I was single for a long time after my ex-fiancé and I broke up in '95. I played the field and had a lot of fun during the rest of college and afterward.
I dated someone for a year and a half before I met my wife, knowing that she wasn't the girl I wanted to get married to, but that she was “good for now.”
I was the anti-marriage advocate of all my friends for a long time, because I was a bit jaded.
When I met Kerri I just knew. It was right. She was my equal in most respects and my superior in others. If I let her slip by, I’d have made the greatest mistake of my life. I learned what it took to want to marry someone, and had a hard time finding that feeling for a long time. I wasn’t about to let it slip me by a second time.
It's hard to say how long to wait. But, if you have to ask the question it leads me to believe that you already know the answer to your question.
There's nothing wrong with being "alone," and self reliant for a while....trust me. You grow stronger as a person during that time, and you learn not to “settle.” After all, if you can make it on your own, your life partner should only compliment or improve your life!