I mean you're looking at a few edge cases here. Most of us will tend to land in the average and never see that level of wild success. Yes, with the right skills you can get a well paying job without a degree but on the whole, people who get a higher education end up doing better financially.
Your also looking at a very specific field. Some fields require a degree and others require talent and a nonstop work ethic to just get out there and do it day after day and push through those hardships.