I've done a little reading over the years and thought about this some.  I think this argument occurs in some form in every age.  But when new fields are born, there is no place to go to get educated in it. You just have to make it up. And it is in the birth of those new things that people are more likely to be seen as "making a difference".   Entrepreneurship also involves making it up as you go.  I've read some things that indicate that finishing your education can be an impediment to making it as an entrepreneur.  The two examples I usually refer to:  Bill Gates and Madonna are both college drop outs.<p>If you want to become a doctor, yes, you need all the credentials that society requires.  But if you just want to help people get healthier, there are many paths to such a goal.  I considered becoming a physical therapist when I was a teen.  But I did an informational interview and concluded they didn't really do what I was imagining.  A lot of people have fantasies about some career or other only to find it doesn't really do what they had imagined.  Tragically, for many people this realization comes after investing a lot of time, money and effort into getting the requisite education, experience and credentials.  At that point, a lot of people feel stuck:  They have student loans to pay off and can't make enough money doing something else to pay them.<p>I was interested in this question (concerning credentials and success) in part because I homeschooled my kids.  I always told them that they would have no king's stamp to make the gold good, therefore they actually had to be gold -- ie they have to be able to Bring It.  They are fine with that.