Sometimes life puts the pieces in place for us, we just need to pause for a moment and see them. I think it would be hard to go back to academic learning when you've already been doing it in real time.
Sometimes I think we can achieve more by doing things in smaller scale and showing others it can be done so that they can follow. Lots of little actions make a huge impact.
Will you be building a house on your little bit of paradise or will it be more like camping?
Academic learning has its benefits, but life is the best teacher in my opinion. A balance between the two is ideal, with some amount of research before implementation.
Yes, I also believe a lot of small differences will eventually make a large one. I am choosing a rather unconventional path and will hopefully be an inspiration, just as others have been for me.
At the moment, I stay in town and commute there but I hope to get a tiny wattle and daub hut up this year. Nothing too fancy, a functional minimal house. A step above camping and a step below a house.