Indeed, I feel extremely fortunate to have wound up with computers as an interest while young because that allowed me to build a well paid career doing something I love despite lacking a degree, but that sense of unfairness you mention makes it a bit bittersweet.

I think the bottom line is that everybody should be able to earn a good living wage, regardless of their line of work. It feels broken that one would need to seek a specific job or set of jobs to have a hope of living comfortably.