Yes, there are fulfilling careers to be had without passing Algebra, but perhaps not the ones dreamed of.   The bigger problem is that students who fail Algebra believe (or are told) they're not smart enough, when that's clearly not necessarily true.  (Ironically, students who've been getting A's all through middle school Math are very likely to be confused by Algebra, because they're not used to having to work at 'Math', or even think about it.)  Ability to do abstract thinking has a lot to do with mental maturity and perseverance; this writer may have done fine in Algebra when a little older. 

I've been teaching remedial Algebra for over 20 years, to students who thought they would never need it.  Sometimes I have to go all the way back to basics like multiplication facts (remember Fact Families?) before the student can understand the concept and move forward.