Advice about the industry and mixing engineers (I need anwers please!)?

[kevin b]

Hi guys, I'm just now getting my equipment and I feel I've wasted a lot of time over the years smoking weed. I'm 22 now and I want to get into the industry and start getting my name out but I don't have an engineer to mix my music. I originally planned to save up from ages 22.5-24 for going to engineering school. From 24-25 will be spent in school and then finally at age 25 beginning to go out, do open mics, and get my name out etc. I feel this is too much time passed to begin at age 25. Theoretically it could still take a few years to build a fanbase and 'blow up'.

Do you guys think I should skip engineering school and find a good mixing engineer?

I'm doing it indie, and I want my own label, so I feel it'd be nicer to take care of everything on the production end myself so I can produce myself and artists on my label.
I make a fuse between big beat (chemical brothers, mr. oizo, prodigy, etc.) and hip-hop (pharcyde, leaders of the new school, murs etc.)

I know a lot about the music buisness but not enought to understand weather I should (or even could) find a mixing engineer to mix my music or weather I should have it all in my own hands but start at age 25. I have to work from 22.5 to 24 to show the US my tax records to earn my citizenship, so I sort of can't cut that time out.

Any advice is sincerely appreciated, even if you're skimming the forum, drop a response.

Thank you,
Balsam Etheridge