Your goal is achievable, but you may want to consider readjusting your plan slightly. It would seem your best bet is to try to get free-lance work in your current industry either as a writer or consultant for a U.S.-based company. Since you have a strong background in marketing and sales in IT, you can use that to your advantage. The No. 1 issue most companies struggle with is acquiring new customers or developing the loyalty of existing ones, so any proposal or contribution in this area will be welcome. Whatever you work up, use it to show others your ability. If you don't like this idea, ask colleagues you respect what they think might be a good subject to tackle.

Another option is to offer nonprofit organizations assistance in writing communications or public-relations materials for a period of time free of charge. Although you'd sacrifice pay, the experiences could open doors for you later on and provide the needed expertise to position yourself as a free-lance writer or consultant.

After you develop some confidence in your abilities, try to write or produce something of interest for the field in which you want to end up. This will take time, but is the best way for you to make the jump to a free-lance career and to a new field. Look upon this time as your learning curve and maintain the attitude that you can succeed.

As for your lack of schooling, there's no evidence that it's held you back in the past, so there's no need to think it will do so in the future. If you want a degree because you crave more knowledge, then pursue it. But if you just hope that a degree might help your career in some nonspecific way, we think that your time, energy and money would be better spent elsewhere.