I would say that's a quite realistic endgame and potentially, given enough time, talent and dedication, even a possible mid-game. As a mid-game it would give you considerable practical experience in achieving commercial; demands, requirements, risk management, constraints, working practises, etc., which will make you and your own projects a more viable proposition for other professionals and commercial investors. As an end or mid game though you still need to have an opening game and getting a degree is NOT an opening game, more like pre-opening, a step to get to the opening! An opening game could be something like being a PA or runner, excelling, working beyond the call of duty, creating a demand for your services, observing and learning how things are done and practising what you learn in your own filmmaking. Eventually an opportunity will arise, you just need to be in the right place at the right time/have the right contacts and the knowledge and skill to take advantage of it. This is a long and hard game, too long and hard for most! Some try to take a shortcut by trying to strike out on their own before they understand the industry, others try the long hard road but get discouraged and give up. Extremely rarely, those who take the shortcut find success and manage to scrape a living, even more rarely they might become very successful. However, the long hard road is by far the most realistically achievable route unless one is a true filmmaking genius or someone who happens to stumble upon a genius filmmaking idea.
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Thanks again APE. I have spent the last few days calling around local production companies asking them for advice, asking what they want to see in an employer and they very much concur with your views. They say the only real value of a masters degree(my other option) is the experience of using industry standard equipment AND a good showreel. The advice in the main is that there are 2 options, the first is to put together a fantastic showreel and send it to companies in the hope of getting freelance work with them, the second is to come on board as a runner or PA(Again as you said) and work your way up from there, get contacts and keep them, get your face known and build.
I am now putting a CV together to send to all of the companies in the hope of getting runner work, at the same time I plan to put my reel together and keep working on personal projects,that way I am making steps towards both of those routes, I see this as my opening game.
I am feeling confidant enough in my abilities that I've finally begun preproduction on the superhero action comedy. Peoples jaws will drop