Hello anon!  It’s not a requirement to cosplay at cons, it’s just a lot of fun to do.  But I feel like you’ll only have fun if you’re satisfied with your costume?  Like if it gets to convention time and the costume isn’t where you want it to be, you might not enjoy it as much.  If you feel like it isn’t going to be done in time, it may be better to save it for another con.  Now in two weeks time if you’re happy at your progress, by all means  :)  But no, cosplay isn’t required.  I went to my first con in 2002 and I didn’t start cosplaying until 2003, if I’m remembering right, and my first cosplay was made by a friend.  So was my second cosplay.  My wifey didn’t start making my costumes until later, when she felt confident enough in her skills to try  :)