You can absolutely get published and find high-paying writing work without a master's degree, which is one of the biggest downsides of pursuing graduate-level education in this field. An online master's degree in creative writing can help you sharpen your skills, but you may be able to achieve the same results by practicing writing on your own. Still, if you are looking to network and broaden your community of peers and mentors, an MFA may be the best path forward.