> As I heard from one candidate in an interview, “software development is one of very few career paths left to have a middle class lifestyle without a degree.“

That's very true, and it's because technology is more of a meritocracy than most other professions. Your compiler doesn't care about your credentials, or who your family is, emotional pleas, or any of the other myriad factors that get people into jobs they're not capable of. The culture of meritocracy is pretty heavily under assault, but I'm confident it will survive for a while yet.