing it. It reads more like what he really wants is a break from software but is still in an economic reality of needing a job.