The original poster can give the real answer (I have a feeling you know what I'm about to write and want the _story_) but:

For certain technically focused jobs it's easy for other skilled practitioners to tell that you can do it.

A degree is nice but is actually less useful for signalling than concrete, interesting work in the field because the latter is rarer.

I've seen this play out particularly in computer security and low-level software development.

Where lack of qualifications really holds you back is when you're being hired by non-experts. They usually can't evaluate "direct evidence" and must rely on credentials instead. Paradoxically this means you can have an easier time getting hired without a degree at a "top" company than a mid-tier one.