I have been a Senior Systems Engineer for a company employing over 6,000 people. I was a Senior Security Engineer for a large Medical and Insurance company employing over 270,000 employees and now a Director of IT for a furniture manufacturer. I never finished High School, I've taken two art classes in college and to top things off, I don't even have any tech certifications. Although I am an expert, 90% of my career has been socially engineered. I'm a likable guy. If you are good at what you do and can sell yourself, and education means nothing in IT.