Call me lucky, but I have no paper on the wall.. just lots of experience (and more importantly I have found), a great reputation for quality... both of which you cannot gain in 4 years of college/vocational school.
I think that the big fallacy when attempting to discuss these kinds of problems is being caught up in the "market" in one's
specific geographic area. What is true with the "Big Cities", is not true for the rest of the world. In fact, areas like the one I live in, have a vacuum of talent. People need coding done and will pay regardless of what's on your wall. It comes down to "Can you do It?","How long will it take?" and "How much will it cost?".