I think it depends on why one's writing. I didn't have my first fic beta'ed, unless you want to count the number of times I went over it myself before it was finally posted.

Since then, I've found that while my drafts are usually as good or better than many of the fics I read, I learn so much from betas-- hints on bad habits, structure, more effective word choices, you name it. I posted the last section of "In Loco" incompletely beta'ed with nary a qualm, but I'm looking forward to the comments on the next section, as painful as they sometimes are.

In short, I'm here to Learn, and if someone is willing to donate their time, I will gleefully study their advice, and return the favor for others. It's cheaper and probably more useful than a MFA. Which is good because I already have student loan issues.